Weekend Preview: Clemson
The Eagles have dropped their last two conference series (both against ranked opponents) and face another tough test in the Tigers.
Boston College’s fourth ACC series of the year begins this afternoon against Clemson, an unranked opponent who ranks seventh in the country in strength of schedule and should post a stiff test for the Eagles (12-7, 3-6 Atlantic Coast).
The Tigers (9-9, 3-6) are winless on the road in four tries and was mired in a six-game losing streak earlier this season. They dropped weekend series to Notre Dame and North Carolina before taking two of three from then-ranked Virginia Tech this past weekend.
BC has good news coming into the weekend: The much-anticipated return of second baseman Cody Morissette. The junior suffered a hand injury in the first game of the Louisville series and has missed the last seven games. Head coach Mike Gambino upgraded Morissette’s status from potential to “probable” on Thursday, expecting to work the preseason All-American back into the starting lineup as a designated hitter at first.
Before we dive into Clemson, here’s two key things to keep an eye on from the Eagles—the aforementioned designated hitter slot and the weekend rotation duo of Mason Pelio and Emmet Sheehan.
Designated Hitter Hole
Through 19 games, BC has started seven different players at designated hitter. One of those was Jack Cunningham (recovering from injury) while another went to Cam Leary, who has since moved into the starting role in left field. Other than those two, it’s been a combination of Joe Vetrano (the Sunday starting pitcher), Ramon Jimenez, Chris Galland, Barry Walsh, and Travis Honeyman. Basically, it’s been plug-and-play from Gambino and the results haven’t been tremendous.
If you remove Cunningham’s 3-for-4 day against Louisville, the starting designated hitters have gone 13-for-61 (.213), just a hair above the Mendoza Line. If you look at the above chart, you’ll see it ranks second-to-last by lineup positions in terms of runs created (ahead of only the defensive-minded catcher spot). There have been bright spots, like Jimenez and Vetrano having two doubles apiece, but the DH has been firmly entrenched as the nine-hole hitter for the last five games.
That’s about to change, though, with the return of Morissette. The Eagles suddenly have four talented defensive infielders for three spots in Luke Gold, Vince Cimini, Brian Dempsey, and Morissette. Throw in the fact that they’re all dangerous hitters—Cimini has thrived since being thrust into the starting lineup—and Gambino suddenly has an answer to the designated hitter conundrum. Whoever is out from that group, whether it be for rest or in Morissette’s case, working back from injury, can slot in at DH and strengthen the lineup.
“I also see with this time of year these guys could use a blow, so I think using that spot right now—where maybe Vince plays third, you DH Luke a game and give him a day off,” Gambino said. “You just give these guys a blow, it’s what I think you could see the next week and a half.”
Inconsistent Weekend Rotation
There’s no question that the Mason Pelio and Emmet Sheehan have a chance to be one of the best 1-2 punches in the conference. Just look at Sheehan’s latest start against North Carolina or Pelio’s track record and high draft aspirations. Through five weekend series, though, we’ve only seen them have back-to-back good starts once. That was during the first weekend of the year against Charleston Southern when they combined for 11 scoreless innings and 13 strikeouts.
Since then, though, it’s been a rollercoaster of starts. Pelio gave up six earned runs against Duke while Sheehan struck out nine over six innings. Pelio pitched into the sixth against Auburn and didn’t allow a run; Sheehan was shelled for eight runs in two innings. Both gave up five earned runs against Louisville, but Sheehan had a better start and settled into a groove. Finally, this past weekend, Pelio showed flashes of his high potential but was still tagged for four runs while Sheehan was dominant in his best outing of the year. Still, head coach Mike Gambino is confident that the results are coming.
“Mason had a great step in his development last week,” Gambino said. The result wasn’t there but that’s how things go in development. You start making steps and progress, these things happen before the results get there. I think he’s there. I think he’s close and you’re going to start seeing a really, really good 1-2 punch.”
To have success in a weekend series—especially against conference opponents—BC needs to have both of its weekend starters firing in sync. With Sunday a bullpen day in theory (Vetrano opens for the likes of Alex Stiegler and Max Gieg), the Eagles need a lot of innings from these two to avoid overstraining the bullpen.
Clemson Preview
Last season, Clemson swept BC in South Carolina, winning a pair of one-run games in the process. The Tigers were the No. 24 team in the country, as high as 20th in ELO ratings, and had won five straight when the season came to a crashing halt. Clemson didn’t pick up where they left off, limping out of the gate to a 5-8 record but it’s back at .500 after taking four of its last five. The biggest issue for Clemson thus far has been the offense, although the starting rotation hasn’t been great either.
James Parker has started every game at shortstop and been a bright spot, hitting .343 with five home runs. Freshman first baseman Caden Grice—who has also made two starts on the mound—leads the team in home runs (6) and RBIs (15). Center fielder Bryce Teodosio has also been solid, slashing .289/.418/.533. After those three, though, head coach Monte Lee has had a bear of a time with a lineup that ranks 132nd in runs created and is hitting .230 as a team. Returnees Bryar Hawkins, Elijah Henderson, and Kier Meredith are all struggling and it hasn’t helped that returning starting catcher Adam Hackenberg has only managed to play five games this season. It’s the worst lineup statistically that BC has faced, but it’s still a talented group that is underperforming.
The pitching staff has been all over the place for the Tigers. Davis Sharpe, who had the potential makings of a Friday night starter, hasn’t pitched since the weekend before last. Ty Olenchuk and Carter Raffield have combined for nine starts but both have 5+ ERA’s and the former has given up seven home runs in just 17 2/3 innings. The probable starters for the first two games are Jackson Lindley (1.2 IP) and Keyshawn Askew (6.2 IP), who don’t exactly have a long track record this year. A bright spot has been the bullpen for Clemson—it’s top-25 in FIP and has the team’s most dominant pitcher in Geoffrey Gilbert. Gilbert has 26 strikeouts in 17 innings and 10 appearances and has given up just two runs.
First pitch today is at 4 p.m. on ACC Network. Saturday’s game is at 1 p.m. and Sunday’s is at noon, both of those will be on ACC Network Extra.
Featured Image Courtesy of Clemson Athletics.