Monday February 25, 2008

What a Weekend!

What A Weekend!
If opening day is rained out and Clemson basketball does not play then it may not be a great weekend in February in Tigertown. However, this weekend exceeded all expectations.

Clemson Baseball
I missed opening day for the first time in recent memory. We all started watching the weather channel by mid-week and could see Friday was going to be a downer and I had to be in Lexington Saturday and Sunday for a family event. So Friday was my only chance and Mother Nature had other ideas.

I did get a chance to talk to several people that went to all three games including play-by-play voice of the Tigers, Dan Scott. Here are some of the positives I am hearing about the sweep:
*I was most impressed with the fact that the Tigers played 27 innings in two days and had only one error.
*The starting pitching looked good with the exception of one rough inning with D.J. Mitchell.
*Ryan Hinson hit 91 mph on the radar gun.
*Graham Stoneburner is everything we thought he could be and more. Remember he is coming off of surgery to repair his torn ACL from last year. Dan said he looked polished.

*The bullpen was active as Jack emptied it in the lopsided wins. Only a couple of guys struggled and the rest looked to be on form.
*It was awesome to get Stan Widmann back on the diamond.
*The freshmen looked ready.
*Chris Epps tore the cover off of the ball and reached base in his first six trips to the plate.
*Doug Hogan picked up where he left off and extended his hitting streak to 18 games.
*Wilson Boyd hit two homers last year but slugged three this weekend.
*Speaking of power, the Tigers were supposed to be a line drive hitting ball club that plays small ball. Someone forgot to tell this team that because they hit six dingers this weekend.
*Kyle Parker got a hot on the first pitch he saw in college and got his first start this weekend also.
*Addison Johnson missed the series with a bad hamstring but Alex Lee filled in nicely with a .300 average for the weekend including four RBIs.
*The Tigers hit .350 for the weekend and had an on-base percentage of .425.
*Stoneburner may have been the most impressive hurler this weekend with his five shutout innings.

I know it was just Mercer and I know the season is too young to start drawing any conclusions, but as far as opening series are concerned, this one was a big success.

The Tigers will be tested four times this week. Clemson hosts High Point Wednesday and South Carolina Sunday. They travel for road games Friday with the College of Charleston and Saturday with South Carolina.

One last thing, I understand the crowds were awesome for the weekend. We have a lot of traditions at Clemson but most a backseat to the incredible fan support the Clemson baseball team gets with 5,000 fans a game.

The Biggest Game in Littlejohn in Years
The ACC basketball season has gotten crazy in the last 10 days when Duke dropped two straight to open the door for UNC to win the league.

The more interesting race to me is the one for the third and fourth seed in the tournament and a probable NCAA tournament bid that goes with it. Wake Forest got into the NCAA picture with a win against the Blue Devils but lost last night in Chapel Hill. Maryland was sitting in the fabled catbird seat at 6-2 before losing three out of four in league play. Miami was 2-6 in conference but has won four in a row and now has joined the race. Virginia Tech has won two in a row and is now 7-6.

Here are the current standings:
UNC 11-2
Duke 10-2
Clemson 7-5
Maryland 7-6
Virginia Tech 7-6
Miami 6-6
Wake Forest 6-6
FSU 5-8

My guess is that FSU is out. They would have to 3-0 down the stretch and then still probably has to win a game in the tourney. Duke and North Carolina are in as the top two seeds and locks for high seeds in the NCAA tournament. So that leaves five teams for two spots. If Clemson can beat Miami Wednesday it would give the Tigers an 8-5 record and keep them at least one game ahead of the Terps and Virginia Tech. If the Canes win in Littlejohn we are talking about a mess. Clemson and Miami would be 7-6 but Miami would win the tie-breaker in a two team tie.

Here are the remaining schedules of the five teams fighting for the third and fourth seed in the ACC tournament:
Clemson-Miami, @ Maryland, @ Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech
Maryland-@Wake Forest, Clemson, @Virginia
Virginia Tech-Boston College, Wake Forest, @ Clemson
Miami-@Clemson, Virginia, Boston College, @ Florida State
Wake Forest-Maryland, @Georgia Tech, @Virginia Tech, NC State

Considering a likely bye with a top four seed and a likely NCAA tournament bid on the line, I say Wednesday will be one of the most important basketball games in Littlejohn Coliseum in many years. I know fans love to see it when Duke and UNC come to town but those games have not been as significant as what we will see Wednesday.

Recruiting
One quick final note, the football staff was ecstatic with the results of this past weekend’s junior day. The staff pulled in commitments from three of the top juniors in our state and one of the top sophomores as well. Clemson is making huge impressions very early with some of the top prospects in South Carolina and in the Southeast. I may have a recruiting blog later this week because it happens so much earlier now and the staff is zeroing in on another terrific class.

864-834-6060

The Brad Hughes All-State Insurance Agency