The Clemson baseball team scratched and clawed against a gritty, fundamentally sound UNC Greensboro team, trailing in two of the three games only to fight back and win all three for the sweep.
Now, the Tigers welcome home one of their own. Former Clemson player and All-American David Miller brings his Manhattan Jaspers team into Doug Kingsmore stadium for a rare double-dip mid-week set of games.
The two games are scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, both at 4PM first pitch.
Clemson Briefly:
- Clemson is hitting .315 as a team through 14 games.
- The team has hit 30 home runs through 14 games, good for 2.14 home runs per game.
- Cam Canarella and Alden Mathes are both hitting above .400 on the season (.411 and .400 respectively)
- Every regular starter has at least 2 long balls on the season. Led by Will Taylor with 5.
- The Tigers are averaging 8.14 runs per game.
Here is your preview of the mid-week two-game set with the Manhattan Jaspers:
Manhattan College Jaspers
Head Coach – Dave Miller (Former Clemson All-American 1993-95)
Record – 4-9
Wins against: Norfolk St x3, Marshall
Losses against: Alabama x3, Marshall x2, Gardner-Webb x4,
Pitching Match Ups:
Tuesday @ 4pm: LHP Rocco Reid (Clemson) vs. RHP Joseph Duffield (Manhattan)
Wednesday @ 4pm: RHP Billy Barlow (Clemson) vs. TBA (Manhattan)
Junior left-hander Rocco Reid will get his first start of the season. The Greenville native has appeared in three games so far amassing a 1-0 record, 4.76 ERA in 5.2 innings with 8 strikeouts to only 3 walks. Opposing batters are hitting .158 against Reid in a small sample size.
Redshirt sophomore Billy Barlow resumes his role as the mid-week starter after throwing a gem a week ago against Kansas State. Barlow comes into the Wednesday night contest with a 2-1 record, 4.50 ERA in 12 innings pitched. He’s fanned 8 batters and walked 4, while opposing hitters are hitting .327 against him.
Here is the projected starters for the Manhattan Jaspers positionally, with their early season stats as well:
Position Players:
| NAME (Jersey #) | GRADE | POSITION | ‘24 STATISTICS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frankie Marinelli (1) | Senior | Left Field | .238; 2B, 7 RBI; 3-5 SB |
| Daniel Perez (13) | RS Sophomore | 2nd Base | .311; 2B, 5 RBI; 2-3 SB |
| Drew Wyers (26) | Sophomore | 3rd Base | .149; 2B, 7 RBI |
| Trevor Hansen (23) | Sophomore | 1st Base | .306; 4 2B, HR, 8 RBI; 2-3 SB |
| Trevor Santos (6) | Senior | Right Field | .267; 2B, 2 RBI |
| Vincent Davis (19) | Freshman | DH | .154; HR, 3 RBI |
| Dylan Mayer (16) | Freshman | Centerfield | .161; 2 2B, RBI |
| Andreaus Lewis (5) | Junior | Catcher | .133; HR, 5 RBI |
| Josiah Brown (9) | Freshman | Shortstop | .158; 3 RBI |
Offensively, the Jaspers are hitting .212 as a team (282nd nationally), with 14 doubles, no triples, 3 home runs, and have knocked in 47 runs. The Jaspers will run but they are not in the same category as the last two opponents for the Tigers (K State & UNC-G). They are 15-21 on the season averaging a little more than 1 steal per game.
This Manhattan team stats are tough to look at through the early going. After starting the season swept by Alabama, they swept Norfolk State and things were looking up. However, they dropped 2 of 3 to Marshall before being swept in a 4-game series with Gardner-Webb. Led offensively by the right side of the infield, Daniel Perez (2nd Base) and Trevor Hansen (1st Base), they are the only two regulars hitting over .300 on the season.
Manhattan has not hit the long ball at all this season, only launching 3 on the young season.
STARTING PITCHING
| NAME (Jersey #) | Year/Hand | ‘24 Statistics |
|---|---|---|
| Joseph Duffield (21) | Freshman/RHP | 0-2; 11.57 ERA, 2.1 IP, 2 K, 3 BB; OppBA: .273 |
| ***WRITERS GUESS*** | ||
| Michael Staiano (22) | Freshman/LHP | 1-0; 4.97 ERA, 12.2 IP, 18 K, 3 BB; OppBA: .271 |
Manhattan will throw Freshman righty Joseph Duffield on Tuesday afternoon. The lightly-used youngster has gotten 7 outs in his young career for the Jaspers.
And a completely wild (educated) guess on Wednesday night would be, yet another freshman, lefty Michael Staiano who has shown through 12 innings to have a propensity for strikeouts, tied for the team-high with 18 to only 3 walks.
As a pitching staff, Manhattan has a 5.66 ERA, 133rd in the country in the early going and opponents are hitting .267 against the Jaspers. They’ve surrendered 26 2Bs, 1 3B, and 10 HRs as staff.
It is always great to welcome home one of Clemson’s favorite sons. Having David Miller, a former first-round pick of the Cleveland Indians (now Guardians) back at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, or Beautiful Tiger Field when he adorned the Paw will be great. Surely an embrace between him and his former head coach Jack Leggett will happen prior to the game.
It will be fun to watch Rocco Reid in a starting role, and on paper, the Tigers should roll. However, remember, “baseball happens” sometimes, and while this writer does not believe it will this week, a huge weekend series in Durham awaits against the Duke Blue Devils and the Tigers cannot afford to look ahead.
