Clemson Baseball vs Miami: Three Keys To Victory

Jun 17, 2015; Omaha, NE, USA; Miami Hurricanes pitcher Thomas Woodrey (43) tries to invoke the rally monkey against the Florida Gators in the 2015 College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park. The Gators won 10-2. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 17, 2015; Omaha, NE, USA; Miami Hurricanes pitcher Thomas Woodrey (43) tries to invoke the rally monkey against the Florida Gators in the 2015 College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park. The Gators won 10-2. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

The Clemson baseball team will travel to South Florida take on 5th-ranked Miami. Here are the three keys to picking up a series victory this weekend.

The Clemson baseball team will travel to Coral Gables, Florida to take on the 4th-ranked Miami Hurricanes.

The Tigers are riding an eight-game win streak after defeating Presbyterian College on Tuesday night. Here is all the information you need to know to watch the games this weekend, including TV info and Game Times.

#12 Clemson Tigers (17-3, 5-1 ACC) vs. #5 Miami Hurricanes (17-4, 4-2 ACC) Game Information:

Where: Mark Light Field in Coral Gables, Florida

When: Friday (7 p.m.), Saturday (7 p.m.), Sunday (1 p.m.)

Where to Watch: ESPN 3

TV Announcers: Wicho Hernandez, Kyle Sielaf (Saturday), Jason Solodkin (Friday, Sunday)

Where to Listen: TigerCast, Clemson Tigers Sports Network

SERIES PREVIEW

Starting Pitching
• Friday – RHP Clate Schmidt (CU) vs. LHP Thomas Woodrey (MIA)
• Saturday – LHP Charlie Barnes (CU) vs. LHP Michael Mediavilla (MIA)
• Sunday – TBA (CU) vs. LHP Danny Garcia (MIA)

In all likelihood, Alex Eubanks will get the Sunday start, but Jake Higginbotham could get the start if the Tigers needed him to. It will just depend on what Coach Monte Lee and company think about the matchup.

An interesting note to look at is the fact that Miami will start three left-handed pitchers. Thomas Woodrey is extremely talented and is a hard-thrower.

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Keys to the Game:

1. Don’t strand runners. The most important key for the Tigers this weekend will be to knock in runs when they get on base. Miami has very good pitching and if Clemson baseball gets runners in scoring position, they need to cash in and take advantage of the situations they have.

2. Consistent Bullpen. Clemson’s starting pitching has been very good and the bullpen has shown its depth to this point in the season. That needs to continue as the Tigers go forward. As a matter of fact, Clemson has had one of the best bullpens- statistically speaking- this year. They need to continue to throw hard and sit down Hurricane batters.

3. Play loose. This very well may be the key for the rest of the season. To this point, Clemson baseball has played loose and confidently and that has led to them winning games and bouncing back after tough losses. They need to continue to play loose and not look at this series any different from the other series they have played to this point.

If the Tigers can do those three things, they will put themselves in a position to win the series and- at the very least- compete. Miami is extremely talented and they are on track to host a Super Regional.

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If Clemson baseball was to win this series, however, it would be huge going forward and would put the Tigers in position to be a top-five team in the nation.

What’s your thoughts on the Miami series, Tiger fans? Comment below with your keys to the game and who you’d like to see step up this weekend.

Schedule

Schedule