2010 Season Notes Clemson Made 12th Trip to the CWS
Tigers Earned 35th NCAA Tournament Bid
Clemson made its 12th trip to the College World Series and its sixth appearance in the last 16 years. The Tigers won their first two games over Arizona State (6-3) and Oklahoma (6-4) before falling twice to South Carolina (5-1, 4-3). Clemson also made it to Omaha in 1995, 1996, 2000, 2002, and 2006 under Head Coach Jack Leggett.
Clemson played in its 35th all-time NCAA Regional in 2010. The 35 appearances are sixth-most in NCAA history, trailing only Texas (54), Florida State (48), Miami (FL) (39), Oklahoma State (37), and Southern California (36).
Clemson’s NCAA Tournament Leaders
• Clemson had 22 come-from-behind wins in 2010. • Six Tigers combined for eight double-digit hitting streaks in 2010. The six players were Brad Miller (20,10), Mike Freeman (18,14), Wilson Boyd (14), John Hinson (14), Will Lamb (11), and John Nester (11). • Kyle Parker, who was the #26 overall pick of the 2010 Major League draft, was the only first-round draft pick who was a member of one of the eight teams that made it to the 2010 College World Series.
John Hinson was Clemson’s hottest hitter in the NCAA Tournament. The sophomore, who was named to the All-College World Series team, was 21-for-44 (.477) with five homers, one double, one triple, 13 RBIs, 13 runs, four walks, and three steals in 11 games. Freshman Richie Shaffer added three long balls and 12 RBIs. As a team, Clemson batted .313 with 12 homers, 22 doubles, three triples, and eight steals in the NCAA Tournament. The pitching staff had a 4.04 ERA and .276 opponents’ batting average. In 98.0 innings pitched over 11 games, the staff yielded just 28 walks against 77 strikeouts, good for a 2.75-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. In three starts and one relief appearance, Scott Weismann was 3-0 with a 2.45 ERA, while Casey Harman was 2-2 with a 2.73 ERA.
Clemson’s CWS Streak Continued With Clemson’s appearance in the 2010 College World Series, the Tigers’ streak of going no more than three years in a row without a CWS appearance continued. That means that every Tiger since the freshman class of 1988 who has been in the program and been on the postseason roster for four consecutive years has made at least one trip to Omaha. The last time the Tigers went four straight years without a trip to Omaha was 1987-90. Only three other schools have current streaks as long as the Tigers. Miami (FL) has not gone more than three years in a row without making it to Omaha since 1970-73, while Cal State Fullerton (1971-74) and Louisiana State (1982-85) also have streaks longer than the Tigers’.
Worth Noting
Polls The Tigers moved up four spots to #4 in the final Collegiate Baseball poll after going 2-2 in the College World Series to close the season. Clemson also moved up 16 spots to #4 in the final Sports Weekly coaches poll and #10 in the final Baseball America ranking after not being ranked in the top 25 of its previous poll. With Clemson’s final top-25 ranking, it marked the 37th week in a row the Tigers were ranked in the top 25 of at least one of the three major polls dating to the start of the 2009 season. Clemson has also had at least one final top-25 ranking in 14 of Head Coach Jack Leggett’s first 17 seasons in Tigertown.
Strength of Schedule #5 In 2010, Clemson had an unofficial strength of schedule of #5 according to WarrenNolan.com. Clemson had a 25-17 record against teams with an RPI of 50 or better. Only three other schools had more top-50 RPI wins than the Tigers. There were 301 schools that played Division I baseball in 2010.
Tigers Played in Ninth Super Regional
Tigers Captured ACC Atlantic Division Title
Clemson made its ninth super regional appearance in the 12th year of the super regional format in 2010. Since 1999, Clemson has missed playing in a super regional just three times (2003,04,08). Clemson has been to the NCAA Tournament every year since 1987, with the exception of the 2008 season. Clemson is tied for fourth in the nation in super regional appearances. Cal State Fullerton, Florida State, and Miami (FL) have all been to 10 super regionals, while Clemson is tied with Rice for fourth. In terms of all-time wins in regional and super regional play, the Tigers have 93, seventh-most in NCAA history.
Thanks to a regular-season-ending sweep over #7 Florida State at Doug Kingsmore Stadium from May 20-22, the Tigers captured their first ACC Atlantic Division title since 2006 and their second overall since the league was split into divisions in 2006. Clemson finished in a tie with Florida State at 18-12, but the Tigers claimed the division championship thanks to the three-game sweep over the Seminoles.
Super Regional Appearances Rk Team SR 1. Cal State Fullerton 10 Florida State 10 Miami (FL) 10 4. Clemson 9 Rice 9 6. Louisiana State 8 South Carolina 8 8. Stanford 7 Texas 7 10. Arizona State 6 * - 1999-10
*CWS 6 4 6 4 6 4 4 6 5 3
On Base Hits...walks...hit-by-pitches. When it came to those three cumulative categories, Clemson had one of its best seasons in recent history. In 70 games, the Tigers totaled 764 hits, 375 walks, and 60 hit-by-pitches. That adds to 1,199 times on base, an average of 17.1 per game. It was better than the 2002 team’s mark of 17.0. That squad featured the likes of Khalil Greene, Jeff Baker, and Michael Johnson. The 2010 mark was the best by a Tiger team since 1999 (18.2).
Tigers Set School Record For Grand Slams Clemson totaled nine grand slams in 2010, most in school history. Furthermore, eight different Tigers accounted for the nine grand slams. The nine grand slams broke the previous Clemson record of six, held by the 1991 and 2004 teams. The national record for grand slams in one season is 12, set by Oklahoma State in 1996. The Tigers pulled off a rare feat of hitting two grand slams at #15 South Carolina on March 7, 2010. Chris Epps and Phil Pohl both hit grand slams in Clemson’s 19-6 win. It was the first time the Tigers hit two grand slams in one game since March 3, 1991. That day, the Tigers did so in a 17-5 win over Louisiana-Lafayette at Las Vegas, NV. When Brad Miller hit a grand slam against #16 Alabama in the Clemson Super Regional on June 13, he became the first Tiger to hit two grand slams in one season since 2006, when Andy D’Alessio hit two. D’Alessio also hit two grand slams in 2005.
Thievery Clemson stole 106 bases (1.5 per game) in 2010, a big reason the Tigers averaged 8.6 runs per contest. The Tigers reached the 100 stolen-base mark for the first time since 2006, when that team swiped 107 bases. Furthermore, it was only the second time in the last 10 seasons that a Tiger team stole 100 bases in a season. John Hinson had a team-high 25 stolen bases, while Chris Epps (16), Will Lamb (14), and Mike Freeman (11) also totaled double-digit steals.
Tigers Among Nation’s Best in Turning Double Plays Clemson turned 81 double plays in 2010, tying the school record also held by the 1995 team. Second-baseman Mike Freeman played a big role in Clemson turning 81 double plays in 2010. He was involved in 63 of the 81 double plays. Freeman was also a big reason Clemson was second in the nation and first in the ACC in double plays in 2010.
Clemson #7 in the Nation in Average Attendance
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Wilson Boyd, who had a 14-game hitting streak in March, was one of six Tigers who had a double-digit hitting streak in 2010.
A total of 164,285 fans were in attendance for Clemson’s 35 home dates in 2010, an average of 4,694 per date. That figure was seventh in the nation and highest in the ACC. It was also the fourth-best figure in Tiger history. Clemson’s top-10 figure marked the 17th straight top-20 national standing and ninth in a row in the top 10. 2011 Tiger Baseball
ClemsonTigers.com
Mike Freeman was involved in 63 of Clemson’s school-record-tying 81 double plays turned in 2010.
Three Tigers Named to All-ACC Team Three Tigers were named First or Second-Team All-ACC in 2010. Junior outfielder Kyle Parker was the Tigers’ lone First-Team All-ACC selection, while senior second-baseman Mike Freeman and junior outfielder Jeff Schaus were named Second-Team All-ACC. The team was compiled by a vote of the 12 ACC head coaches. It was the second time Parker was named First-Team All-ACC, as he received that same honor as a freshman in 2008. Parker became the first two-time, First-Team All-ACC player at Clemson since Kris Harvey accomplished the same feat in 2004 and 2005. Schaus was also a First-Team All-ACC selection as a sophomore in 2009. In 2010, Parker hit .344 with a team-high 20 homers, 15 doubles, 64 RBIs, 85 runs, a .656 slugging percentage, 56 walks, a .478 on-base percentage, and four steals in 67 games. Schaus batted .320 with 15 homers, 14 doubles, two triples, an ACC-high 87 RBIs, 69 runs, and nine steals in 70 games. Freeman hit .331 with eight homers, 24 doubles, one triple, 57 RBIs, 68 runs, and 11 steals along with an outstanding .975 fielding percentage.
Six Tigers Picked in Major League Draft Six Tigers were taken in the 2010 Major League draft from June 7-9. Junior outfielder and first-baseman Kyle Parker was a first-round draft selection (#26 overall pick) of the Colorado Rockies, becoming Clemson’s first first-round draft pick since 2007, when lefthander Daniel Moskos was picked #4 overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Parker was also the 14th first-round draft pick in Tiger history. On day-two of the draft, senior second-baseman Mike Freeman was picked in the 11th round (#331 overall pick) by the Arizona Diamondbacks. It was the third time Freeman was taken in the Major League draft, as he was also selected in 2006 and 2009. Fellow infielder and sophomore John Hinson was taken in the 13th round (#411 overall pick) by the Philadelphia Phillies, junior outfielder Jeff Schaus was picked in the 27th round (#810 overall pick) by the Cleveland Indians, and junior lefthander Casey Harman was chosen in the 29th round (#880 overall pick) by the Chicago Cubs. On day-three of the draft, junior catcher and first-baseman John Nester was drafted in the 39th round (#1175 overall pick) by the Oakland Athletics. With the six selections, Jack Leggett has had a total of 84 players drafted in his 17 seasons as head coach at Clemson. Fifteen of those 84 players were drafted twice, meaning a Tiger has been drafted 99 times in his tenure. Thirteen more Tigers have signed free-agent contracts as well. 2010 Tiger Draftees # Player, Pos. Cl. Rd 11 Kyle Parker, OF/1B Jr. 1 5 Mike Freeman, 2B Sr. 11 4 John Hinson, INF *So. 13 3 Jeff Schaus, OF Jr. 27 36 Casey Harman, LHP Jr. 29 17 John Nester, C/1B Jr. 39 * - spent one season as a red-shirt player
Pick 26 331 411 810 880 1175
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