May 11, 2004

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Clemson vs. Furman
Clemson (30-18), ranked as high as #20, will play host to Upstate rival Furman (17-29) Tuesday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 7:15 PM. There will be no Clemson radio coverage of the game. However, live stats will be available on Clemson's website at ClemsonTigers.com.

The Series
Clemson and Furman have met 189 times on the diamond, with the Tigers holding a 130-55-4 advantage dating back to 1896. Clemson's first two games in school history were against the Paladins, both losses in 1896, which were the Tigers' only games that season. The two teams have played at least one game every year since 1983.

The two teams last played in 2003, as the Paladins broke a 29-game losing streak by winning both games. The first was a 10-8 come-from-behind victory in Greenville on May 8. Five days later, Furman pulled off another come-from-behind win by a score of 12-9 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

The Tigers lead 72-24-1 in games played at Clemson and 22-2 in games played at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. Jack Leggett is 10-2 against Furman as Clemson's head coach. He was also 29-7 against the Bulldogs as Western Carolina's head coach from 1983-91, therefore is 39-9 all-time against the Paladins.

The Starting Pitchers
Furman's starting pitcher was not available as of Monday PM.

The Tigers will counter with sophomore righty Kris Harvey (6-0, 4.59 ERA) on the mound. The Catawba, NC native has started a team-high 11 games. In 49.0 innings pitched, he has allowed 50 hits and 30 walks while striking out 40.

Furman Overview
Furman, led by 11th-year Head Coach Ron Smith, enters the game Tuesday on a seven-game losing streak, including three losses at The Citadel last weekend. Prior to the losing streak, it had won six games in a row. The Paladins are 17-29 overall nad 8-16 in Southern Conference play. They are also 8-12 on opponents' home fields in 2004. Of their 46 games played, 25 of have been against common Clemson opponents. The team, which is 6-2 in one-run games, is hitting .275, led by Case Cassedy's .368 average. Derek Norman has hit six homers and and a team-high 35 RBIs. Nick Mershon has hit a team-best seven homers in just 89 at-bats. The Paladin pitching staff has a 5.04 ERA and .291 opponents' batting average. Senior closer Calvin Hurst has a 2.61 ERA and nine saves in 27 relief appearances.

Clemson Overview
Clemson enters the game against Furman after losing two of three games #24 Central Florida over the weekend. The Tigers are 30-18 overall and 8-4 on their current 14-game homestand. Clemson is also 21-9 at home this year. Clemson has won 16 of its last 17 games when it hits at least one home run and is 21-3 on weekdays as well.

Brad McCann leads the team in hitting with a .367 batting average, as the team is hitting .296 overall. Kris Harvey is hitting .331 and freshman Andy D'Alessio is hitting .325 with a .425 on-base percentage. Clemson has also stolen 63 bases after swiping just 35 in 2003.

The Tiger pitching staff has a 4.08 ERA and .256 opponents' batting average. The team has an 8.07 strikeouts per nine innings pitched mark as well. The Tigers' fielding percentage stands at .964.

Central Florida Takes Two From Tigers
Central Florida, ranked #24, won two of three games against #13 Clemson from May 7-9 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. The despite the series loss, Clemson outhit UCF .277 to .235 and had a 3.33 ERA compared to its 3.81 ERA. The Tigers also stole seven bases to UCF's one. But Clemson left 27 runners on base, against only 16 by the Golden Knights. Kris Harvey was 6-for-11 and Travis Storrer was 5-for-14 in the series to lead the Tigers.

In game one, Clemson scored five runs in the first inning and held on for an 8-5 win on Friday. Travis Storrer had a career-high three hits and Russell Triplett added two hits in three at-bats the same day he graduated. Robert Rohrbaugh pitched 7.1 innings, allowing nine hits, four runs, and no walks to earn the victory. Matt Fox allowed a season-high seven runs in 5.0 innings pitched and fell to 10-2 on the season. Patrick Hogan, who also received his degree just hours before the game, became just the third Tiger in history to record double-digit saves in a single season, as he struck out four batters in 1.2 innings pitched. The Tigers stole three bases and neither team committed an error in the game as well.

In game two, Kyle Bono pitched a complete game to lead UCF over the Tigers 7-4. Bono allowed one earned runs on eight hits while striking out 10 and throwing 138 pitches. Tyler Lumsden allowed just three hits, one earned run, and one walk while striking out 10, and did not factor in the decision. Kris Harvey had a game-high three hits. Clemson outhit UCF 8-7, but left eight men on base compared to just three by the Golden Knights. Central Florida took a 5-4 lead in the eighth inning on a suicide squeeze bunt by Ryan Bono. Drake Wade and Jon Cooper added solo homers with two outs in the ninth inning as well. Collin Mahoney suffered the loss, while he along with Lumsden and Tony Sipp combined to strike out 13 batters against only one walk. The Golden Knights overcame four errors and four stolen bases by the Tiger offense on the evening as well.

In game three, Clemson squandered countless opportunities in a 3-2 defeat to UCF on May 9. The Tigers had 13 baserunners, including five to leadoff innings, but could only score twice. The Golden Knights capitalized on the swift breeze blowing straight in, as several deep balls off the Tiger bats were held up in the wind for outs. Central Florida took a 3-0 lead in the fourth inning thanks to two costly Tiger errors. Clemson scored single runs in the fifth and eighth, but could only manage one run in the eighth after putting runners on first and second with no outs. Sipp had three hits, while Harvey and Andy D'Alessio had two apiece. Clemson outhit UCF 9-6 and struck out only once. Josh Cribb pitched 4.2 hitless and scoreless innings in relief with seven strikeouts. Steven Jackson suffered the loss despite allowing just one earned run in 4.1 innings pitched.

Hogan Shutting the Door
Fifth-year graduate righthy and tri-captain Patrick Hogan (Columbia, SC) has become the Tigers' stopper out of the bullpen. In a team-high 18 relief appearances, Hogan has 10 saves in 29.2 innings pitched (2.43 ERA). The 10 saves rank tied for third-most in a season in Tiger history and ranks tied for seventh in the nation entering this week's action. He has also struck out 45 against only nine walks. In four years, he has 18 career saves, third-most in Clemson history.

Berken Postpones Surgery
Jason Berken, Clemson's top pitcher for the first two months of the 2004 season, could return to the mound this year. The sophomore righthander from De Pere, WI had announced last week that he intended to have season-ending elbow surgery some time in the near future. But over the weekend, Berken threw in the bullpen and his elbow felt good.

"Upon further review, Dr. (James) Andrews, our team doctors, and Jason felt like surgery was not needed at this time and may not be needed at all," said Clemson Head Coach Jack Leggett. "But after throwing over the weekend, he has decided to see how his arm feels in the coming days and see if he can return to the mound this year. It will be Jason's decision whether or not he will pitch and be based on how he feels."

Berken leads Clemson in ERA with a 2.09 figure and has a 5-1 record in his eight starts. He has 37 strikeouts in 38.2 innings and opponents have hit just .156 against him. He has gone 23 consecutive innings without giving up an earned run, but has not had a decision since April 2 when he beat Maryland by a score of 3-2.