Series preview for No. 20 Eagles vs. Clemson
It’s the final road weekend of the year for the Eagles.
BC won’t be playing another road game after Sunday until (hopefully) May 21 or 22, which would be the quarterfinals of the upcoming ACC tournament. The top four teams in the ACC get that double by, which BC can all but lock up this weekend with at least a couple wins, but a sweep shouldn’t be unrealistic.
Comfortably sitting in third place coming into the weekend, 20th-ranked BC is 34-14, 16-8 in the ACC and the Eagles have a legitimate chance to catch or break the 2023 team’s win total (37) before the regular season even ends.
Clemson enters the weekend having lost four straight, sitting in dead last in the ACC basement (26-19, 6-15). But, BC can’t afford to take its foot off the gas now.
Here’s a quick look at how the team’s compare:
HITTING
The Eagles and Tigers have the exact same .286 team batting average, but the Tigers are techincally just ahead of BC in 9th statistically. BC has 440 hits, Clemson has 431. BC has 93 doubles, Clemson has 78. The Eagles have hit 18 triples, Clemson has three. The Tigers have 61 homers, BC has just 36, the lowest total in the conference.
Both teams are fairly patient too. BC has drawn 238 walks, while Clemson has 224. Clemson is slugging .464, BC is at .439.
PITCHING
Both staffs are in the Top 6, with BC sitting in third overall.
As a group, BC has a 4.21 ERA, behind only UNC (3.65) and Florida State (4.13). The Eagles have also played four more games than FSU and two more than UNC.
The BC staff has given up 398 hits and 215 runs, along with a .253 opponent batting average. Clemson has 343 hits and 232 runs to go with a .234 average against. The Eagles have surrendered 192 walks, Clemson 151. BC has 381 strikeouts swinging and 83 looking. Clemson has 445 and 127. The Tigers have had a problem with home runs, giving up 47, while BC has allowed 33.
FIELDING
BC is sixth in the ACC in fielding percentage (.975), Clemson is 14th at .964. The Eagles have committed 43 errors, the Tigers have committed 57. BC has also turned 34 double plays, Clemson has just 23.
Clemson players to watch
Nate Savoie is the Tigers’ only Top 25 player in hitting in the ACC. Savoie is hitting .348 with 15 home runs and 47 RBI. He’s got 62 hits on the year, including 11 doubles.
Michael Sharman is Clemson’s best arm. Sharman has a 3.05 ERA and ranks seventh in the ACC. He’s 5-1 in 11 starts with one complete game. In 62 innings pitched he’s struck out 58, walked just 10 and given up 52 hits.
Game times
Friday, 6:00 p.m. (ACCNX)
Saturday, 1:00 p.m. (ACC Network)
Sunday, 12:00 p.m. (ACCNX)
