Clemson, a very talented team in their own right, has had a roller-coaster season. Here is why they can win it all in Omaha (or why they might not if you read carefully).
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The .310 team batting average, while respectable, may not exactly strike fear into the opposition, but do not be fooled; this team can rake and produce runs – 584 on the season to be exact for an 8.8 runs per game clip. Prior to the season, the strength of this team was considered the line-up, with 8 of 9 returning regular position players. While that experienced line-up has had some ups and downs, the returns of late are starting to verify the earlier thought that the batting order would be very productive. The Tigers have scored 8 or more runs in 12 of their last 14 games (in the two they failed to score 8+, they scored 5 and 4, making this a tough team to absolutely shut down). If the sticks stay hot, this team could batter its way into a deep Omaha run.
2. Power throughout the line-up
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Clemson has belted 93 long balls on the season and in the most recent starting 1-9, every player but one has hit at least four home runs and driven in at least 34 runs; the exception being newly anointed starting catcher Spencer Keiboom (only 9 starts and 45 at-bats on the season). The coaches like Keiboom’s ability as a receiver and his lack of power numbers probably have more to do with limited ABs than anything else as he has hit the ball hard since cracking the starting line-up. Clemson’s 2 through 7 hitters have all produced 7 or more HRs and seven-hole batter Richie Shaffer would likely have joined three players with 15 or more had he not missed a month with a tweaked hamstring. Shaffer cranked 3 HRs in the Super Regional round alone. The Tigers also possess some pop off the bench with John Nester, Phil Pohl, Addison Johnson and Chris Epps (who has been typically hot in the latter portion of the year and may see some starts in Omaha). In short, anyone in this line-up can strike a big blow at any given moment.
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Perhaps an overlooked aspect of this Clemson squad’s ability to dent the scoreboard is their ability to move up on the base-paths. The Tigers have swiped 102 bags for the season in 126 attempts. John Hinson leads the charge with 23 (in 27 tries) and 6’ 5” Will Lamb, a long-striding gazelle of a runner dubbed “Lambo Leap” by his teammates, is a perfect 14-14. Lamb is also perhaps the fastest runner from first to third in the field. Hinson, a 13th round draft pick of the Phillies, is a budding 5-tool superstar for the Tigers as he has added 17HR and 72 RBI to his base stealing exploits. He is a quality fielder at third and has a strong arm. His average, once above .390, dipped to around .320 about a month ago before his current hot streak has elevated it back to .345. If Hinson, a draft eligible sophomore, elects to return next season don’t be surprised if he parlays terrorizing opponents in 2011 into a pick in the top three rounds in next years draft.
4. Starting pitching can be dominant
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Top starter Casey Harman, LHP, lacks the typical “blow you away” stuff of a college ace as his fastball is only 87-90, but he is by far Clemson’s most consistent pitcher and uses a three-pitch mix to get big outs when he needs them. Harman is a smart competitor on the hill and rarely loses his composure. The coaches love his bulldog mentality and his ability to get out of jams has been huge for the Tigers. Most encouraging from Harman have been his most recent starts where he has been brilliant, handcuffing a potent Auburn team to 2 runs on five hits in a complete game gem. He followed that by allowing only 1 earned run with 9 Ks and no walks in 8.1 innings versus Alabama in the Super Regional opener – unfortunately being saddled with a loss, and somewhat overshadowing his second straight elite level performance, when the defense allowed 4 unearned runs in the 3rd inning. Scott Weismann, RHP, is the number two in the rotation and probably has the best stuff with a 92+ fastball and a quality off-speed pitch to pair with it. Weismann’s issues have been locating his fastball and he has been inconsistent with that and his breaking pitches, but he has shown that when he is on, he can be outstanding. His most recent starts have also been heartening as he shut down a hot-hitting Southern Miss team in the regional and did his job by filling the strike zone after his team handed him a 6-0 early lead against Alabama in the 19-5 middle game drubbing in the Super Regional. Lamb (LHP) and Dominic Leone (RHP) have swapped the third slot back and forth through the late season and either can be great with Lamb shutting down powerful Georgia Tech in the ACC Tournament and Leone being nothing short of masterful in the Omaha clinching win against Alabama on Monday. If Harman and Weismann continue to turn out quality starts and Lamb and Leone can back them up, the Tigers can stay out of their bullpen, the teams’ biggest weakness outside of righty off-speed wizard Alex Frederick, and the arms could actually help this team advance rather than sink their chances.
5. Defense is better than it appears
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Along with the bullpen, the Tiger defense has been the Achilles heel of the group. Clemson has committed an atrocious 95 errors in 66 games and most maddening of all, many have been on “routine” plays. At mid-season, the team fielding percentage dipped below .950, in an effort that would have made even Mickey Andrews blush, and it was no coincidence that the Tigers struggled to win games through that stretch. The fielding has been markedly better over the last 25 games; the 9th inning error against Alabama – which potentially could have been the most damaging of the year – notwithstanding. The insertion of slick fielding Jason Stolz at short seemed to shore up the shaky infield for a time and he may be seen there again if the coaches opt for it. Now fielding at .963, Clemson has shown the ability to make outstanding plays and have turned an impressive 75 double plays, many at critical moments of games. If the Tigers can maintain their mostly apparent recent focus and make the plays they should make, the defense, like the pitching, can be an asset.
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The aforementioned Shaffer and Keiboom have been freshmen mainstays in the line-up over the last 10 plus games. Shaffer is really coming on and producing big hits and power numbers the coaches and scouts alike thought they’d see out of him. Keiboom has brought stability behind the plate and seems to have a good grasp of how to handle the Tiger pitchers, who at times have needed a calming force. Speaking of calm, Leone’s pitching performance last time out put Clemson in the field and he has superb stuff when he just lets it go. Jonathan Meyer (RHP) has had some solid outings out of the pen and Scott Firth (RHP) is another freshman power arm who will likely be a key piece of the puzzle if the Tigers are to hang around very long.
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If the old adage of knowing your opponent means anything, the Tigers may get a leg up on some of the teams in the field. Clemson faced a very familiar looking Arizona State last year in the Tempe Super Regional and a large portion of their scouting report there should still be valid. Didn’t help much though last time around and the Devils are an outstanding squad again in 2010 – maybe the Tigers learned what not to do against them. Clemson obviously knows another team in their bracket well in rival South Carolina having faced the Gamecocks three times this season and their roster is dotted with names familiar to the coaching staff. Oklahoma is a mystery, but there should be some feedback from ACC coaches who went up against the Sooners in the postseason. On the opposite side, the Tigers know Florida State and Mike Martin’s ways perhaps better than anyone. TCU and UCLA are virtual unknowns to Clemson and both have the look of a team that gives the Tigers trouble, i.e. terrific left-handed pitching in Purke (how this guy ended up in college I’ll never know – I’m glad he did as it’s good for college baseball – but Clemson would be well served not to have to face him) and Rasmussen. Additionally, Jack Leggett and Kevin O’Sullivan remain good friends after O’Sullivan cut his teeth under Leggett’s tutelage. Incidentally, I once had the pleasure of speaking with O’Sullivan outside of a baseball context and he struck me as a genuinely great guy; making it no surprise that he is one of the best recruiters in all of college baseball. I wouldn’t be surprised if these two aren’t privately hoping to make it an “all orange” final.
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Clemson’s best player on paper and the (perhaps erstwhile) quarterback of the football team, Parker maybe making his last appearance in any sort of Clemson uniform in Omaha. While Parker’s post season numbers are not eye-popping, he does have the knack for getting the big hit: sending the Tigers to the Super Regional last year against Oklahoma State and belting a tension relieving three-run homer in the 1st inning at Auburn two weeks ago in the deciding game of the regional. Clemson does not have to have Parker carry them like some teams rely on star players, but his contributions would complement an otherwise hot line-up. He also has the ability to gun down advancing base-runners from right field so opponents would be advised to avoid trying to take the extra base on him. Anyone who has heard Parker since the draft knows that he is on his way to MLB fortune unless the Rockies don’t give him what he needs (unlikely) – obviously Parker himself knows this too. Parker, the ultimate competitor, can be expected to deliver his best effort in Omaha.
9. This team has been through the wars
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To say that nothing has come easy for Clemson in 2010 would be an understatement. After a 17-2 start, a mid-season swoon saw this teams’ hopes of even making the postseason dim. They dropped a series to a mediocre Duke team and lost two-of-three to a terrible Wake Forest team. Just when they appeared dead, they throttled Florida State in a three-game sweep to win the ACC’s Atlantic Division and clinch the #2 seed for the conference tournament. After faltering against NC State and Virginia Tech, they blasted Georgia Tech. They recovered from a devastating ninth-inning homer that robbed their opportunity to move on in the regional and bounced back the next day to advance. After defensive lapses cost them the first game of the Super Regional at home against Alabama, they came back and pounded the Tide then survived a harrowing ninth to get to Omaha in the deciding game. Notice a trend? This team is never officially out of anything until they are officially eliminated. The Tigers can not be discounted from winning even if they wind up in the losers bracket early.
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Head Coach Jack Leggett is a true historian of the game and the magnitude of making the last field of eight ever to play at Rosenblatt is not lost on Clemson fans who feel that it is just appropriate that one of college baseballs top programs earned a ticket to be there to turn out the lights, nor is it lost on Leggett who played in this very venue while a Maine Blackbear in 1976. No doubt he has brought better teams to Omaha – at least from a standpoint of consistency – in the past with five previous Tiger teams, but most of those teams got to the pinnacle with ease only to flame out on college baseballs biggest stage. Maybe this battle-hardened group can bring Leggett and Clemson what they have been missing all these years with a championship run to close out the venerable Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium.
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