Clemson baseball: On deck – Wofford Terriers

Quick Thoughts on Presbyterian:

Clemson baseball polished off the Presbyterian Blue Hose by a score of 12-3 in the first of two big midweek battles on Tuesday night.  What I liked most about the game was my prediction of…checks notes…12-3 Clemson.  Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in awhile, and we can chalk up another one here.

The Tigers went down early which led to one fan to tweet at play by play announcer and local Clemson radio host William Qualkinbush as well as Clemson legend Tim Bourret asking how many games the Tigers go down in the first inning.  It’s a great question.  I don’t have the answer, that would require extensive research and I do not have the bandwidth to do that tonight.  Sorry.

However, the offense woke up in the second inning and the Tigers cruised to a relatively easy victory on a Tuesday night at the Doug.  Really impressed with most of the lineup, as all of the starters got on base and a couple of long balls by Grice and Corbitt.  Dylan Brewer added a couple of hits as well and looked good doing it.

Upcoming Wednesday 4/27 vs. #24 Wofford at 4PM:

Wednesday night may have a different feel as the nationally ranked Terriers of Wofford come into Doug Kingsmore.  A game that was recently added to the schedule and one that is extremely intriguing.

Wofford comes into the Wednesday night contest at 30-10 on the season, ranked as high as 22nd by Baseball America, 24th by USA Today and 25th by two other nationally recognized polls (D1 Baseball and NCBWA).  Before a series ending loss to Mercer this past Sunday, Wofford had the nation’s longest winning streak at 10.  This. Is. A. VERY. Good. Baseball. Team.

Wofford is led by head coach Todd Interdonato in his 15th year in Spartanburg.  He’s built a really nice program who have had some accolades over the years, but brings, arguably, his best ball club ever to Clemson on Wednesday night.

An older team, as you all know I tend to look at the age of each opponent, Wofford is really a upperclassmen-laden team with a freshman and a sophomore in the starting lineup.

As stated earlier, Wofford is 30-10.  Their 30 wins are to some familiar names and common opponents of the Tigers:  George Mason (x2), UNC Asheville, UPenn (x3), Kennesaw State, Lafayette (x3), Cincinnati, Belmont (x2), USC Upstate, Gardner Webb (x3), Winthrop, Dallas Baptist (x2), Tarleton State, UNC Greensboro (x3), East Tennessee State (x3), Presbyterian, and Mercer (x2).

The Terriers 10 losses are to: George Mason, Georgia (x2), Monmouth, Marist, UPenn,  Georgia State, Belmont, Dallas Baptist and Mercer.

Before I get into the nitty-gritty of the stats, one statistic absolutely jumps off the page when researching this Terriers team.  They will and do run…A LOT!  Currently third in the nation in stolen bases with 117 in 40 games.  As an old “fuddy-duddy” I drool over numbers like that.  Putting pressure on a defense is one of the aspects that has lead the Terriers to the outstanding season so far through 40 games.  1 through 9 will and do run.  I look forward to seeing how Monte Lee and either French or Ingle are able (if they’re able) to fight the running game of Wofford.

Wofford is led offensively by Sophomore Shortstop Jack Renwick.  The five-hole hitter in the lineup is the “straw that stirs the drink.”  When I saw his eye-popping numbers I was certain he was in the top 2 in the lineup, but hitting fifth with these numbers is really impressive.  Only hitting .250 and an OPS of .739, but 25-27 stealing bases with 8 doubles, 2 triples, 4 home runs and 39 RBIs.  Have to keep that young man off the bases!  Senior Designated Hitter Brennen Dorighi has racked up conference accolades this past week, hits behind Renwick but leads the team in batting average at .362.  OPS of .977 with 9 doubles, 1 triple and 5 home runs.  Also 7-7 in stolen bases.  That middle part of the lineup is a load!

The Terriers have scored 315 runs on the season for an average of 7.9 runs a game.  Mostly manufactured!

The rest of the probable starters are as follows Batting Average/OPS (with notable stats in parentheses):

Senior Outfielder – Nolen Hester – .303 BA/.798 OPS (6 2bs, 1 HR, 7-10 SBs)

Senior 1st Baseman – John Dempsey – .354/1.040 (10 2bs, 8 HRs, 33 RBI, 6-9 SBs)

Graduate Catcher – Lawson Hill – .338/.868 (11 2bs, 10-12 SBs)

Junior 3rd Baseman – Ryan Galanie – .280/.954 (6 2bs, 3 3bs, 8 HRs, 12-13 SBs)

Junior Outfielder – Trey Yunger – .265/.694 (3 2bs, 2 3bs, 11-18 SBs)

Freshman Outfielder – Marshall Toole – .268/.813 (3 2bs, 15-17 SBs)

Junior 2nd Baseman – Brice Martinez – .340/.852 (4 2bs, 10-12 SBs)

As you can see from the stats in parentheses, every one of those guys are at or near double digits in successful steals.  Just really impressive for the squad up 85.  THE CATCHER HAS 10!

Here we are again, with the teams both announcing TBA for the starting pitchers for the Wednesday night tilt.  So research was had on the Wofford side and I have boiled it down to two possibilities.

Junior Right-hander Matthew Marchal is the most likely to get the ball to start the game, I believe.  The 6’3” 210 lb has been a staple in the weekend rotation, but has also had a bunch of short starts during the mid-week slate.  He has a 4-2 record on the season with a 2.75 ERA across 13 appearances and 12 starts.  55.2 innings pitched and has 72 Ks and an eye-popping 8 BBs.  Opponents are hitting .228 against the junior.

The other option for Skipper Interdonato is Sophomore right-hander Dom Marcoccio.  The 6’5” 210 lb hard thrower has taken on more of an opener type of role throughout the season as well as mixed in some middle inning relief work.  Marcoccio is 1-2 with a 6.37 ERA over 13 games and 12 starts.  41.0 innings pitched with 33 Ks, and 12 BBs as opposing hitters are hitting .341 against him.

Wofford has allowed 202 runs on the season for an average of just over 5 runs per game.

Who the Tigers start is anyone’s guess, but if I had to guess I would say it will likely be Freshman Jay Dill, or one of the Nick’s; Clayton or Hoffman.

I am really looking forward to this game on Wednesday afternoon (4 PM on ACCNX).  Wofford are the darlings of the College Baseball World this season.  A great story made even better as it is an in-state school not named South Carolina.  The team, on paper, looks like a lot of fun to watch by the way they bunt (lead the nation in sacrifice bunts with 41), and stealing and hit and runs.  Winning as many innings as they can in the process.

However, looking at the teams that they’ve played.  Clemson has had more success over the common opponents between the two schools.  Transitive property means nothing, unless you’re trying to predict scores of baseball games.  I did not believe I would pick Clemson to win this game going into the preview and prediction, however, they have been hitting well and have found some steady pitching.  I think it’ll be just enough to edge the 22nd ranked Terriers.

Prediction: Clemson 8 – Wofford 7