Tough series for Clemson Baseball over the weekend against a hard-nosed NC State Wolfpack squad. The Tigers dropped an ACC series for the first time in quite some time. All good things must come to an end.
But as with everything with baseball, the Tigers are able to jump back on the wagon, fresh off a series-salvaging win on Sunday, to play four more games this week.
First up this week is the Charlotte 49ers tonight at 5PM back at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.
Clemson Briefly:
Clemson Baseball is now 29-6, 11-4 in the ACC and still atop the ACC Atlantic division.
Ethan Darden was magnificent on Saturday for the Tigers. Throwing a complete game scattering 7 hits and only 1 earned run. The offense and defense betrayed the sophomore lefty in a losing effort.
Aidan Knaak. That’s all. ‘Nuff said. Just an unreal start to his young career.
Clemson offense: the bats went quiet for 19 innings of game play, but were able to put up a 7 spot on Sunday utilizing a lot of small ball, including a suicide squeeze executed to perfection by Tryston McCladdie that led to two Tiger runs.
Here is your preview of the Charlotte 49ers:
Charlotte 49ers
Head Coach – Robert Woodard (5th Season)
Record – 16-20; (5-7 American Conference)
Wins against: Virginia Tech, Davidson, West Virginia x2, Wofford, Old Dominion, Western Carolina, Maryland, Winthrop, UNC-Wilmington, Florida Atlantic, South Florida x2, UTSA, NC A&T, East Carolina
Losses against: Virginia Tech x2, West Virginia x2, Old Dominion x2, Maryland x2, UNC-Wilmington x2, Davidson, Gardner-Webb, Florida Atlantic x2, South Florida, Campbell, UTSA x2, East Carolina x2
Pitching Match Up
Tuesday 5PM: RHP Billy Barlow (Clemson) vs. RHP Miles Langhorne
Billy Barlow goes on his normal rest yet again during the midweek. Barlow went 5 innings a week ago against USC-Upstate scattering 5 hits and 4 runs. He gives the Tigers a chance to win each week.
Charlotte will counter with redshirt sophomore Vanderbilt transfer, Miles Langhorne. Langhorne will be making his fourth start of the season. He is coming off a 5.1 inning outing where he allowed only 3 hits and 1 earned run against North Carolina A&T a week ago.
Here is the best-guess, projected starters for the Charlotte 49ers positionally based on previous games, with their season stats as well:
Position Players:
| NAME (Jersey #) | GRADE | POSITION | SEASON STATISTICS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shane Taylor (18) | Senior | 2nd Base | .253; 3 2B, 2 HR, 13 RBI |
| Brandon Stahlman (19) | Senior | 3rd Base | .287; 10 2B, 2 HR, 26 RBI |
| Thad Ector (2) | Junior | Right Field | .303; 3 2B, 3B, 4 HR, 16 RBI, 6-7 SB |
| Juan Correa (22) | Junior | 1st Base | .274; 4 2B, 10 HR, 24 RBI |
| Noah Furcht (8) | Junior | DH | .293; 7 2B, 4 HR, 23 RBI |
| Reid Haire (38) | Freshman | Centerfield | .213; 3 2B, 3B, 11 RBI |
| Kaden Hopson (9) | Senior | Catcher | .150; 4 2B, 2 HR, 11 RBI |
| Carson Bayne (1) | Junior | Left Field | .273; 8 2B, 3B, 5 HR, 27 RBI; 4-4 SB |
| Dante DeFranco (3) | Senior | Shortstop | .182; 3 2B, 3B, 2 RBI; 3-3 SB |
Offensively, the 49ers are hitting .249 as a team (262nd nationally), with 58 doubles, 7 triples, 36 home runs and have knocked in 198 runs. The team also will stress a defense with stealing bases. 34-39 as a team. Juan Correa leads the offense from a power perspective with 10 home runs, but noticeably only 24 RBIs. Thad Ector is hitting .303 while adding a team leading 6 stolen bases.
STARTING PITCHING
| NAME (Jersey #) | Year/Hand | ‘24 Statistics |
|---|---|---|
| Miles Langhorne (45) | RS Sophomore/RHP | 1-2; 4.91 ERA, 11 IP, 14K, 7 BB; OppBA: .264 |
Vanderbilt transfer Miles Langhorne will get the ball for the 49ers. 11 innings in 7 appearances on the season and 3 starts. The 6’4” righty mixes his pitches well to attempt to keep opposing hitters off-balance.
As a pitching staff, Charlotte has a 6.36 ERA, 181st in the country through 36 games, while opponents are hitting .264 against the 49ers. They’ve surrendered 62 2Bs, 5 3B, and 52 HRs as a staff.
SUMMARY
This 49ers team is an enigma. They seemingly lose 2 games during every weekend series, however have great wins on the season against the likes of Virginia Tech and East Carolina among some others.
On paper, this should not be a close match-up. But if we have learned anything over the last week, it’s that the games are not played on paper. The Tigers are going to have to wake up the bats and get a good outing from Barlow and the bullpen to win this game.
Go Tigers!
