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Photo by © David Grooms/Clemson Sports Talk

Tigers Host Jaguars to Open Season

February 15, 2019
2,523

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

 

 
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