Jason Priester All Clemson
Clemson Heads to Charlottesville to Face No. 12 Virginia
Another weekend, another crucial ACC series for the Clemson Tigers.
Monte Lee's team will hit the road this weekend as Clemson is set to face No. 12 Virginia as the Tigers continue a stretch of five straight games away from Doug Kingsmore.
SERIES SETUP
• Who – Clemson (31-18, 9-14 ACC) vs. Virginia (35-12, 14-10 ACC)
• When – Friday (6 p.m.), Saturday (4 p.m.), Sunday (3 p.m.)
• Where – Charlottesville, Va. (Disharoon Park)
• Watch – ACC Network Extra (Friday, Saturday), ACC Network (Sunday)
After its sweep of Georgia Tech last weekend, the Tigers now find themselves sitting a half-game ahead of Duke for the 12th and final spot in the ACC Tournament, and a half a game behind North Carolina for the 11th spot.
Clemson, who currently sits at No. 25 in the RPI, did drop a midweek game to College of Charleston on Tuesday, but despite the loss, Lee said his team is playing well down the stretch. The key is continuing to play that way, according to the head coach.
"I care more about how we play," Lee said after the loss to the Cougars. "What are the things that we're doing well in the games, what are some areas that we need to address? The fact that it's later, I'll say this, I think we're a better team right now than we were even earlier in the season. Even when we were 14-0. Honestly, I think we're playing pretty good baseball right now. And we got to continue to do that. And that's the key."
SERIES HISTORY
• Overall Record – Clemson leads 111-56 (1955-21)
• Record at Virginia – Clemson leads 44-29 (1956-18)
Lee is hopeful that the team's neutral site game in Columbia against the Cougars on Tuesday, helps prepare his team for playing four consecutive road games.
"Down the stretch here, we just need to play good baseball and see where the chips fall," Lee said. "We got to go on the road again. We got a tough task ahead of us. We got to get back on the road to play Virginia. Playing a great club up there on the road and we got to play Coastal on the road too. So we got to get back acclimated to playing on the road. Hopefully, playing on the road (Tuesday) night will help us the next four games."
STARTING PITCHERS
• Friday – RHP Mack Anglin (CU) vs. TBA (UVA)
• Saturday – TBA (CU) vs. TBA (UVA)
• Sunday – TBA (CU) vs. TBA (UVA)
Outside on Mack Anglin on Friday night, Lee has not announced any starting pitchers for the three-game weekend series. However, barring something unforeseen in the opener, it's probably safe to assume Geoffrey Gilbert (Saturday) and Billy Barlow (Sunday) will get their fourth consecutive weekend starts.
Regardless of who runs out there first, there is a lot on the line for the Tigers this weekend. With just six conference games remaining in the season, there is a lot that can still happen, which is exactly why Clemson is approaching every game as if it's a playoff game.
"It's a big weekend, they're all big for us," Lee said. "I mean, we know that we got six games left in the league. And you know every one of them's a playoff game. We tell our guys that every game and our guys will be ready to play and then they better be ready to play.
CLEMSON OVERVIEW
• Clemson, who has a 5-9 road record, lost 7-5 against College of Charleston at Columbia, S.C. on Tuesday.
• The Tigers are averaging 7.9 runs per game and hitting .286 with a .490 slugging percentage, .392 on-base percentage and 26 steals.
• The pitching staff has a 4.50 ERA, .255 opponents’ batting average and 2.18 strikeout-to-walk ratio, and Clemson is fielding .973.
VIRGINIA OVERVIEW
• Virginia, who has a 27-4 home record and is averaging 9.4 runs per game, is led by 19th-year Head Coach Brian O’Connor.
• The Cavaliers defeated Longwood 8-3 at home on Wednesday. They are hitting .319 and have a 3.59 ERA and .976 fielding percentage.
• Jake Gelof is hitting .376 with 17 homers and 68 RBIs, Casey Saucke is batting .359 and Alex Tappen is hitting .352 with 65 RBIs.
QUICK HITS
• Including this weekend, eight of Clemson’s nine ACC foes, including each of the last seven, have been in the top 25 by at least one poll.
• Clemson has totaled double-digit hits in six games in a row and eight of the last nine games.
• Clemson’s hitting .302 with runners in scoring position.
GRADUATES
• Four Tiger players received their diplomas during commencement ceremonies in Littlejohn Coliseum on May 12.
• Chad Fairey, Bryar Hawkins, Jackson Lindley and Mac Starbuck all graduated.
• Hawkins and Starbuck graduated with a degree in sports communication.
• Fairey graduated with a degree in parks, recreation & tourism management.
• Lindley graduated with a degree in management.
• Benjamin Blackwell (Dayton) and Tyler Corbitt (The Citadel) entered the season as graduate transfers.
TAYLOR MAKES HIS DEBUT
• Freshman Will Taylor made his debut in a Tiger baseball uniform against No. 21 Georgia Tech on May 6.
• He missed the first 45 games of the season after suffering a torn ACL while playing football for the Tigers on Oct. 2, 2021.
• He is the first Tiger football player to play baseball at Clemson since D.J. Reader (2013), who currently plays for the Cincinnati Bengals.
• He made his return to the playing field 216 days after suffering his season-ending football injury.
• He has started each of the last four games and is hitting .316 with an RBI, four runs and a .381 on-base percentage.
• He has had at least one hit and scored at least one run in each of the four games.
Clemson Athletics Communications contributes to this story.
The Tigers' odds of winning the College World Series are currently +20000, according to FanDuel.
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