Tigers Face South Carolina This Weekend

CLEMSON, S.C. - The No. 7 Tigers face No. 23 South Carolina three times at three different sites this weekend in their annual rivalry series.

SERIES SETUP

• Who - Clemson (8-0) vs. South Carolina (6-3)
• Best Rankings - CU - No. 7 CB; USC - No. 23 CB
• When - Friday (7 p.m.), Saturday (3 p.m.), Sunday (2 p.m.)
• Where - Columbia, S.C., (Founders Park) Friday; Greenville, S.C., (Fluor Field) Saturday; Clemson, S.C., (Doug Kingsmore Stadium) Sunday
• Watch - SEC Network+ (Friday), ACC Network Extra (Sunday)
• Live Stats - ClemsonTigers.com
• Tickets - ClemsonTigers.com, 1-800-CLEMSON
• Promotion - The first 3,000 fans receive a “Beat South Carolina” button.

REEDY RIVER RIVALRY TAILGATE PARTY

• The Reedy River Rivalry Tailgate Party, which opens Saturday at noon is on Main Street at Fluor Field.
• Food, drinks and interactive exhibits for fans of all ages can be found on Main Street all day on Saturday.
• There will be live music from a band throughout Saturday starting at 12:30 p.m.

SERIES HISTORY

• Overall Record - Clemson leads 176-137-2 (1899-2017)
• Record at South Carolina - South Carolina leads 82-68-2 (1900-2017)
• Record at Neutral - Tied 10-10 (1899-2017)
• Record at Clemson - Clemson leads 98-45 (1907-2017)

STORIED RIVALRY

• South Carolina is Clemson’s most-common opponent, as the two have played 315 times dating to 1899.
• The two have met at least one time every year since 1945, with the exception of 1984.
• Clemson leads the series 51-28 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium (opened in 1970).
• South Carolina leads the series 4-3 at Fluor Field (opened 2006). The first game there between the two teams was 2010.
• South Carolina leads the series 8-4 at Founders Park (opened in 2009).

STARTING PITCHERS

Friday - LHP Jacob Hennessy (CU) vs. RHP Adam Hill (USC)

Saturday - RHP Cody Morris (USC) vs. RHP Brooks Crawford (CU)

Sunday - TBA (USC) vs. LHP Jake Higginbotham (CU)

CLEMSON OVERVIEW

• Clemson rallied to beat Winthrop 9-8 in 10 innings on Tuesday after sweeping No. 10 Dallas Baptist in three games at home last weekend.
• The Tigers are averaging 7.4 runs per game and hitting .282 with a .413 on-base percentage and four steals.
• The pitching staff has a 2.92 ERA, .207 opponents’ batting average and 3.65 strikeout-to-walk ratio and Clemson is fielding .987.

SOUTH CAROLINA OVERVIEW

• South Carolina is led by first-year head coach Mark Kingston.
• The Gamecocks lost at home to Furman 6-4 on Tuesday. They are hitting .277 and have a 2.56 ERA and .979 fielding percentage.
•  LT Tolbert is hitting .469 with two of the team's 18 homers and eight RBIs, while TJ Hopkins is batting .324 with six stolen bases.

QUICK HITS

• Clemson has won each of the last three regular-season series against South Carolina with a 2-1 record.
• Clemson is the designated home team and will occupy the first-base dugout for Saturday’s game at Fluor Field.
• The Tigers' 8-0 start is their best since starting 8-0 in 2010. The last time Clemson started 9-0 was 2002, when it won its first 13 games.

TIGERS AT FLUOR FIELD

• Clemson has a 22-6 all-time record at Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C.
• The Tigers have outscored the opposition 230-117 at Fluor Field, an average score of 8.2-4.2.
• The only teams to defeat Clemson at Fluor Field are South Carolina (2010,11,14,15), Presbyterian College (2011) and Michigan State (2015).

BOB BRADLEY AWARD PRESENTED SUNDAY

• Clemson’s MVP of the South Carolina series is presented the Bob Bradley Award. The Gamecocks’ MVP receives the Tom Price Award.
• The two late athletic communications directors served as baseball contacts for their respective schools for decades.

WHARTON EMERGING IN FINAL SEASON

• Senior Drew Wharton entered the season with a career .220 batting average, no homers and 20 RBIs in 74 games (22 starts) over three years. With the departure of two outfielders from last year's team, he has made the most of his chance to contribute in 2018.
• He is hitting .308 with four homers, a double, 13 RBIs and a .375 on-base percentage in eight games (seven starts) this season.
• He hit three long balls, the first three of his career, in the series against No. 10 Dallas Baptist in February.