The Palmetto State’s fiercest rivalry will put that to test this weekend when Clemson (7-0) and South Carolina (5-2) meet on the diamond for a three-game series. Forget records and rankings, as this has “Road to Omaha” written all over it and should be a good measuring stick for both squads.
Clemson will host the series opener on Friday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. Saturday’s neutral venue game will be played at Fluor Field in Greenville and Carolina Stadium will host Sunday’s series finale.
One of the biggest benefits to the new 3 game format? For the first time, both teams will be able to play and manage the games as a true series.
The previous format featured two games during a weekend in March, followed by one mid-week game at Clemson and another at USC in April to finish out a four-game stretch. Thanks to an NCAA rule set two years ago that forces teams to play 56 games in a shorter span than in the past, mid-week games come at a premium.
So, the Tigers and Gamecocks decided at the end of last season to switch to a normal three-game series all in one weekend, which helps balance out the schedule and keeps traveling from becoming an issue.
The Series
Clemson and South Carolina have met 287 times on the diamond, with Clemson holding a 165-120-2 lead in the series dating back to 1899.
In 2009, Clemson and South Carolina split the four-games series. The Gamecocks won the first two matchups by scores of 3-1 (at Clemson) and 7-6 (at South Carolina) before the Tigers rebounded to claim the final two games by scores of 7-5 (at Clemson) and 12-2 (at South Carolina).
Gamecocks Notes
South Carolina enters the series against Clemson with a 5-2 overall record after defeating Presbyterian 15-0 at home on Wednesday. The Gamecocks are also coming off a 1-2 record in a series at East Carolina last weekend. South Carolina is 4-0 at home and 1-2 on the road in 2010.
South Carolina is averaging 7.7 runs per game and hitting .309 with a .486 slugging percentage and .392 on-base percentage. The team has totaled 18 doubles, one triple, eight home runs, and three stolen bases.
Scott Wingo, son of former Tiger baseball and football player Billy Wingo, has a team-high .462 batting average along with seven runs and six hit-by-pitches. Kyle Enders is batting .450, while Florida State transfer Brady Thomas is hitting .400. Jeffery Jones leads the team in homers (3) and RBIs (11).
Outfielder Whit Merrifield has hit safely in all seven games this season and owns a 21-game hitting streak that began last season. He’s batting .333 and leads the team in runs scored with 11.
The pitching staff has a 2.63 ERA and .217 opponents’ batting average along with 71 strikeouts against 19 walks in 61.2 innings pitched. Junior right-hander John Taylor has the team’s lone save. The Gamecocks own the best fielding percentage in the SEC with just four errors in 265 chances (.985).
Clemson Notes
Clemson enters the series against South Carolina with a 7-0 record after topping Dayton 6-5 in 10 innings at home on Wednesday. The Tigers are also coming off a three-game sweep of Wright State. CU has a 6-0 record at home and 1-0 neutral-site record in 2010.
The Tigers are averaging 8.4 runs per game and hitting .304 with a .488 slugging percentage and .399 on-base percentage. Clemson has also totaled 17 doubles, nine homers, and 13 stolen bases in 19 attempts.
Kyle Parker is hitting .464 with four homers, 10 RBIs, and nine runs, while Brad Miller is batting .423 with five doubles. Jeff Schaus is hitting .407 with a homer and team-high 11 RBIs.
The pitching staff has a 2.67 ERA and .213 opponents’ batting average. The staff has allowed 17 walks against 50 strikeouts, good for a 2.9-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Freshman right-hander Jonathan Meyer has made a team-high four relief appearances and has one of Clemson’s two saves in 2010. The Tigers are fielding at a .955 clip as well.
Bradley & Price Awards to Be Given
After Sunday’s game at South Carolina, Clemson’s MVP of the three-game series will be given the Bob Bradley Award in a ceremony at home plate. Also, South Carolina’s MVP will be given the Tom Price Award. Both Bradley and Price served as Baseball SIDs at their respective schools for decades. Bradley passed away in 2000, while Price passed away in 2008. Outfielder Wilson Boyd won the Bob Bradley Award in 2007 and 2008, while outfielder Kyle Parker won the Bob Bradley Award in 2009.
Slated Starting Pitchers
Today, Clemson will start junior lefty and ace Casey Harman (2-0, .084 earned run average) while the Gamecocks will go with their No. 1 in senior right-hander Blake Cooper (2-0, 3.00).
Saturday will feature Tiger sophomore southpaw Will Lamb (1-0, 1.42) against junior right-hander Sam Dyson (1-0, 2.35). Tigers are 6-0 at the Greenville ballpark.
Sunday, USC freshman lefty Tyler Webb (0-0, 0.00) makes his second-career start while the Tigers go with sophomore right-hander Scott Weismann (1-0, 2.89).
Quote that sums it up –
“There’s just a lot of respect between the teams,” said CU OF Kyle Parker, quarterback, of the Clemson football that lost to South Carolina in November. “They got us in football season, but there’s always a drive to win when you play them because it’s a rivalry.
“They’re going to be three hard fought games.”
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