Clemson Baseball Preview vs. Miami

by CU Athletic Communications - Thu Apr 18 08:55:00 GMT-04:00 2013

Clemson vs. Miami (FL)

Clemson (26-11, 12-6 ACC), ranked as high as #12 in the nation, will travel to Coral Gables, FL to take on Miami (FL) (25-15, 8-10 ACC) in a three-game series at Alex Rodriguez Park this weekend. Game times are 7:00 PM (Friday), 7:00 PM (Saturday), and 1:00 PM (Sunday).

Sunday’s game will be televised by CSS and will be available on ESPN3. All three games will be broadcast live on the radio by Clemson Tiger Sports Network. Live stats will also be available at ClemsonTigers.com for all three games.

The Series

Clemson and Miami (FL) have met 56 times on the diamond, with the Hurricanes holding a 29-26-1 lead in the series dating to the 1977 season. The two teams have not met in Coral Gables since 2008, therefore no current Clemsion player has ever played a game as a Tiger at Miami.

Last season at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, the Tigers won two of three games by a combined score of 8-6, which included two 3-1 wins. The Hurricanes won the series-finale 4-2. In 2008 at Alex Rodriguez Park, the Hurricanes swept the Tigers by a combined score of 28-15.

The Hurricanes hold a 14-9-1 lead in games at Miami, while Clemson leads 11-7 in ACC regular-season games. Jack Leggett is 18-17 against the Hurricanes as Clemson’s head coach, including a 4-7 mark at Miami. Leggett was 0-1 against the Hurricanes as Western Carolina’s head coach, meaning he is 18-18 all-time against Miami.

The Starting Pitchers

In game-one, Miami will start sophomore lefthander Christian Diaz (3-2, 1.78 ERA) on the mound. The Florida City, FL native has made nine starts for a total of 60.2 innings pitched. He has allowed 66 hits (.281 opponents’ batting average) and 11 walks with 37 strikeouts.

The Tigers will counter with sophomore righty Daniel Gossett (4-2, 3.04 ERA) on Friday. The Lyman, SC native has made nine starts for a total of 56.1 innings pitched. He has surrendered 49 hits (.227 opponents’ batting average) and 20 walks with 51 strikeouts.

In game-two, the Hurricanes will start junior lefty Bryan Radziewski (5-1, 1.11 ERA) on the mound. The Miami, FL native has made seven starts and one relief appearance for a total of 40.2 innings pitched. He has given up 22 hits (.158 opponents’ batting average) and 10 walks with 55 strikeouts.

Clemson will counter with freshman lefty Matthew Crownover (5-0, 2.54 ERA) on Saturday. The Ringgold, GA native has made eight starts and one relief appearance for a total of 39.0 innings pitched. He has surrendered 34 hits (.239 opponents’ batting average) and 10 walks with 23 strikeouts.

In game-three, Miami will start sophomore lefty Andrew Suarez (2-3, 3.86 ERA) on the mound. The Miami, FL native has made nine starts for a total of 46.2 innings pitched. He has yielded 56 hits (.306 opponents’ batting average) and 12 walks with 33 strikeouts.

The Tigers will counter with freshman righthander Clate Schmidt (3-1, 4.07 ERA) on Sunday. The Acworth, GA native has made eight starts and two relief appearances for a total of 42.0 innings pitched. He has surrendered 57 hits (.328 opponents’ batting average) and 19 walks with 22 strikeouts.

Matchup of Top-Six Winningest Active Coaches

This weekend’s matchup between #12 Clemson and Miami (FL) features two head coaches who are both in the top 12 in all-time wins by a coach at the Division I level. The Hurricanes’ Jim Morris has 1,379 career wins in 32 seasons, including 20 years in Coral Gables. That figure is sixth-most in NCAA history at the Division I level and fifth-most among active coaches.

Clemson Head Coach Jack Leggett has 1,250 career victories in 34 years, including 20 seasons in Tigertown. He is 12th in wins in NCAA history at the Division I level and sixth among active coaches.

The Hurricanes

Miami (FL), led by 20th-year Head Coach Jim Morris, enters the series against #12 Clemson with a 25-15 overall record and an 8-10 ACC mark after defeating Bethune-Cookman 6-1 at home on Wednesday night. The Hurricanes are also coming off two wins in three games at Maryland last weekend. Miami, who is 7-0 in one-run games, is 19-8 at home in 2013.

Miami is averaging 4.5 runs per game and hitting .256 with a .330 slugging percentage and .358 on-base percentage thanks to 167 walks and 42 hit-by-pitches against 263 strikeouts. The team has also totaled 58 doubles, six triples, eight home runs, and 45 stolen bases in 69 attempts.

Alex San Juan is hitting a team-best .313, while Chantz Mack is batting .299 with a .418 on-base percentage. David Thompson has nine doubles, three homers, and a team-high 28 RBIs, while Dale Carey has a team-high 10 steals.

The pitching staff has a 3.65 ERA and .264 opponents’ batting average along with 283 strikeouts against 115 walks in 358.0 innings pitched. Senior righthander Eric Nedeljkovic has eight of the team’s 11 saves along with a 2-1 record, an 0.92 ERA, and a .171 opponents’ batting average in 19.2 innings pitched over 18 relief appearances. Miami, who has allowed 22 steals in 44 attempts, is fielding at a .968 clip as well.

The Tigers

Clemson, ranked as high as #12 in the nation, enters the series at Miami (FL) with a 26-11 overall record and 12-6 ACC mark sweeping Wake Forest in a three-game series at home last weekend. The Tigers, who are riding a 10-game winning streak, are 8-4 on opponents’ home fields in 2013.

The Tigers are averaging 5.3 runs per game and hitting .278 with a .369 slugging percentage and .350 on-base percentage thanks to 133 walks and 15 hit-by-pitches against 235 strikeouts. Clemson has also totaled 58 doubles, nine triples, 13 homers, and 59 stolen bases in 86 attempts.

Tyler Slaton is hitting a team-best .344 with a .405 on-base percentage. Shane Kennedy is batting .328 with four homers, three triples, two homers, a team-high .425 on-base percentage, and 10 steals, while Garrett Boulware is batting .316 with seven homers and 31 RBIs.

The pitching staff has a 3.15 ERA and .256 opponents’ batting average in 337.0 innings pitched. The staff has allowed 117 walks against 238 strikeouts, good for a 2.03 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Junior righty Matt Campbell has six of the team’s 11 saves, while senior righthander Scott Firth has two saves. The Tigers are fielding at a .972 clip as well.

Two Tigers will return to their home state of Florida this weekend, junior outfielder Joe Costigan (Naples) and junior utility player Shane Kennedy (Orlando).

Andrews Finding Home in Bullpen

Sophomore righthander Patrick Andrews (Hilton Head Island, SC) started the season in the weekend rotation, but after his first start, he moved to the bullpen. Ever since, he has been one of the team’s best pitchers. He gave up four runs on five hits in 3.0 innings pitched against William & Mary on February 16. But in his 10 appearances since, all out of the bullpen, he is 1-0 with an 0.59 ERA in 15.1 innings pitched. He has given up just eight hits (.151 opponents’ batting average), one earned run, and three walks with five strikeouts in those 10 outings.

On the season, Andrews is 1-1 with a 2.45 ERA and .197 opponents’ batting average in 18.1 innings pitched over 11 appearances (one start). In ACC regular-season games, he has pitched 5.2 innings over five relief appearances and has allowed three hits, no runs, and no walks with two strikeouts.