The Alabama Crimson head to Clemson SC to take on the Clemson Tigers with a berth in the College World Series at stake. The Crimson Tide enter with a 41-23 overall record while they went 4-1 in the Regional round. They defeated Elon in the first game 11-2 before dropping a 5-2 decision to Georgia Tech. They then went on a three game winning streak with a 5-3 victory over Mercer before defeating Georgia Tech 8-1 and 10-8. The Clemson Tigers enter with a 41-22 overall record while they had a 3-1 record in the Regionals. They opened the tourney with a 10-1 win over Southern Miss and Auburn 5-2. In the Regional Championship, they dropped game one 11-10 to Auburn before winning the final game 13-7.
The Alabama Crimson Ride are hitting .298 as a team. They are led by All-SEC team member Taylor Dugas who is hitting .393 with 2 homers and 36 RBI. He has been outstanding on the bases with 19 stolen bases in 24 attempts. Josh Rutledge who is a finalist for the Brooks Wallace Award is second on the squad with a .365 average, 10 homers, and a team high 69 RBI. Clay Jones is the only other hitter on the team with an average over .300 as he is hitting .329 with 17 homers and 65 RBI.
The Crimson Tide pitching staff has a staff ERA of 4.81. They are led by starting pitcher Jimmy Nelson who is 8-3 with a 3.92 ERA. He has struck out 94 batters in 103.1 innings pitching while holding opponents to a .256 batting average. Nathan Kilcrease has been the best reliever as he is 8-2 with a 2.42 ERA in 33 appearances (five starts). Jake Smith leads the team with five saves and a 0.98 ERA in 12 appearances totaling 18.1 innings of work. He is holding opponents to a .194 batting average.
The Clemson Tigers enter the Super Regional round with a .306 batting average. They are led by Brad Miller at the plate who is hitting .365 with seven homers and 41 RBI. Kyle Parker is second on the squad with a .356 batting average while hitting 20 homers and driving in 63 runs. Parker also is the starting quarterback for the Tigers football program. John Hinson is third on the squad with a .341 average with 15 homers and 67 RBI. Jeff Schaus is also above .300 with a .313 batting average while hitting 15 homers and driving in a team high 80 runs this year.
The Tigers pitching staff has a staff ERA of 4.82. They are led by Casey Harman who is 7-2 with a 3.95 ERA in 16 starts including one complete game. Scott Weismann is the second starter as he is 7-2 with a 5.13 ERA in 16 starts. Will Lamb has made 16 appearances (10 starts) while going 4-4 with a 4.96 ERA. Tomas Cruz leads the team with three saves while going 3-3.
Alabama Series Notes
Clemson Series Notes
