Leggett and Tigers Hope History Repeats Itself |
CLEMSON - The blueprint is there to be followed.
Two years ago, Clemson hosted both an NCAA Regional and Super Regional at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. After winning the regional, the Tigers responded by sweeping Mississippi State in the Super Regional, earning a trip to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. With the exact scenario laid out before them beginning tonight - Clemson, as the No. 2 national seed, is virtually assured to host a Super Regional if it survives this weekend - the Tigers and head coach Jack Leggett hope history repeats itself. They're also happy to be getting something of a fresh start, one that doesn't include a Florida State sighting - the No. 1 Seminoles swept the final three games of the regular season from Clemson, then beat the Tigers twice in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament. "We have to go prove it, but we’ve played the year as well as anybody has in the country," Leggett said. "We (just) ran into the team that’s playing the best in the country at the end of the season." With the Seminoles out of the picture, at least for the moment, the Tigers now focus on a Georgia Southern team (38-23) it defeated twice this season - 20-8 on March 12, 9-2 on March 23. The Eagles made the NCAA field by coming out of the loser's bracket to defeat the College of Charleston twice to win the Southern Conference Tournament. Matt Herring has been GSU's main offensive threat in 2002, sporting a .376 batting average with 14 homers and 77 RBI. The Tigers are likely to face the Eagles' Dennis Dove (7-3, 2.99 ERA), their top pitcher all season. In today's first game (2 p.m.), second-seeded East Carolina (41-18-1) takes on No. 3 Elon (33-19). Elon is making its second trip to Clemson this season. The Phoenix upset the Tigers 8-6 on May 9. In a very important sidenote, Clemson is making every attempt to accommodate ECU head coach Keith LeClair, who suffers from Lou Gehrig Disease (ALS) and has lost the ability to speak. LeClair, a former Leggett player and assistant coach, watched part of the Conference USA Tournament from a van parked next to the field. When the Pirates clinched the tournament championship, several players included LeClair in the celebration by dousing the van with Gatorade. Clemson will get LeClair as close to the field as possible, a sign of the respect Leggett has for the ECU coach. "It hurts me a great deal to see him going through the things he’s having to struggle with," Leggett said. "We’re trying to show him as much support as we can — try to show him how much we care about him and love him. He’s given me far more than I could give him in terms of motivation and showing me how to handle tough adversity and the tough things in life."
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