TheState.com: Tigers

Baseball: Tigers slip into ACC tourney

Fri, 16 May 2008 23:00 EDT

Clemson has survived to play another week.

Duke’s 8-5 loss Friday locked the Tigers into the ACC tournament, which begins Wednesday in Jacksonville, Fla.

Having already finished its conference slate, eighth-place Clemson (11-18-1 ACC) needed the ninth-place Blue Devils (9-18-1) to stumble at least once in this week’s series at last-place Virginia Tech in order to make the eight-team tourney field.

The Tigers won at Central Florida for the second day in a row Friday, getting three RBIs from Jeff Schaus to beat the Golden Knights 7-3.

As the No. 8 seed in the split-bracket, round-robin format, Clemson will face the Nos. 1, 4 and 5 seeds in a four-day stretch (either Wednesday-Thursday-Saturday or Wednesday-Friday-Saturday).

Tigers now play waiting game

Fri, 16 May 2008 08:21 EDT

ORLANDO, Fla. — Clemson starting pitcher D.J. Mitchell dominated Central Florida on the way to a 9-1 victory on Thursday night.

But the Tigers’ ACC Tournament hopes hung in the balance in Blacksburg, Va.

The Tigers’ fate rests on the Duke-Virginia Tech series. On Thursday, Duke beat Virginia Tech 4-2 thanks to two runs in a wild ninth inning.

The Hokies must beat the Blue Devils either tonight or Saturday for Clemson to make the ACC tourney.

The other scenario by which the Tigers could have gotten in was if Wake Forest lost all three games of its series at Boston College — but the Demon Deacons advanced to the ACC Tournament with a 10-3 victory.

Jacksonville State grabs McElrathbey's interest

Fri, 16 May 2008 08:27 EDT

Former Clemson running back Ray Ray McElrathbey might have interest in transferring to Jacksonville State, The Birmingham News reported.

Ryan Perrilloux, the ex-LSU quarterback who is headed to Jacksonville State, told the newspaper he had talked with two other transfers interested in joining him: McElrathbey and UTEP receiver Fred Rouse.

Jacksonville State coach Jack Crowe said he had received releases that would enable him to talk with both players.

Clemson coaches opted not to renew McElrathbey’s athletic scholarship before the spring, although the school did offer a graduate assistantship in its athletics department if he chose to remain for grad school.

Fulton remembers 1958 Tigers run

Fri, 16 May 2008 08:28 EDT

WHEN CLEMSON’S 1958 baseball team made the NCAA tournament under first-year coach Bill Wilhelm, there were no television or radio broadcasts of college baseball.

However, Bob Fulton thought the Tigers’ postseason games should get coverage. He convinced Columbia radio station WCOS it was a good idea, and Clemson, of course, was delighted.

Fulton, the voice of the Gamecocks for 43 years, doing games for the Tigers? Were things that different then?

“Oh, not at all,” Fulton said this week. “The rivalry between Carolina and Clemson was just as heated in 1958, but no one seemed to mind my doing the games. I never got one letter of complaint.

“I used to do both USC and Clemson games in the ACC basketball tournament.” Fulton said with a laugh, “Most times back then, that meant I was through after one day.”

Kyle Parker: The dual threat

Wed, 14 May 2008 21:45 EDT

CLEMSON — Kyle Parker would be attending his senior prom Saturday, but something came up on his schedule a few months ago.

He has a college baseball game to play — the finale of Clemson’s three-game series at Central Florida.

Had the game begun at about noon, Parker would have considered driving from Orlando to Jacksonville, Fla., where he would be a senior at Bartram Trail High School if he had not enrolled at Clemson early.

But the contest starts at 6:30 p.m. Parker contends his absence is no big deal; he did the standard tuxedo-and-limo affair as a junior last year.

“It’s just not going to happen,” Parker said.

Baseball: Tigers show heart in rout of Cougars

Wed, 14 May 2008 16:26 EDT

CLEMSON — Even in one of Clemson’s worst seasons, there is something about College of Charleston that brings out the best in the Tigers —on the field and off.

Clemson looked like theteam on the favorable side of the NCAA tournament bubble Tuesday night, shelling the Cougars 12-6 in its final regular-season home game.

Clemson improved its record in the instate series to a perfect 20-0 — a stunning stat considering Charleston’s resume the past few years.

“It just feels good to be swinging the bats a little better,” Leggett said.

Before the game, Leggett presented a check for $15,000 to the family of Mary-Louise Pawlowski for use in her fund’s battle against cancer. Mary-Louise, the 13-year-old daughter of Charleston coach John Pawlowski, had surgery April 30 to remove a cancerous tumor from her chest.

Tigers add Charlotte safety to ’09 class

Tue, 13 May 2008 22:45 EDT

Clemson added another highly regarded safety to its 2009 class with a commitment from defensive back Devonte Holloman (6-foot-3, 210 pounds) of Charlotte.

Holloman said Clemson and Michigan had separated themselves from the pack. After talking it over with his parents, Holloman decided to commit to Clemson.

“It just fits me as a person,” Holloman said. “It’s close to home. The academics are good for engineering. There’s a chance for me to play early. I know a couple of guys who have already committed, and going in with friends is good, too. I’m going to stay at safety.”

Holloman said Clemson defensive coordinator Vic Koenning “likes to roll the safety up and I like to be up and hit, and sometimes I like to be at free (safety). The defense already has some building blocks and hopefully I can be another piece of a championship defense.”

Holloman is the second highly touted safety to commit to Clemson, joining Craig Loston of Texas. Holloman likes the idea of the two roaming in the secondary together. “I think that will be scary for a lot of teams,” he said.

Baseball: Tigers lend a helping hand

Tue, 13 May 2008 12:14 EDT

CLEMSON — When 13-year-old Mary-Louise Pawlowski threw out the ceremonial first pitch for College of Charleston’s home game against Clemson three months ago, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.

With that in mind, her father, Charleston coach John Pawlowski, knows what is in store when Mary Louise is honored before today’s 7:15 p.m. game at Clemson.

“I’m going to bring my tissues with me,” he said.

Less than two weeks removed from surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from her chest, Mary-Louise is slated to attend tonight’s game against her dad’s alma mater and former employer.

Before the game, the family will be presented with a donation collected by Clemson for her foundation, which was set up to support cancer research and help defray her medical expenses.

Former Panther, Tiger Whitley dies

Tue, 13 May 2008 12:09 EDT

FORMER PANTHER WHITLEY DIES

Former Clemson standout and Carolina Panthers center Curtis Whitley has died.

Family members said Monday night that they learned earlier in the day that Whitley, who turned 39 on Saturday, had been found dead in Texas, where he was living. They were awaiting details about the cause of his death.

Whitley started every game in the Panthers’ inaugural 1995 season, then made eight starts in ’96 before getting suspended four games for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy.

He resurfaced with the Oakland Raiders in 1997, but was suspended again before the 1998 season and did not play in the league again.

NCAA may tinker with goaltending rule

Tue, 13 May 2008 01:49 EDT

INDIANAPOLIS — An NCAA committee has recommended changing the goaltending rule so that a ball that is completely above the rim and has already hit the backboard could not be touched, regardless of whether it is on an upward or downward flight.

“This change better defines and discerns the act of goaltending,” Brad Jackson, chairman of the NCAA basketball rules committee and coach at Western Washington, said Monday.

Previously, only a ball on a downward flight after touching the backboard was subject to a goaltending call.

The proposal was one of about 50 by a joint subcommittee of the men’s and women’s rules committee. Only a handful of minor changes were approved, and those must be approved next month by the NCAA’s playing rules oversight panel before they would go into effect.

Among the proposals that were approved was one requiring home teams to wear light uniforms and visiting teams to wear dark uniforms, unless both schools agree to a switch. Previously, the light-home, dark-visitor uniforms were recommended, but not required.

Baseball pregame

Tue, 13 May 2008 07:31 EDT

TIGERS VS. COUGARS

WHO: College of Charleston (34-17) at Clemson (26-25-1)

WHEN: 7:15 p.m.

WHERE: Doug Kingsmore Stadium, Clemson

PITCHING MATCHUP: Charleston RHP Clay Caulfield, Jr. (4-2, 6.90 ERA) vs. Clemson RHP Matt Vaughn, Jr. (1-2, 3.37)

ACC coaches discuss schedule changes

Tue, 13 May 2008 12:09 EDT

FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. — ACC football coaches left their meeting rooms Monday with instructions to talk about a nine-game conference schedule with their athletics directors.

Officials will discuss the idea today as the ACC spring meetings continue. Currently, ACC teams play eight conference games — five against divisional opponents and three against teams from the opposite division.

Wake Forest athletics director Ron Wellman favors a nine-game conference schedule because fans prefer games against league opponents to those against many nonconference foes.

But a nine-game schedule would require five ACC road games in some years, and that will be a difficult hurdle to overcome. Officials at many ACC schools count on having at least seven home dates in a 12-game season to pay their bills.

That makes a nine-game conference schedule difficult for Clemson, Georgia and Florida State, which are engaged in perpetual home-and-away series with in-state, SEC rivals.

Football: USC, Clemson players named to Nagurski watch list

Tue, 13 May 2008 07:33 EDT

Three South Carolina players and one Clemson player were named to the 2008 Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list Monday, as announced by the Football Writers Association of America.

The award is given to the best defensive player in college football and is sponsored by the Charlotte Touchdown Club. Named to the list from USC were junior strong safety Emanuel Cook, junior defensive back Captain Munnerlyn and junior linebacker Eric Norwood. From Clemson, senior safety Michael Hamlin was also named to the 88-player watch list.

Munnerlyn tied for the team lead with three interceptions and he also had 47 tackles. Norwood ranked second on the team with 69 tackles and set a new school record with 19.5 tackles. Munnerlyn and Norwood each were named first team all-SEC last season. Cook was named all-SEC second team after leading USC with 92 tackles. Hamlin was named to second team all-ACC in 2007 and ranked second with 97 tackles last season.

— From Staff Reports

Longtime Clemson fund raiser honored by Hall

Tue, 13 May 2008 07:36 EDT

Longtime Clemson scholarship fund raiser George Bennett will receive the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame Distinguished Service Award.

Bennett, Clemson alumnus, served as Executive Secretary to IPTAY for a total of 22 years. He also was athletics director at Furman from 1986-89. He started his career at Clemson in 1967 as an alumni field director, later moving on to become assistant athletics director for business.

Bennett will receive the award May 19 at the SCAHOF banquet at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center.

From staff reports

Tourney bids will be focus of ACC coaches talks

Mon, 12 May 2008 07:44 EDT

RALEIGH — The conference rooms at the Ritz-Carlton on Amelia Island in Florida are notorious for being artificially chilly during the ACC’s spring meetings.

Cranked-up air conditioning prevents coaches and athletics directors from getting sweaty in the seaside air. But when the ACC men’s basketball coaches meet this week, the Freon will be battling more than the humidity.

The frustrated coaches will generate heat.

For the second time in three years since the ACC expanded to 12 schools, just four of its teams were selected for the NCAA tournament. Despite having the best conference RPI for 2007-08, the ACC received fewer NCAA bids than the Big East, Big 12, Pac-10 and SEC.

The RPI, or Ratings Percentage Index, ranks teams and conferences based on winning percentages and schedule strength. The ACC has led the RPI four times in the past five years.

USC adds a tight end to ’09 class

Mon, 12 May 2008 01:48 EDT

USC HIT THE Atlanta area for its newest commitment. Tight end Will Middleton (6-feet, 5 inches, 245 pounds) of Marietta committed to the Gamecocks on Friday, one day after receiving an official offer from recruiter Shane Beamer and position coach Ray Rychleski.

“I love the place,” Middleton said. “It’s SEC football; it’s close to home and I love the coaches and facilities.”

Middleton also had a offer from Rutgers and was drawing interest from West Virginia, Georgia and Florida among others.

Middleton’s sister, Victoria, recently completed her freshman year with USC’s equestrian team. He is the third commitment for USC’s 2009 class.

Byrnes sophomore running back Marcus Lattimore (6-0, 200), the state’s top prospect for the 2010 class, has switched his favorite from Clemson to USC.

Baseball: Tigers salvage series, shot at ACC tourney

Mon, 12 May 2008 07:37 EDT

ATLANTA — Clemson can still pack its bags for an 11-night stay in Florida.

Whether players will need the extra attire will not be decided until the team hits the road.

The Tigers took a major step toward salvaging an ACC tournament spot Sunday, uncorking their best offensive outing of the season to stomp Georgia Tech 16-6 on Sunday and avoid a lethal series sweep.

Making the tourney is still a conditional proposition, but that “if” is not as tall a hurdle as it could have been.

“It was a must-win game and I thought everybody bore down,” senior catcher Doug Hogan said. “That should give us confidence, and hopefully if we can get a spot in the ACC tournament, we can keep it going.”

Clemson's Bennett to be honored

Mon, 12 May 2008 16:23 EDT

George Bennett, a former head of Clemson's athletic booster group, will be honored by the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame.

Bennett will receive the group's distinguished service award at ceremonies May 19.

For 22 years Bennett led IPTAY, an acronym for "I Pay Ten A Year" when it was founded in 1934. During his undergraduate days, Bennett was a Clemson cheerleader and began the tradition of firing the cannon after the Tigers scored touchdowns - a practice that continues today.

Bennett was also Furman's athletic director when the football Paladins won the NCAA Division I-AA national championship in 1988.

Stoneburner is tagged for five runs on five hits in 3.5 innings

Sat, 10 May 2008 23:43 EDT

ATLANTA — Eddie Burns pitched eight strong innings and Jeff Rowland and Luke Murton each had two RBIs to lead Georgia Tech to a 7-1 win over Clemson on Saturday night.

Burns (6-4) allowed one run, seven hits and had three strikeouts for the Yellow Jackets (36-14, 14-12 Atlantic Coast Conference).

Georgia Tech took a 5-0 lead in the fourth inning when Jason Haniger, Charlie Blackmon, Rowland and Murton each had run-scoring singles. Murton added an RBI single in the sixth and Thomas Nichols drove in a run on a double in the following inning.

Graham Stoneburner (5-4) gave up five runs on five hits in 3Ð innings for the Tigers (25-25, 10-18). Stoneburner and reliever Ryan Hinson combined for 11 strikeouts.

The Yellow Jackets will aim for the series sweep today at 1 p.m.

State college briefs

Sat, 10 May 2008 20:28 EDT

WOMEN’S GOLF

USC, Furman advance to NCAA finals

At Athens, Ga., Benedicte Toumpsin shot a 4-over for South Carolina Saturday to remain the overall leader at the NCAA East Regional. The Gamecocks will advance to the finals after finishing tied for sixth place.

Furman also advances to the next round, finishing in eighth place.

Team Results