Previewing Stanford Baseball's Series Against No. 4 Clemson

This weekend will be pivotal for Stanford baseball. In a dire need for a series win, the Cardinal will travel to South Carolina to take on the No. 4 Clemson Tigers in a series could make or break the rest of the season.

While the Cardinal have shown that they can certainly handle a challenge, the Tigers will not be easy.

So far this season, the Tigers have been hitting the ball very well, with star freshman Jarren Purify bursting into the spotlight with his strong debut campaign thus far, where he leads the team with a .333 batting average and has become an integral part of the lineup day-in and day-out. But one area that the Tigers really excel in is their low strikeout rate.

For Stanford, a team that is known for having strikeout pitchers, forcing the Tigers to swing and miss may be a major key in helping the Cardinal be competitive in this series.

However, when it comes to pitching, both teams have seen their struggles in 2024. After a hot start to the season for Stanford, the Cardinal pitchers have since gotten cold, with the team ERA well over 6.00, with the three main starters in Matt Scott, Christian Lim and Joey Volchko possessing ERAs over 5.00. For a Tigers team that can hit the ball, it will be a big test of grit for Stanford's pitching staff.

Clemson, on the other hand, has seen some struggles out of its starters, most notably junior Ethan Darden who in eight starts, has an ERA of 5.63. But when it comes to the bullpen, the Tigers will make it tough for any team to score, relying heavily on guys like Reed Garris, Lucas Mahlstedt, Joe Allen, Drew Titsworth and Nathan Dvorsky, among others.

Currently, the Tigers are on a six-game winning streak, sweeping Cal last weekend and beating Gardner-Webb on Wednesday. Before that, the Tigers took two-of-three from Georgia Tech, a team that gave Stanford trouble earlier in the season.

But one thing that has made Clemson so dominant this year is how they have been able to stay on course, even during a loss, as they have yet to lose a series this season. Other big series wins or individual victories for the Tigers this season include over Arizona, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Oklahoma State and Wake Forest.

It is safe to say that the Cardinal will have their work cut out for them this weekend, but if they can make it a competitive series and take a game or two, then the rest of the season could be very interesting for a Cardinal program that is looking to return to the NCAA tournament after missing out last season.

In their latest projection for the field of 64, Baseball America had Stanford in the tournament, but as one of the last four teams to qualify. Big wins in big series could help cement their case to be included.