Clemson Baseball Preview vs. South Alabama |
Tigers Host Jaguars To Open Season
CLEMSON, S.C. - The Tigers begin their 122nd season with a three-game home series against South Alabama this weekend. SERIES SETUP • Who - South Alabama (0-0) vs. Clemson (0-0) • Best Rankings - USA - NR; CU - No. 14 Baseball America • When - Friday (3 p.m.), Saturday (3 p.m.), Sunday (1 p.m.) • Where - Clemson, S.C. (Doug Kingsmore Stadium) • Watch - ACC Network Extra • Video Announcers - Jose Alvarez, Fred Cunningham (Saturday), Don Munson (Sunday), Ron Smith, Pete Yanity (Friday) • Listen (Radio) - WCCP (105.5 FM), ESPN Upstate • Listen (Internet) - ClemsonTigers.com, TuneIn • Live Stats - ClemsonTigers.com • Social Media - ClemsonBaseball • Tickets - ClemsonTigers.com, 1-800-CLEMSON • Promotion (Friday) - Giveaway - 2019 magnet schedule • Promotion (Saturday) - Game Highlight - Seth Beer Day; Giveaway - Commemorative Seth Beer poster • Promotion (Sunday) - Game Highlight - Kids run the bases postgame SERIES HISTORY • Overall Record - Clemson leads 6-5 (1973-02) • Record at Clemson - Clemson leads 4-3 (1987-02) STARTING PITCHERS • Friday - RHP Drake Nightengale (USA) vs. RHP Brooks Crawford (CU) • Saturday - RHP JoJo Booker (USA) vs. RHP Davis Sharpe (CU) • Sunday - TBA vs. LHP Justin Wrobleski (CU) CLEMSON OVERVIEW • Clemson had a 47-16 overall record and 22-8 ACC mark in 2018. • The Tigers are led by fourth-year head coach Monte Lee, who has won 70 percent (133-57) of his games in Tigertown. • Clemson begins the season with a 10-game homestand and 18 of its first 21 games at home. SOUTH ALABAMA OVERVIEW • South Alabama is led by eighth-year head coach Mark Calvi. • The Jaguars had a 32-25 overall record and an 18-11 Sun Belt Conference mark, good for a tie for third place, in 2018. • South Alabama had an outstanding .978 fielding percentage in 2018. QUICK HITS • Clemson won its last 10 road games of 2018. The Tigers enter the 2019 season with the nation's longest active road winning streak. • The Tigers play 18 of their first 21 games of the season at home, then 20 of their next 32 games away from home. • Juniors Logan Davidson (SS) and Carson Spiers (RHP) were voted as team co-captains by their teammates in January. POLLS • Clemson is ranked as high as No. 14 in the nation by Baseball America in the preseason. • Clemson has been ranked in the top 25 by at least one poll for 46 straight weeks dating to 2016. OPENING WEEKEND FRESHMEN • Davis Sharpe and Justin Wrobleski are slated to start on the mound as first-year freshmen this weekend against South Alabama. • They will be only the fifth and sixth Tiger first-year freshman pitchers to start within the first three games of a year since 1997. • Ryan Mottl (1997), Skip Browning (1997), Chris Dwyer (2009) and Jake Higginbotham (2016) started within the first three games from 1997-18. • This weekend marks the first time since 1997 that two Tiger freshmen start on the mound within the first three games of a season. • Graham Stoneburner (2008) and Kevin Brady (2010) started within the first three games of their redshirt freshman seasons. PRESEASON HONORS • Nineteen Tigers earned preseason recognition. See the list below. #46 KEYSHAWN ASKEW, LHP • No. 140 freshman in the nation by Perfect Game • No. 35 freshman in the ACC by Perfect Game #4 GRAYSON BYRD, INF • No. 26 senior in the nation by Perfect Game #8 LOGAN DAVIDSON, SS • Golden Spikes Award Watch List • First-team All-American by Baseball America • Second-team All-American by D1Baseball • Third-team All-American by Collegiate Baseball • Third-team All-American by Perfect Game • No. 3 shortstop in the nation by D1Baseball • No. 30 prospect for the 2019 draft by Baseball America • No. 20 college prospect for the 2019 draft by D1Baseball • No. 20 college prospect for the 2019 draft by Perfect Game • No. 18 junior in the nation by Perfect Game • ACC player-of-the-year by D1Baseball • First-team All-ACC by Perfect Game • No. 3 ACC prospect for the 2019 draft by Baseball America • No. 4 ACC prospect for the 2019 draft by D1Baseball #35 CHAD FAIREY, INF/OF • No. 123 freshman in the ACC by Perfect Game #31 ADAM HACKENBERG, C • No. 40 freshman in the nation by Perfect Game • No. 11 freshman in the ACC by Perfect Game • No. 34 freshman in the ACC by D1Baseball #5 SAM HALL, INF/OF • No. 30 ACC prospect for the 2020 draft by D1Baseball #44 BRYAR HAWKINS, INF/RHP • No. 143 freshman in the ACC by Perfect Game #25 JACKSON LINDLEY, RHP • No. 122 freshman in the ACC by Perfect Game #47 MATTHEW LUMSDEN, OF/1B • No. 125 freshman in the ACC by Perfect Game #1 KIER MEREDITH, OF • No. 80 sophomore in the nation by Perfect Game • No. 33 ACC prospect for the 2020 draft by D1Baseball #15 JAMES PARKER, INF • No. 268 freshman in the nation by Perfect Game • No. 55 freshman in the ACC by Perfect Game #27 CARTER RAFFIELD, RHP • No. 49 freshman in the nation by Perfect Game • No. 13 freshman in the ACC by Perfect Game • No. 33 freshman in the ACC by D1Baseball #30 DAVIS SHARPE, RHP/1B • No. 27 freshman in the nation by D1Baseball • No. 41 freshman in the nation by Perfect Game • No. 7 freshman in the ACC by D1Baseball #23 CARSON SPIERS, RHP • NCBWA Stopper-of-the-Year Watch List • No. 34 reliever in the nation by D1Baseball #29 SPENCER STRIDER, RHP • No. 97 college prospect for the 2020 draft by D1Baseball • No. 26 sophomore in the nation by Perfect Game • No. 21 ACC prospect for the 2020 draft by D1Baseball #13 BRYCE TEODOSIO, OF • No. 99 outfielder in the nation by D1Baseball • No. 106 college prospect for the 2020 draft by D1Baseball • No. 23 ACC prospect for the 2020 draft by D1Baseball #22 SAM WEATHERLY, LHP • No. 52 sophomore in the nation by Perfect Game #10 KYLE WILKIE, C • No. 8 catcher in the nation by D1Baseball • No. 164 college prospect for the 2019 draft by D1Baseball • No. 30 ACC prospect for the 2019 draft by D1Baseball #12 JUSTIN WROBLESKI, LHP/OF • No. 38 freshman in the nation by D1Baseball • No. 38 freshman in the nation by Perfect Game • No. 10 freshman in the ACC by Baseball America • No. 10 freshman in the ACC by Perfect Game • No. 11 freshman in the ACC by D1Baseball Attachments area
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