Clemson Baseball: Tigers vs Georgia Bulldogs Preview, “Round 2”

Here We Go Again!

Following their big series win over Notre Dame, the Clemson Tigers will continue their home stand as they welcome the Georgia Bulldogs to Doug Kingsmore stadium on Tuesday, April 18th.

This will be Clemson’s second matchup against Georgia this season. Last week, the Tigers beat the Bulldogs 8-1 in what can only be described as a dominant showing. Clemson fans will hope for a repeat performance on Tuesday afternoon.

Preview

In my preview of this matchup from a week ago, I pointed out how similar these two teams looked on paper. They both have good rosters, but haven’t accrued a record that reflects that. In games against shared opponents, they’re both 7-4. At the time, they both looked to be finding their rhythm…

How a week can change things.

Clemson is suddenly playing like a team that is not only capable of reaching the postseason, but one that could potentially make some noise while there. Since their ten run win over Coastal Carolina, the team has scored a combined 54 runs in their last eight matchups, an average of nearly 7 runs per game. Their pitching is also begging to find their rhythm, only allowing 3.75 runs per game during that same span.

Following their 2-1 series win over Kentucky, fans believed the Bulldogs could be experiencing a similar turn around. However, since then, they have gone 1-3, including the loss to Clemson and a series loss to the University of Florida.

The problem for the Dogs is not their lineup. They’ve scored an average of roughly 7.7 runs per game. Even during this 1-3 stretch, Georgia’s offense has averaged 5.25 runs a game, which should be enough to earn your team some wins.

The problem with this squad has been their pitching. More specifically, damage control. In this four game stretch, Georgia pitchers have allowed 32 combined runs, an average of 8 runs per game. 26 of these runs have come in a span of just 6 innings.

The “big inning,” has plagued this team. In their last four matchups alone, there have been 5 innings in which their opponent scored at least 4 runs. Georgia’s success moving forward will rely on two aspects. Primarily, their pitchers will need to make more competitive pitches in crucial situation. Similarly, their coaching staff will need to improve their decisions in regard to who’s on the mound, and when to move to the bullpen.

What Will Happen

As my grandmother always says, ”if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Things are working for the Tigers right now. Is there room to improve? Of course. But 6-2 in your last eight games isn’t bad, especially not against quality opponents.

Perhaps I am overly confident due to the showing from last Tuesday. On paper, this still looks like it could be a competitive matchup. But a 7 run win is hard to ignore.

Not based on their entire seasons, but at least during their recent stretches, Clemson has looked like the much better team. They have the better lineup, the better rotation, and a far superior bullpen. And unlike last time, this game is in Tigertown.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to make an educated guess on this one:

Clemson wins, but not by quite as big a margin as they did last Tuesday.

First Pitch is set for 6:30, and the game will be broadcast on ACCN+.

Join us for a recap following the matchup, and check in again as we preview the Tiger’s weekend series against the NC State.