Tigers Move Up in Baseball Polls |
Clemson University
Notes Clemson went 5-0 in five games this past week, including winning both games of a home-and-home, midweek series against Georgia and sweeping Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. All five wins were by three runs or less. Clemson, ranked #16 in the country, won both games against Georgia on April 3,4. The Tigers outscored the Bulldogs 15-12 despite being outhit .307 to .279. Addison Johnson was 5-for-7 with three RBIs in the two games. Alan Farina pitched 3.1 scoreless innings in relief to lead Clemson to a 4-2 win at Georgia on April 3. With Clemson up a run in the fifth inning, Farina shut down Georgia, as he allowed just one hit and no walks with three strikeouts to pick up his first win as a Tiger. Stephen Clyne pitched a scoreless ninth inning to record his first save since 2005. Taylor Harbin's two-run double in the fifth inning gave Clemson the lead for good, as he added another double later in the game. Brad Chalk and Johnson also had two hits apiece. The Tigers did not commit an error, and Clemson only allowed six Bulldog hits and no walks in the contest. Johnson's two-out, walkoff double in the ninth inning lifted Clemson to an 11-10 win over Georgia at Doug Kingsmore Stadium on April 4. The Tigers trailed by a run in the ninth inning before Wilson Boyd hit a one-out triple. D.J. Mitchell singled home Boyd to tie the score, stole second, and scored on Johnson's double to left field, his third hit of the contest. Georgia outhit Clemson 17-11 and hit four home runs. The Bulldogs scored three runs apiece in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings, but Clemson responded with runs in each of those innings, including a four-run seventh inning that was highlighted by Boyd's three-run triple. Clyne, the eighth pitcher of the night for Clemson, earned the win after retiring the only batter he faced. Clemson swept Virginia Tech in chilly and windy Blacksburg, VA by a combined score of 19-10, as the Tigers won all three games by three runs. The Tigers outhit the Hokies .286 to .262 and hit 11 extra-base hits, including four homers. Mitchell was 5-for-10, while Marquez Smith went 4-for-11 with two homers. Clemson, who committed only two errors in the series, had a 2.55 ERA and 24 strikeouts against only seven walks. In game-one, Smith hit a two-run homer to lead Clemson to a 6-3 win at Virginia Tech in a game that started on April 6 and ended on April 7 due to snow. Neither team could break through with big hits, as Clemson left 12 runners on base and Virginia Tech stranded 11. Mitchell had three hits, including two doubles. The Hokies totaled 13 hits, but they were all singles. Matt Vaughn pitched 5.0 innings to earn the win in relief of Daniel Moskos, who allowed one run in 4.0 innings pitched in his first career start. The Tigers, who totaled five sacrifice bunts and three steals, did not commit an error in 44 chances as well. In game-two, David Kopp pitched 7.0 solid innings in Clemson's 8-5 victory at Virginia Tech on April 7. Kopp earned the win, as he allowed two runs on five hits with six strikeouts. The Tigers took control with four runs in the first two innings, highlighted by Mitchell's run-scoring single in the second inning. Clemson added three insurance runs in the eighth inning thanks in part to Boyd's two-run single through the left side. Harbin had two hits, including a solo home run, and Mitchell added two hits and two runs scored. Both teams had 10 hits as well. In game-three, Doug Hogan blasted a three-run homer in the 10th inning to lead Clemson to a 5-2 win at Virginia Tech on April 8. Smith hit a solo home run in the first inning, but the Hokies scored single runs in the first and third innings to take the lead. Clemson tied the score in the seventh inning on Harbin's sacrifice fly. Smith led off the 10th inning with and infield single, then Ben Paulsen singled through the right side on a hit-and-run. Hogan followed with a towering three-run homer to left field, his first long ball in 27 games. Farina pitched 4.1 hitless and scoreless innings in relief with seven strikeouts to earn the victory, while Clyne picked up the save. During the week, the Tigers hit .283 with a .392 on-base percentage, 27 walks, nine sacrifice bunts, and 10 stolen bases. The Tigers won all five games despite combining to go just 5-for-45 (.111) with two outs on the week, while its opponents hit .368 in that situation. Clemson also had a .975 fielding percentage and outscored its opponents by a combined score of 34-22. Mitchell led the way with a .462 batting average (6-for-13), two doubles, four walks, and three steals. Johnson was 6-for-14 (.429), while Smith was 8-for-20 (.400) with two homers. Boyd was 6-for-15 (.400) with two triples as well. The pitching staff had a 3.72 ERA and .280 opponents' batting average during the week. The staff also totaled 38 strikeouts against only 12 walks. Farina had two outstanding relief appearances during the week. He earned wins at Georgia on Tuesday and at Virginia Tech on Sunday. In those two outings, he combined for 7.2 innings, allowing just one hit, no runs, and two walks with 10 strikeouts. Clyne added two saves. On the season, Clemson, who is 23-9 overall and 8-4 in ACC play, has won five games in a row overall and five straight road games as well. The team is hitting .289 with a .373 on-base percentage. Chalk is hitting a team-high .393 with a .518 on-base percentage. Hogan is batting .355, while Smith is hitting .333 with six homers and 27 RBIs. Andy D'Alessio, who suffered a groin injury against Miami (FL) on April 1, did not play in any of the five games this past week. The pitching staff has a 3.28 ERA and .245 opponents' batting average on the season. Ryan Hinson has a 2.23 ERA, while Kopp is 4-2 with a 3.22 ERA. Clyne's ERA is down to 0.37, as he has allowed just one earned run in 24.1 innings pitched in 2007. Moskos made the move to the weekend rotation on Friday. He has a 2.45 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 25.2 innings pitched. Clemson will play host to South Carolina on Wednesday night in the third of four regular-season meetings. Then over the weekend, the Tigers will be back on the road, as they will play at Wake Forest in a three-game series beginning Friday afternoon. FLORIDA STATE NO. 1 IN COLLEGIATE BASEBALL NEWSPAPER POLL TUCSON, Ariz. ? Florida State University (31-4) has been ranked No. 1 for the fourth straight week in Collegiate Baseball newspaper?s NCAA Division I baseball poll. The Seminoles only posted a 2-2 record last week after winning two of three against North Carolina St. and dropping a mid-week game to Florida. However, Florida St. is still in first place in the Atlantic Coast Conference with a 10-2 record. FSU is hitting .367 as a team and is averaging 9.9 runs per game with 105 doubles, 14 triples and 24 homers. Hitters have walked a remarkable 175 times. The pitching staff has a 3.13 ERA with 283 strikeouts and 116 walks. Poll Notes: Several teams have been red hot led by Arizona with a 14-game winning streak. The Wildcats are off to their best start since becoming a member of the Pac-10 Conference with a 6-0 record. Arizona swept a 3-game series against Oregon St. two weeks ago and another against California during the past weekend at home. Michigan is another team on a roll with 10 straight victories as the Wolverines enter the poll at No. 25 this week. Rice has won seven straight while Clemson is on a 5-game winning streak. Four teams fell out of the poll this week in Oklahoma (2-2 last week), Tulane (2-2), East Carolina (0-4) and Long Beach St. (2-1). Collegiate Baseball Newspaper's NCAA Div. I Poll (As of April 9, 2007)
Overall Season Record: 23-9
ACC Regular-Season Record: 8-4
Last Week: 5-0
Tue. W away vs. Georgia, 4-2
Wed. W home vs. Georgia, 11-10
Fri. W away vs. Virginia Tech, 6-3
Sat. W away vs. Virginia Tech, 8-5
Sun. W away vs. Virginia Tech, 5-2 (10 innings)
Next Week
Wed. Home vs. South Carolina, 7:15 PM
Fri. Away vs. Wake Forest, 3:00 PM
Sat. Away vs. Wake Forest, 2:00 PM
Sun. Away vs. Wake Forest, 1:00 PM
Rank School (Record) Pts Prev
Baseball America
DURHAM, N.C.--Claiming the No. 1 spot in the Baseball America Top 25 rankings for the third time in the last four weeks, Vanderbilt is fresh off a series victory over Southeastern Conference opponent Alabama. The Commodores limited the Crimson Tide offense to just five runs over the weekend.
UC Irvine makes a jump from No. 23 to No. 17 after taking its road series against West Coast opponent Cal State Fullerton. Coming off a sweep over California, No. 13 Arizona also climbs up the Top 25.
With East Carolina, Kentucky, and Southern California all dropping out of the Top 25, San Diego worked its way back in. The Toreros are now 26-12 overall and 7-3 in their last 10 games. No. 22 Mississippi State and No. 25 Missouri both enter the rankings for the first time this season.
The staff of Baseball America determines the Top 25 rankings. Records indicated are through games of April 8 and do not include ties.
COLLEGE TOP 25
Rk. Team W-L Last Prev. 1. Vanderbilt 29-5 3-1 1 2. North Carolina 29-5 4-0 4 3. Florida State 31-4 2-2 2 4. South Carolina 26-7 3-1 5 5. Virginia 29-7 2-2 3 6. Texas 28-10 3-1 7 7. Rice 26-10 4-0 8 8. Oregon State 25-7 2-1 9 9. Arkansas 25-10 3-2 6 10. Pepperdine 26-8 3-0 11 11. Wichita State 26-8 2-2 10 12. Arizona State 26-10 3-0 15 13. Arizona 28-6 3-0 17 14. Clemson 23-9 5-0 18 15. Oklahoma State 23-8 1-2 13 16. Texas A&M 27-7 2-1 16 17. UC Irvine 23-8 2-1 23 18. Cal State Fullerton 19-12 1-2 12 19. Coastal Carolina 28-5 1-2 14 20. Mississippi 24-10 3-1 20 21. San Diego 26-12 3-0 NR 22. Mississippi State 21-8 3-1 NR 23. Oklahoma 23-11 2-2 19 24. Tulane 24-10 2-2 21 25. Missouri 24-9 2-1 NR
Dropped Out: East Carolina (22), Kentucky (24), Southern California (25).
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