May 30, 2024
By: Brian Hennessy
Notes (PDF)
The Tigers are playing in the NCAA Tourney for the 46th time and hosting a regional for the second year in a row.
REGIONAL SETUP
• Who – High Point (34-25) vs. Clemson (41-14)
• Best Ranking – HPU – NR; CU – No. 3 D1Baseball
• When – Friday (7 p.m.)
• Where – Clemson, S.C. (Doug Kingsmore Stadium)
• Watch – ACC Network
• Video Announcers – Dave Neal, Devon Travis
• Listen (Radio) – Clemson Athletic Network (locally on WCCP (105.5 FM))
• Listen (Internet) – ClemsonTigers.com
• Live Stats – ClemsonTigers.com
• Social Media – ClemsonBaseball
• Tickets – ClemsonTigers.com, 1-800-CLEMSON
SERIES HISTORY
• Overall Record – Clemson leads 10-0 (1976-14)
• Record at Clemson – Clemson leads 9-0 (1976-14)
• Record in NCAA Tournament – 0-0
STARTING PITCHERS
• RHP Gus Hughes (HBP) vs. LHP Tristan Smith (CU)
CLEMSON OVERVIEW
• Clemson, which has a 27-6 home record, went 1-1 in the ACC Tournament last week.
• The Tigers are averaging 8.1 runs per game and hitting .298 with a .516 slugging percentage, .401 on-base percentage and 57 steals.
• The pitching staff has a 4.53 ERA, .244 opponents’ batting average and 2.33 strikeout-to-walk ratio, and Clemson is fielding .968.
HIGH POINT OVERVIEW
• High Point, which has a 11-11 road record and is averaging 7.3 runs per game, is led by third-year Head Coach Joey Hammond.
• The Panthers won the Big South Conference Tourney with a 3-0 record. They are hitting .294 and have a 5.85 ERA and .976 fielding percentage.
• Peyton Carr is hitting .422 with 13 homers in only 24 games and Cael Chatham has 17 homers and 55 RBIs along with a team-high seven saves.
TIGERS IN THE CLEMSON REGIONAL
• Clemson (41-14), the No. 1 seed, opens its Clemson Regional by playing No. 4 seed High Point (34-25) on Friday at 7 p.m. on ACC Network.
• The Tigers are the designated home team on Friday.
• The winner of Clemson’s game plays the winner of the game between No. 2 seed Vanderbilt (38-21) and No. 3 seed Coastal Carolina (34-23).
• The Tigers occupy the first-base dugout for all their games in the Clemson Regional.
• Clemson is the No. 6 national seed, its second top-eight national seed in a row and sixth overall (2000,02,06,16,23,24).
• The winner of the Clemson Regional plays the winner of the Stillwater (Okla.) Regional from June 7-10.
• Clemson is 3-5 against Vanderbilt, with the last meeting in the 2018 Clemson Regional. The last seven games have been played at Clemson.
• The first meeting between Clemson and Vanderbilt took place at Vanderbilt, an 11-5 Tiger win on April 28, 1984.
• Vanderbilt won both meetings in the 2018 Clemson Regional and won two of three matchups in the 2017 Clemson Regional.
• Clemson is 1-4 against Vanderbilt in the NCAA Tourney, all games in the Clemson Regional in 2017 and 2018.
• Tiger Head Coach Erik Bakich was an assistant coach alongside Vanderbilt Head Coach Tim Corbin at Clemson in 2002.
• Bakich was an assistant coach under Corbin at Vanderbilt from 2003-09, which included five NCAA Tournament appearances.
• Corbin was an assistant coach at Clemson from 1994 to 2002.
• Clemson is 49-12 against Coastal Carolina, including 35-7 at Clemson and 5-0 in NCAA Tournament games.
• The two teams first met in 1986, as the two teams split two games at Coastal Carolina.
• Clemson won both games in a home-and-home series in 2023 in the most-recent meetings.
• Clemson won both matchups in the 2007 Myrtle Beach Regional, then the Tigers won 12-7 in the 2011 Clemson Regional.
• The Tigers won both meetings in the 2012 Columbia (S.C.) Regional.
• The two teams were scheduled to play a home-and-home series this season, but both games were rained out.
• Clemson has won all 10 meetings, including nine at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, with High Point in a series that started in 1976.
• The Tigers defeated the Panthers by a score of 1-0 in the most-recent meeting on May 7, 2014 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.
• High Point’s Brett Ahalt was a member of the 2021 Tiger team and redshirted.
CLEMSON REGIONAL STRONG
• The four teams in the Clemson Regional have combined for 89 NCAA Tournament appearances (including 2024).
• Clemson is making its 46th appearance, followed by 22nd by Vanderbilt, 20th by Coastal Carolina and first by High Point.
• In both 2015 and 2016, Clemson played in a regional with the most combined appearances by the teams (2015 Fullerton, 2016 Clemson).
• The 2017 Clemson Regional featured the third-most combined appearances, while the 2018 Clemson Regional was tied for third most.
TIGERS HOST REGIONAL FOR 18TH TIME
• Clemson is hosting an NCAA regional for the 18th time in history in 2024.
• Clemson last hosted a regional in 2023. From 1994 to 2011 (18 years), the Tigers hosted a regional 11 times.
• Clemson joins Arkansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma State and Virginia as the five schools to host a regional in 2023 and 2024.
CLEMSON’S NCAA TOURNEY HISTORY
• The Tigers play in their 46th all-time NCAA regional when they compete in the 2024 Clemson Regional.
• The 46 appearances are fifth most in NCAA history, trailing only Texas (63), Florida State (60), Miami (Fla.) (49) and Oklahoma State (49).
• Clemson has made nine super regional appearances, with its last in 2010 by winning the Auburn Regional.
• The Tigers have made 12 trips to the College World Series, with their last in 2010.
• Clemson has a 122-97 record (.557) in NCAA Tournament games.
NCAA TOURNAMENT CONNECTIONS
• Seven former Clemson assistant coaches, three of which were also Tiger players, are serving as head coaches of a 2024 NCAA Tournament team.
• West Virginia Head Coach Randy Mazey was an assistant coach (1990-93) and player (1985-88) at Clemson.
• Texas A&M Head Coach Jim Schlossnagle was an assistant coach at Clemson in 1993.
• Vanderbilt Head Coach Tim Corbin was an assistant coach at Clemson from 1994-02.
• St. John’s Head Coach Mike Hampton was an assistant coach (1999) and player (1993-94) at Clemson.
• Florida Head Coach Kevin O’Sullivan was an asssitant coach at Clemson from 1999-07.
• Clemson Head Coach Erik Bakich was an assistant coach at Clemson in 2002.
• VCU Head Coach Bradley LeCroy was an assistant coach (2011-22) and player (1997-00) at Clemson.
QUICK HITS
• Of Clemson’s 55 games in 2024, 19 have been against teams in the 2024 NCAA Tournament (11-8 record).
• Clemson has scored double-digit runs 19 times (18-1 record), while the Tigers are 5-4 when their opponent scores double-digit runs.
• Clemson’s bullpen has a 28-7 record, 14 saves, a 4.71 ERA, .227 opponents’ batting average and 260 strikeouts in 248.2 innings pitched.
ACC TOURNAMENT RECAP
• Clemson had a 1-1 record in the ACC Tournament at Charlotte, N.C., with games on May 23 and May 24.
• Miami (Fla.) defeated the Tigers 8-7 before Clemson rallied from a 6-0 deficit to down Louisville 8-7.
• Clemson hit .333 with five doubles, two triples, three homers, a .573 slugging percentage, .398 on-base percentage and two steals.
• Cam Cannarella was 5-for-8 with a triple, four runs, two walks and a .700 on-base percentage in two games.
• Jimmy Obertop was 4-for-8 with two doubles, a homer, five RBIs, three runs, a .600 on-base percentage and a steal in two games.
• Tristan Bissetta was 4-for-8 with a double, triple, three RBIs and two runs in two games.
McGOVERN SHINING AS FRESHMAN
• Freshman lefthander Jacob McGovern has emerged late in the season to be one of the team’s top relievers.
• He is 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA, .192 opponents’ batting average and 15 strikeouts against five walks in 14.0 innings pitched over nine outings.
• He has allowed just two extra-base hits.
• He is holding opponents to .167 with runners on base and .125 with two outs.
• Of his 14.0 innings pitched, 11.0 have come against ACC teams.
• In 7.1 innings pitched over five relief appearances at home, he has allowed five hits, no runs and two walks with nine strikeouts.
• He allowed one hit, no earned runs and one walk with two strikeouts in 3.1 innings pitched against Louisville in the ACC Tourney on May 24.
