Clemson And South Carolina Set To Do Battle On The Diamond
One of college baseball's most prominent rivalries is set to be renewed, as Clemson (7-1) and South Carolina (6-2) will play a three game set this weekend. The Gamecocks took two out of three from the Tigers last season, their first series win since 2014, however Clemson leads the all-time series 179-140-2.
Since 2010, the teams have played a single game on each school's home field, and one game at a neutral site. In nine of the last ten seasons, the neutral site game was played at Fluor Field in Greeneville. This season, for the first time, it will be played in Segra Park, home of the Columbia Fireflies, the NY Mets Class A affiliate.
After winning seven straight, the Tigers are coming off of their first loss of the season, dropping a midweek affair to East Tennessee State 5-3. The Gamecocks won 6-5 in their midweek game against North Florida, after dropping two out of three at home to Northwestern last weekend.
The Gamecocks and Tigers both feature staffs littered with power arms, something Monte Lee noted when previewing the series.
"Well, they've got some power arms, I know that, " Lee said. "They've got three power arms that they will run out there Friday, Saturday, and Sunday."
Both teams came into this season with questions about exactly how high their ceilings were in 2020. Two weeks into the season and those questions still persist. A series win for either team could be the catalyst towards a successful season, while a series loss for either team could lead to even more questions.
Friday: (7 p.m. Founders Park SECN+)
LHP Sam Weatherly (1-0, 0.90 ERA) vs RHP Carmen Mlodzinski (1-0, 0.64 ERA)
- This one has all the makings of one of those classic pitchers duels. Weatherly struck out 14 batters in six innings of scoreless work a week ago against Stony Brook. Mlodzinski is coming off of a stellar start of his own, carrying a perfect game into the fifth against Northwestern. He allowed just one run, on three hits, and struck out six, in six innings of work.
Saturday: (3 p.m. Segra Park ACCNX)
RHP Davis Sharpe (1-0, 0.00 ERA) vs RHP Brett Kerry (2-0, 4.91 ERA)
Clemson right hander Davis Sharpe has gotten off to as good a start as one could hope for. Opponents are hitting just .195 against him, and he has struck out 12 in 11 innings of work. Kerry has 15 strikeouts in 11 innings, but has given up six earned runs, and opponents are batting .267 against him.UPDATED: Mark Kingston has announced that RHP Thomas Farr will replace Kerry in the rotation, and start vs the Tigers on Saturday Farr has a 3.86 ERA in 4.2 innings of relief, with five strikeouts and two walks.
**UPDATED: Mark Kingston has announced that RHP Thomas Farr will replace Kerry in the rotation, and start vs the Tigers on Saturday Farr has a 3.86 ERA in 4.2 innings pitched, with five strikeouts and two walks.
Sunday: (2 p.m. Doug Kingsmore Stadium ACCNX)
RHP Spencer Strider (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs RHP Brannon Jordan (1-0, 1.64 ERA)
- Strider has been on a strict 50 pitch limit over his first two starts, as he settles back in after missing all of last season recovering from Tommy John surgery. He has thrown only 5.2 innings, but has nine strikeouts, and opponents are hitting just .150 against him. Jordan has been extremely effective over two starts, striking out 18 in 11 innings, and teams are hitting just .111 against him.
By The Numbers
The Tigers have relied on strong pitching over their 7-1 start, and currently have a team ERA of 1.23. The bats however, have been slow to get going. As a team they are hitting just .243, and have struggled to score runs.
Kier Meredith, Elijah Henderson, and Davis Sharpe are the exceptions. All three are hitting over .400 early on, and what little bit of offense the Tigers have been able to muster has been in large part thanks to them.
South Carolina has gotten off to a much better start at the plate, and come in hitting .288 as a team. OF Andrew Eyster (. 379 2HR 6 RBI), 2B Noah Campbell (.348 1HR 8 RBI), C Wes Clark (. 320 4HR 14 RBI), and SS George Callil (. 333 1HR 9 RBI) are all off to hot starts, and have led the charge offensively.
"They're a physical lineup," Lee said. "They're very offensive, so they're going to swing the bats. I would say they're a little bit more of a power oriented offense, overall."
Injury Update
The Tigers are hoping to get third basemen James Parker back for the weekend series. Parker left the game against Furman on February 19 injured, and has not played since. He took batting practice and fielded ground balls for the first time on Tuesday, but is still considered day to day. Parker had gotten off to a hot start, going 5-14 to start the season, including a home run and three RBI, and the team could really use his bat.