#4 Clemson Baseball Preview - Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs
Clemson baseball swept their conference foe from California this weekend, winning all three games from the Cal Bears.
The Tigers will now get back to the comfy confines of Doug Kingsmore Stadium for the rest of the week as they play a midweek game against Gardner-Webb and then welcome in the Stanford Cardinal for their next ACC series.
There will be beer sales at DKS this week, and Coach Bakich is expecting a rowdy crowd all week.
Wednesday night’s game will start at 7PM EST.
Cal comes into the tilt at 14-19, 4-5 in the Big South Conference.
Clemson and the Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs have played 12 times all time. The last time was in 2019. The Tigers lead the overall series 11-1.
Here is your preview of Clemson’s midweek game against the Gardner-Webb University Runnin’ Bulldogs
Clemson Briefly:
Clemson enters the weekend with 30 wins and 5 losses. 9-3 in the ACC. Currently sitting 1st in the ACC and as high as 3rd in the national polls.
The Tigers are hitting .281 as a team through 35 games (133rd nationally).
As a team, the Tigers have 53 doubles, 6 triples and 38 home runs.
On the mound, the Tigers pitching staff touts a 4.44 ERA (45th nationally). The staff has struck out 349 batters over 302 innings for an average of 10.4 per 9 innings (23rd) and walked 135 through 35 games.
Opponents are hitting .225 against the Tigers pitching staff.
Here is a look at the Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs:
Gardner-Webb University Runnin’ Bulldogs
Head Coach - Jim Chester (5th Season)
2025 Record: 14-19 (6-6 ACC)
Wins: St. Bonaventure, Davidson, Mercyhurst (x3), Appalachian State, Youngstown State (x3), Western Carolina, UNC-Asheville, Longwood (x3)
Losses: St. Bonaventure (x3), Mercyhurst, South Carolina, Appalachian State (x2), East Carolina, UNC-Asheville (x2), , Georgia Tech, Presbyterian (x3), Davidson, North Carolina, Western Carolina (x2), Charlotte
Here are the probable starting lineup for Gardner-Webb and their 2025 stats:
Position Players:
| Name (#) | Year | Position | 2024 Stats |
| Merik Carter (1) | Jr. | 2B | .304; 6 2B, 3B, 16 RBI; 5-8 SB |
| Tanner Thomas (3) | Jr. | 1B | .304; 6 2B, 3B, 5 HR, 23 RBI; 4-4 SB |
| Ryan Kennell (15) | Jr. | SS | .369; 7 2B, 2 HR, 35 RBI; 8-12 SB |
| Dale Francis Jr. (42) | RS Sr. | DH | .333; 10 2B, 12 HR, 46 RBI |
| Garrett Macias (14) | RS Sr. | C | .330; 4 2B, HR, 11 RBI |
| Lawson Knight (7) | Sr. | CF | .231; 2B, 3B, HR, 18 RBI; 18-20 SB |
| Matt Ilgenfritz (18) | RS. Soph. | 3B | .284; 6 2B, 6 HR, 20 RBI |
| Nick Capozzi (5) | RS. Sr. | RF | .213; 4 2B, 3B, HR, 12 RBI; 12-13 SB |
| Gavin Johnson (30) | Soph. | LF | .400; 2B, 2 RBI |
Offensively, the Runnin’ Bulldogs are led by Redshirt Senior Designated Hitter Dale Francis, Jr. who is hitting .333 with 12 home runs and 46 runs batted in.
Usual leadoff hitter, Junior Shortstop Ryan Kennell leads the team in batting average at .369
The Runnin’ Bulldogs are hitting .284 as a team (124th nationally). They have hit 53 doubles (T-175th), 5 triple (T-174th) and 39 home runs as a team (T-74th).
Gardner-Webb, despite their record, does hit a lot of home runs, as well as steal a lot of bases. 55-72 as a team through 33 games.
Anticipated Starter(s) for Gardner-Webb:
| NAME (#) | Year | Hand | 2025 Stats |
| Dominic Guzman (21) | RS Jr. | RHP | 1-2; 10.38 ERA, 15 App, 17.1 IP, 23 K, 12 BB; OppBA: .338 |
| Jaden Stockton (29) | RS. Soph. | RHP | 2-0; 5.87 ERA, 12 App, 23 IP, 28 K, 19 BB; OppBA: .253 |
| Will Franklin (32) | RS Jr. | RHP | 0-1; 6.75 ERA, 11 App, 21.1 IP, 17 K, 12 BB; OppBA: .272 |
Both Teams have announced TBA for the game. The Gardner-Webb pitchers above have started midweek games this season. Will update when announced officially if different from above.
The Gardner-Webb pitching staff owns a 7.73 staff ERA (241st nationally), having struck out 288 opponent hitters for an average of 9.6 per 9 innings (45th) while walking 189 or 6.3 per 9 innings. They have given up 32 home runs as a staff through those 33 games.
Clemson have not announced a starting pitcher for the midweek game. Talan Bell is a name to think about for Wednesday night as well as Justin LeGuernic also a possibility. My bet would be on Bell getting his third consecutive midweek start as he gets extended further and further.
SUMMARY
The Runnin’ Bulldogs will be on the back half of two midweek games when they come to Clemson on Wednesday. They lost their game on Tuesday night against Charlotte.
This Gardner-Webb team is a bit of an enigma. They seemingly can hit the ball, as evidenced by their team batting average and power numbers. But it is obvious that their problems start on the mound.
The two teams do have common opponents; South Carolina, Presbyterian and Davidson. Clemson is 8-0 against those teams in 2025, while Gardner-Webb is 1-5 against the same teams.
After Wednesday night, the Tigers will only have 2 more midweek games and tough ones at that; against Georgia and Coastal Carolina.
As always…
Go Tigers!
***Special Thanks again to Marty Coleman aka Seldom Used Reserve (@seldomusedres on X)for the statistic graphics. ***