No. 6 Wahoos Open ACC Play This Weekend at No. 4 Clemson
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VIRGINIA CAVALIERS (13-1, 0-0 ACC)
Probable Starting Rotation
Fri. – LHP Danny Hultzen (3-0, 0.87 ERA)
Sat. – RHP Tyler Wilson (3-0, 1.42 ERA)
Sun. – RHP Cody Winiarski (2-1, 1.86 ERA)
CLEMSON TIGERS (7-3, 0-0 ACC)
Probable Starting Rotation
Fri. – RHP Scott Weismann (2-1, 5.40 ERA)
Sat. – TBA
Sun. – TBA
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia baseball team starts ACC competition this weekend as it travels to No. 4 Clemson for a three-game series at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. Virginia is ranked as high as sixth nationally this week. The teams will open the series at 5 p.m. Friday – please note the time change from the original start time of 4 p.m. Game two will start at 2 p.m. Saturday, with the finale set for 1 p.m. Sunday.
Live statistics will be available at VirginiaSports.com. Links to live video webcasts and audio broadcasts for all three games also will be available at VirginiaSports.com – there is a $7.95 monthly fee required to access the broadcasts.
Virginia (13-1) comes into the weekend on a seven-game winning streak after posting a 1-0 win over Marshall on Tuesday at Davenport Field. UVa will be making its first trip to Clemson since the 2007 season – no current Cavalier has played at Clemson. While the Tigers hold a 102-41 edge in the all-time series with Virginia, the Cavaliers have won 14 of the last 18 meetings since 2004.
The series pits the respective preseason favorites for the ACC Atlantic and Coastal Divisions, as UVa was picked to win the Coastal and Clemson was selected to capture the Atlantic title as well as the overall conference title. It also matches the ACC’s top pitching staff and offense – UVa leads the league with a 1.50 team ERA; Clemson tops the conference with a .343 batting average.
Virginia’s pitching has been nothing short of sensational this season. Honored by InsidePitching.com as the National Pitching Staff of the Week on Monday, UVa already has recorded four shutouts this year (twice as many as 2010) and allowed no more than four runs in any game this year. One huge key to the Cavaliers’ success – UVa pitchers have cut their bases on balls in half, walking just 23 batters (1.64/9 innings). In 2010 UVa averaged 3.31 walks per nine innings.
Over the last seven games, UVa’s pitchers combined for four shutouts and posted a miniscule 0.57 team ERA.
The Cavaliers boast the ACC’s top defense, with a league-best .993 fielding percentage. UVa is batting .309 as a team, which ranks sixth in the ACC. John Hicks (Jr., Sandy Hook, Va.) leads the Cavaliers with a .370 batting average, while Danny Hultzen (Jr., Bethesda, Md.) stands second at .361.
Clemson holds a 7-3 record this season, with two of the defeats coming in a three-game series with reigning national champion South Carolina. Spencer Kieboom leads Clemson and the ACC with a .500 batting average (15-for-30), while Phil Pohl ranks third in the conference with a .423 average.
Following the weekend series the Cavaliers return home for four games against ranked teams next week. UVa will face No. 27 James Madison on Tuesday before No. 5 Florida State comes to town Friday through Sunday for a three-game weekend series.