Notes: Baseball vs Auburn Tigers |
Clemson vs. Auburn
Clemson, ranked as high as #12, will open the 2003 season at #16 Auburn (6-2) this weekend in three intersectional games at Hitchcock Field at Plainsman Park in Auburn, AL. Game one Friday will start at 4:00 PM EST. Game two will begin at 3:00 PM EST, while the series finale Sunday will start at 2:30 PM EST. The games on Friday and Saturday will be broadcast live on the radio by WCCP (104.9 FM) out of Clemson and can be heard live via the internet at www.clemsontigers.com. Live stats will also be available for all three games on Clemson's website. The Tigers will be opening their season on an opponent's home field for the first time since 1991, when Clemson won both games at Georgia Southern. The Series Auburn leads the 80-game all-time series 40-37-3 dating back to the first contest in 1901. Ironically, the legendary John Heisman, who was also a football on the Plains, coached his first two games as Clemson's head baseball coach against Auburn (both victories) in the 1901 season. He also defeated Auburn in 1903 and was 3-0 against the Tigers from Alabama. Despite the three-game lead for Auburn, Clemson has won 12 of the last 13 meetings, including four in a row at Auburn. Clemson last visited Auburn in 1992 and won both games that year. Auburn handed Clemson an 11-5 loss in the 1994 NCAA East Regional at Clemson, propelling the SEC Tigers to the College World Series. Clemson swept Auburn in three games last year to open the season by scores of 7-4, 8-5, and 6-5. Clemson Head Coach Jack Leggett is 4-1 against Auburn as the Tiger skipper, but has yet to face the Tigers at Auburn. Leggett, in his 10th season as Clemson's head coach, is 52-25 (.675) against SEC teams while at Clemson, including an 18-13 record on opponents' home field. Leggett was also 6-12 against Auburn as Western Carolina's head coach (1983-91). Tiger Stats vs. Auburn in 2002 Second baseman David Slevin led the Tigers in the 2002 series with a 5-for-9 performance. Kyle Frank and Michael Johnson both hit .333 as well, while Collin Mahoney hit his first career homer off Eric Brandon. Clemson outhit Auburn .333 to .283 last year. Steven Jackson allowed just four hits, one run, and two walks while striking out six in 6.0 innings pitched to lead all Tigers on the mound. Paul Harrelson (2) and Tyler Lumsden (1) also picked up saves in the series.
2002 Stats vs. Auburn
The Starting Pitchers
Auburn will start sophomore lefty Arnold Hughey (1-0, 2.08
ERA) in game one. Junior righthander Colby Paxton (1-0, 0,00 ERA)
will start game two. Paxton allowed just three hits and no runs in
5.1 innings pitched in his only start this season. Brandon, a junior
righthander (0-1, 10.45 ERA), will start game three. Brandon
suffered a tough no decision at Clemson last year. In his next
outing, he tossed the school's first perfect game against Murray
State. Auburn has a 5.50 ERA and .299 opponents' batting average
this season. Ken Clayton, a sophomore righty on Auburn's squad, is
the brother of Clemson freshman righthander Pat Clayton.
Sophomore righthander Jeff Hahn will take to the mound in
game one for Clemson. Hahn will be making his first career start, as
he had a 3-0 record with three saves in 23 relief appearances in
2002. Sophomore lefty Tyler Lumsden, who was 4-1 with a 5.28 ERA a
season ago, will start game two. Junior righthander Steven Jackson
(6-1, 5.37 ERA last year) will start game three.
Auburn Overview
Auburn, led by third-year Head Coach and longtime Auburn
assistant Steve Renfroe, is hitting .326 as a team and is led by
Scott Schade, who is hitting .407. Josh Bell has two homers and five
RBIs along with a .387 batting average, while Clete Thomas and Javon
Moran have nine RBIs and eight RBIs, respectively. Clemson
outfielder Zane Green and Moran were teammates at Lowndes High School
in south Georgia.
Clemson Overview
Clemson, who is coming off its 17th-straight 40-win season
and 16th-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, is led at the plate
by fifth-year senior first baseman Michael Johnson. Johnson hit .384
with 25 homers and 81 RBIs in 2002. He has 46 career homers and
needs 14 to break the Clemson career record of 59 held by Jeff Baker
(2000-02). Clemson hit .324 as a team in 2002 and had a 4.19 team
ERA.
Tigers Picked Fourth in ACC Preseason Poll
The nine ACC head coaches selected Clemson fourth in the
preseason ACC poll as voted on in January. Clemson, who finished in
fourth place a season ago, but just 2.0 games out of first place,
received 54 points. Georgia Tech was picked first, receiving 77
points, four ahead of second-place Florida State. Wake Forest was
picked third.
2003 ACC Preseason Coaches Poll Rk School Points 2002 ACC 1. Georgia Tech (6) 77 52-16 14-9 2. Florida State (2) 73 60-14 18-6 3. Wake Forest (1) 65 47-13-1 17-6 4. Clemson 54 54-17 16-8 5. North Carolina 41 43-21 17-7 6. N.C. State 30 33-26 7-17 7. Virginia 29 25-32 8-16 8. Duke 19 24-34 4-20 9. Maryland 17 34-23 6-18
Poll Jumping
Clemson has already risen in the national polls without even
playing a game. The Tigers started off at #15 in the preseason
Sports Weekly poll, but has since climbed to #12. Clemson finished
the 2002 season ranked #3 in all three polls and is currently ranked
#18 by Baseball America and #17 by Collegiate Baseball.
The Streaks Continue
After a 54-17 season and a trip to the College World Series
in 2002, the Tigers' streaks of consecutive 40-win seasons and NCAA
Tournament appearances increased. Clemson has played in 16-straight
NCAA Tournaments and has won at least 40 games for 17 straight years.
The NCAA Tourney streak is the third-longest current streak, only
behind Miami (FL) (30) and Florida State (25). It is also the
fifth-longest streak of all-time.
Tigers to Play Exhibition Game Against Chukyo
On Thursday, March 6 at 4:00 PM, Clemson will play host to
Chukyo University of Japan in an exhibition game. The game will be
broadcast on Clemson's University radio station, WSBF (88.1 FM).
Clemson last played an exhibition game against the Greenville (AA)
Braves on April 4, 1988 at Clemson. The Tigers won that game 11-10.
Edmonds Connection
Clemson has had recent success recruiting student-athletes
from the far west reaches of the United States, particularly the
Seattle, WA area. In 2000, Head Coach Jack Leggett hired Hank King
as the volunteer assistant. King had been the head coach at Edmonds
Community College in Edmonds, WA in previous seasons. He brought
with him two players (Ryan Riley and Nick Glaser), both that
instantly made an impact. Glaser set the school single-season record
for saves (15), Riley was a two-year starting second baseman, and
both played on Clemson's 2000 College World Series team. In 2001,
closer Josh Cram and outfielder Chad Coder joined the Tiger squad
from Edmonds CC. And in 2003, catcher Brady Everett and reliever
Aaron Trolia have joined the team. King is currently a Major League
scout residing in Athens, GA.
Johnson Named Preseason All-American
Senior first baseman Michael Johnson selected as a preseason
second-team All-American by Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball.
The fifth-year player, who hit 25 homers and drove in 81 runs in
2002, was a second-team All-American in 2002 as well. Johnson has 46
career homers and needs just 14 to break the Clemson career record
for long balls.
Baseball America also released other rankings that Johnson
appeared on. He was rated as the #2 senior prospect in the nation
and #5 overall prospect in the ACC for the 2003 draft. He was also a
First-Team All-ACC pick and rated as the top defensive first baseman
in the ACC in the preseason by Baseball America.
Johnson suffered a dislocated ankle on October 12, 2002, an
injury that required months of rehabilitation. Entering the Auburn
series, Johnson is near 100% and should not suffer any ill-effects
from the injury.
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