BC Baseball: Eagles Host Clemson in Rhode Island

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Weekend Preview: Eagles Host No. 6 Clemson in Rhode Island
The Eagles open at home, away from home

Game Notes | ACC Weekly Release

THE FACTS

MATCHUP: No. 6 Clemson (17-4, 5-1 ACC) at Boston College (7-11, 1-5 ACC)
WHERE: Bill Beck Field at the University of Rhode Island in Kingston, R.I.
WHEN: Friday, March 24 at 1 p.m. | Saturday, March 25 at 1 p.m. | Sunday, March 26 at 11 a.m.
RECORD vs. Clemson: Clemson leads the series, 25-8HOW TO FOLLOW
Listen: Friday | Saturday
Live Stats
Twitter: @BCBirdballTHE MATCHUP

Pitching Matchups
Friday: RHP Jacob Stevens (2-1, 1.99 ERA) vs. LHP Charlie Barnes (1-2, 1.05 ERA)
Saturday: LHP Dan Metzdorf (1-3, 4.00 ERA) vs. RHP Alex Eubanks (3-1, 2.87 ERA)
Sunday: RHP Brian Rapp (0-0, 3.18 ERA) vs. LHP Pat Krall (4-0. 4.18 ERA)

Scouting the Tigers

Sixth-ranked Clemson is coming off a series win against Virginia and a non-conference midweek victory at College of Charleston. The Tigers started the ACC season with a sweep of Notre Dame.

The Tigers’ trip to Rhode Island is the first time they have left the state of South Carolina. They have only played four games away from the friendly confines of Doug Kingsmore Stadium, but came away with Ws, beating South Carolina on the road and on neutral territory and winning a neutral matchup against Michigan State.

Chase Pinder leads the way for the Tigers at the plate with a .359 batting average, 28 hits, 20 runs and six doubles. Last year’s ACC Player of the Year Seth Beer is batting .250 with a .559 slugging percentage a team-high 19 RBIs and six home runs.

On the hill, Friday starter Charlie Barnes is 1-2 with a 1.05 ERA. He won the matchup a year ago, allowing just the one run over 7.1 innings, with four strikeouts and four hits in his Saturday start. Last weekend, he went 8.1 against the Cavaliers, allowed just two runs, six hits and one walk while striking out seven.

Saturday starter Alex Eubanks is second on the staff with a 2.87 ERA and he holds a 3-1 record after picking up the win over UVA. He threw seven innings, allowing just two runs, eight hits and struck out five without allowing a walk. The Eagles saw him last year, as he started Sunday’s contest, went 6.2 innings, allowed seven hits, two runs and stuck out 10.

Lefty Pat Krall gets the start on Sunday for the Tigers. He also put in a seven-inning start to help the Tigers get the series win over Virginia. He allowed just one run, five hits and two walks while striking out four. He pitched the final two innings in last year’s series opener against the Eagles and Tigers, allowed just one hit and struck out three.

THE SERIES

The Eagles take on No. 6 Clemson at Rhode Island’s Bill Beck Field in Kingston, R.I.

The Tigers hold the 25-8 advantage over the Eagles in the all-time series and earned a series sweep in Clemson last season.

The Eagles held a lead in the 2016 series finale, but the Tigers scored in the ninth and Seth Beer hit a walk-off home run in the 10th to win it.

BC picked up a win against Clemson in 2015, the last time CU made the trip up North, winning the second game of the series, 8-7, to force a rubber match, which the Tigers won, 6-3.

BC has only won the series once against the Tiger, taking two of three in 2008 at Clemson.

The Eagles have never swept while CU has swept BC four times.

The Eagles have picked up two wins against Clemson under seventh-year head coach Mike Gambino: a 3-1 victory in 2014 and the win in 2015.

Clemson enters the weekend ranked as high as sixth in major college baseball polls. It’s the highest the Tigers have ever been ranked when playing the Eagles.

BC is 7-18 when Clemson is ranked in the top 25 and 2-4 when its a top-10 team.

WHAT’S GOING ON WITH THE EAGLES

Boston College dropped a three-game series at top-ranked Louisville in the second weekend of Atlantic Coast Conference play before snapping a five-game skid with a 10-7 victory at Northeastern on Wednesday.

Despite his first loss of the season, sophomore RHP Jacob Stevens gave the Eagles another strong outing in the Friday night game against the Cardinals. He threw six innings, allowed four hits, two runs, two walks and struck out four. His ERA is 10th in the ACC. His 2.38 career ERA is currently the best in BC record books.

Junior RHP Brian Rapp threw a career-high 5.1 innings of relief, allowing just two hits, two runs and two walks while striking out four, on Saturday to earn his way into the starting rotation against No. 6 Clemson.

Sophomore LHP Dan Metzdorf allowed just one earned run over Sunday’s six-inning start and did not walk a batter.

Senior Michael Strem, who usually plays center or left field, has already logged six outfield assists in the young 2017 season. He led the Eagles in 2016 with eight. Strem’s career doubles total is up to 50, which is fourth all-time. Strem had a 15-game on-base streak came to an end, which was the longest of the season for the Eagles.

Junior Donovan Casey is second on the team with 17 hits and is tied for the team lead with 10 runs scored. He is also one of four Eagles to have stolen at least four bases this season. A duel threat, he is the Eagles’ closer and has recorded two saves while throwing five innings of relief. He has a 1.80 ERA, allowing just one run, four hits and has recorded three Ks.

Sophomore Gian Martellini doubled, scored two runs and drew a walk in the victory over Northeastern on March 21. He extended his hit streak to four games and has reached base in the last seven games.

Junior Mitch Bigras is riding the longest on-base streak of any Eagle right now, reaching safely in the last 10 games. In that span, he has batted .385 with 10 hits, including three doubles, six runs, five RBIs, five walks and two stolen bases.

Sophomore RHP Jack Nelson picked up his first win of the season in the victory at Northeastern, throwing four scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out two. He retired 11 of the 13 batters he faced and tied a career-long for innings pitched.

BC’s 31 stolen bases are fifth in the ACC. The Eagles steal 1.72 bases per game, second in the conference and 26th in the nation.

The Eagles stole 10 bases in the victory over Villanova (3/5), the most since BC stole 11 at Northeastern in a 7-6 victory on May 4, 2016.