Tigers Look To Close Strong |
The Clemson Tiger baseball team swept Wake Forest in Winston-Salem over the weekend. It was not easy with games 4-1, 17-14, and 6-5, but the Tigers pulled off a much needed sweep on the road. They are now tied for third with FSU, but if the ACC tournament started today the Tigers would be seeded fourth due to FSU taking two of three from the Tigers earlier this year.
Clemson closes out the regular season with a four-game homestand this week. All eyes are pointed towards the weekend series with Miami, but there is also a big game Tuesday night with College of Charleston. College of Charleston has been mainstay in the top 25 all season coached by former Tiger John Pawloski. The Cougars have already wrapped up the Southern Conference regular season title, so they will look to impress the committee with a win in Clemson on Tuesday. A win for the Tigers would certainly help hopes of hosting a regional. Kudos to the ACC schedule makers, as you could not ask for a better weekend to close out the regular season. The top six teams in the standings are playing each other. Georgia Tech travels to Chapel Hill to face UNC, FSU travels to Raleigh to face NC State, and of course Miami comes to Clemson. Tiger faithful will have a close eye on the FSU-NC State series, where Clemson needs help from the Wolfpack to finish third or better. NC State has been extremely tough at home, and FSU has been red hot as of late. The Tigers may have to close out the season without home run leader Kris Harvey. Harvey suffered a contusion to his left wrist and is listed as day-to-day. The Tigers did win the final two games at Wake Forest despite Harvey only taking the one at-bat in which he was hit by a pitch. Travis Storrer extended his hitting streak to 16-games over the weekend. Storrer is now batting .349. Freshman Taylor Harbin now leads the team with .357 batting average and 23 doubles. Herman Demmink struggled at Wake Forest over the weekend and is now fourth on the team with .348 batting average. If Harvey is unable to go Andy D'Alessio will be called upon to fill the gap. D'Alessio has come alive as of late. He has 51 RBIs on only 43 hits, and he has also hit 13 home runs. D'Alessio is starting to show the form he had last post-season and the form many thought he would have all year. D'Alessio is at his best when he is able to hit the ball hard to the opposite field. He has struggled this year hitting off speed pitches, but his patience at the plate lately has put him in favorable counts. At the start of the season, many believed this team was too young to finish near the top of the ACC. They survived a daunting non-conference schedule and became a better team because of it. With four games left against top 25 opponents, it is going to take everything this young team has to get the job done.
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