Jason Priester/All Clemson
Clemson Looks to Secure Spot in ACC Tournament as Tigers Host Boston College
For Clemson, there will be a lot on the line this weekend when Boston College comes to town for the final ACC series of the regular season.
SERIES SETUP
• Who – Boston College (19-31, 5-22 ACC) vs. Clemson (32-21, 10-16 ACC)
• When – Thursday (6 p.m.), Friday (3 p.m.), Saturday (Noon)
• Where – Clemson, S.C. (Doug Kingsmore Stadium)
• Watch – ACC Network Extra
The Tigers return to Doug Kingsmore after a five game road swing that saw the team go just 1-4, including a 17-2 drubbing by Coastal Carolina on Tuesday night. However, Clemson will enter the weekend still a half a game ahead of Duke for the 12th and final spot in the ACC Tournament, meaning the Tigers still control their own destiny.
"We've been here before," head coach Monte Lee said. "We've played really good baseball, we've played really bad baseball and bottom line is we gotta let it go. We got to be ready to go and control our own destiny. We got to earn the right to keep playing."
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Boston College, who is just 5-22 in league play, lost 18-7 at home to Maine on Tuesday. The Eagles are just 9-16 on the road this season, but do average more than six runs per game. Pitching ace Joe Mancini, who gets the nod on Thursday night, comes in with a 4-3 record, an ERA of 4.33 and a 1.24 WHIP.
The Tigers are 23-8 at home this season and average 7.7 runs per game. Heading into the final weekend of the regular season, Lee is is hopeful that knowing what's on the line will bring out the best in his team.
"The bottom line is you have the opportunity to earn the right to keep playing baseball past this weekend, but you got to earn it," Lee said. "It's gonna take sacrifice, gonna take toughness, gonna take selflessness and gonna take everybody pulling together and playing our best baseball."
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Getting to play the final series of the season at home, in front of the hometown crowd, only makes it that much more exciting, considering everything that is on the line.
"Great thing is we get to play at home," Lee said. "We get to finish the regular season at home, a three game series in front of our fans and I think we'll be ready to go."
Odds: Clemson's odds of winning the CWS have plummeted to +25000 according to Fanduel.
CLEMSON OVERVIEW.
• The Tigers are averaging 7.7 runs per game and hitting .284 with a .485 slugging percentage, .388 on-base percentage and 29 steals.
• The pitching staff has a 4.82 ERA, .259 opponents’ batting average and 2.10 strikeout-to-walk ratio, and Clemson is fielding .972.
BOSTON COLLEGE OVERVIEW
• Boston College, who has a 9-16 road record and is averaging 6.2 runs per game, is led by 12th-year Head Coach Mike Gambino.
• The Eagles fell 18-7 at home against Maine on Tuesday. They are hitting .259 and have a 6.99 ERA and .962 fielding percentage.
• Travis Honeyman is hitting .353, Joe Vetrano is batting .328 with 13 homers, Cameron Leary has 15 homers and Brendan Coffey has four saves.
QUICK HITS
• At the end of the first inning on Friday, Clemson will recognize Rusty Adkins for his induction into the National College Baseball HOF.
• On Saturday at 11:30 a.m., Clemson will honor its seniors, Chad Fairey, Geoffrey Gilbert, Bryar Hawkins, Jackson Lindley and Mac Starbuck.
• Five Tigers (Cooper Ingle, Blake Wright, Max Wagner, Bryar Hawkins, Benjamin Blackwell) have had a hitting streak of 10+ games in 2022.
HAWKINS SURGING AGAIN
• Just like he did his two full seasons (2019,21), junior infielder Bryar Hawkins is surging late in the season.
• He is hitting .247 with seven homers, a triple, eight doubles, 38 RBIs, 35 runs, a .371 on-base percentage and two steals in 53 games.
• He is hitting .328 with runners in scoring position.
• He has scored a runner from third base with less than two outs in 14 of his 16 opportunities.
• He is 15-for-40 (.375) with four homers, two doubles, 10 RBIs and a .468 on-base percentage during his active 10-game hitting streak.
• He is one of three Tigers (Benjamin Blackwell, Caden Grice) to start every game in 2022.
• He is a career .303 hitter in 82 ACC regular-season games.
• In his career, he is hitting .276 with 23 doubles, four triples, 16 homers, 81 RBIs, 93 runs and seven steals in 157 games (143 starts).
*Clemson Athletic Communications contributed to this story.
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