Clemson Loses to Georgia for Third Straight Loss

After taking the series opener against the struggling NC State Wolfpack, Clemson let them up off the mat and lost the Sunday and Monday ESPNU games dropping Clemson to 5th in the ACC. (Don't worry, Wake Forest has had a very soft schedule and Clemson still has yet to play BC or Notre Dame.). Because Daniel Gossett was unable to go due to shoulder tightness and Jake Long was out with back spasms, Erwin and Schmidt pitched in the weekend series. As a result, Brody Koerner started against UGA.

Koerner only lasted 1.1 innings giving up 4 BB and 3 ER. The pitching injuries didn't really hurt us in the NC State series, but it popped up today. The same problems we've mentioned in seemingly every baseball post hurt us in our last three games: poor middle relief work and bad fielding.

Clemson committed a season high 5 errors in the loss to Georgia. Jay Baum and Tyler Krieger each had one while Steve Wilkerson had 3 errors. Krieger has 15 errors on the season. Our starting middle infielders have combined for 26 errors which must lead the world. Tyler Slaton is the only regular who has yet to commit an error. He also had some spectacular plays against NC State.

Clemson fell down 5-0 after 2 innings against UGA. They tacked one on in the third, but didn't score again until the 8th as Clemson's 6-9 hitters finished 0-15 on the night.

Taking a look at the ACC standings, Miami and Wake Forest leapfrogged Clemson over the weekend. Wake Forest shouldn't be a big a worry as they still have to play FSU, UNC, and UVA and have already played Notre Dame and Boston College. Miami may be tougher to jump back, but the key is finishing in the top 6. After struggling to nail it down, we explained the ACC baseball tournament format here. Teams seeded 11-14 miss the tournament. Teams seeded 7-10 have to play a one game play-in game on Tuesday prior to pool play beginning Wednesday. Because of that, it is crucial that we finish in the top 6 and guarantee ourselves 3 tournament games in pool play.

Clemson will travel to Charlottesville this weekend to play UVA in what may be the toughest series of the year.