BC Interruption - Boston College Baseball Vs. Clemson: Full CoverageA Boston College Eagles Community.https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47285/bci-fave.png2016-03-19T19:14:14-04:00http://www.bcinterruption.com/rss/stream/110246432016-03-19T19:14:14-04:002016-03-19T19:14:14-04:00Clemson Takes Game Two, 6-1, To Clinch Series With BC<h3 class="link-title"><a rel="nofollow" href="https://twitter.com/BCBirdBall/status/711326137264291841">Clemson Takes Game Two, 6-1, To Clinch Series With&nbsp;BC</a></h3>
<div class="description"><p><p>BC jumped out to a 1-0 lead on Clemson, but the Tigers scored six unanswered to take Saturday's game by a 6-1 result. With the series now in hand, the host team will go for the sweep on Sunday with a 1 PM start.</p></p></div>
https://www.bcinterruption.com/2016/3/19/11270350/clemson-takes-game-two-6-1-to-clinch-series-with-bcElectric Boogaloo2016-03-18T21:19:56-04:002016-03-18T21:19:56-04:00Clemson Takes Game One of Weekend Series, 6-2<h3 class="link-title"><a rel="nofollow" href="https://twitter.com/bcinterruption/status/710998521143492608">Clemson Takes Game One of Weekend Series,&nbsp;6-2</a></h3>
<div class="description"><p><p>Starting pitcher Mike King takes his first loss of the season as Clemson defeats Boston College in the series opener. The teams will duel a second time on Saturday at 4 PM.</p></p></div>
https://www.bcinterruption.com/2016/3/18/11266378/clemson-takes-game-one-of-weekend-series-6-2Electric Boogaloo2016-03-18T12:00:06-04:002016-03-18T12:00:06-04:00Baseball First Pitch: Clemson
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<p>The Eagles take flight with more to prove as they head to Clemson to take on a traditional ACC powerhouse.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><b>Boston College Eagles vs. #19 Clemson Tigers<br>Friday: 6:30 PM<br>Saturday: 4 PM<br>Sunday: 1 PM</b></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">There's an old adage that if you do something once, it's a fluke. If you do it multiple times, it's a trend.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">For Boston College, winning became a thing last week when they wiped out the NC State Wolfpack. For it to becomea regular thing, they need to keep winning. Thus, we lead to this weekend.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">It's an obvious statement to make, but it requires no superfluous adjectives. Boston College takes on Clemson in South Carolina. The road to the rankings runs through the purple and orange.</p>
<h3>On Paper</h3>
<p><b>Record: </b>13-3 (2-1 ACC)<br><b>Last Time Out: </b>Clemson enters this weekend on a four game winning streak. After losing the series opener at Wake Forest, the Tigers rallied to win two straight, including a 6-5 one-run ballgame and a 13-8 offensive mashfest. Mid-week, they traveled for a two game series at The Citadel, where they won the first game 12-1 before winning another one-run game, 5-4. Clemson is off to its best start in six years.</p>
<h3>Around The Horn</h3>
<p>One of the names we talked about with Shakin' The Southland was Seth Beer. Beer graduated high school early, allowing him to enroll in college in the spring. So in 2016, instead of playing his senior year of high school, he's actually playing his freshman year of college. That's a pretty amazing stat, considering he's started every game for the Tigers this year and is hitting at a .426 clip with three doubles, seven homers, 22 RBI, and a .515 on-base percentage. That means he's tops on the team in batting average, homers, RBI, total bases, slugging percentage, and on-base percentage.</p>
<p>All that and the kid hasn't even gone to prom yet.</p>
<p>Catcher Chris Okey is another name to watch, with a .304 batting average and 21 RBI. Over the last three games, he's gone 7-12 with a homer and five RBI. And Chase Pinder is back from an injury to hit .357.</p>
<p>This is not going to be an easy lineup to crack for the BC pitchers, and with a solid core, BC is likely to have to be on pitch-perfect type of performances. This is going to be a fantastic litmus test and proving ground for the Eagle rotation.</p>
<p>As for that rotation, BC will counter with the typical three. Mike King goes on Friday, Jesse Adams pitches on Saturday, and Jacob Stevens - still without an earned run allowed to start the year - pitches on Sunday.</p>
<h3>On The Bump</h3>
<p>Take the Clemson rotation out of the equation and you're left with a bullpen that's one of the best in the nation, capable of winning games on their own. So that's where we'll start.</p>
<p>Clemson's bullpen has 65-plus innings on its arms to start the year, allowing only 11 earned runs and 39 hits. That's good enough for a .168 opponents' batting average and a 1.52 ERA. Needless to say, that's beyond dominant and if the starting pitching fails, Monte Lee shouldn't necessarily be worried.</p>
<p>Brooks Crawford and Alex Bostic are completely killing it, allowing two runs between them in 23 innings pitched. Pat Krall has thrown 17 innings on his own, allowing only two runs, and Alex Eubanks allowed two runs in 10 innings.</p>
<p>Clemson's only announced two of their starters to kick off the weekend. Clate Schmidt will pitch on Friday against Mike King, putting his undefeated, 3-0 record on the line (3.15 ERA) against the also-undefeated BC ace. Charlie Barnes is a wild card, having struggled to a 1-2 record and a 4.76 ERA to start. But he's a lefty, which means the lefty advantage of Adams is negated. They haven't announced a Sunday starter.</p>
<p>This team strikes out a ton of guys, which will be a huge test for the BC patience. Birdball works counts deep and is developing into a team that makes pitchers work the zone. What will be a test is when they face pitchers who know how to pound that zone and don't walk a ton of guys. This is one of those times that the strength and patience of the hitters will test the strength of the pitching staff and vice-versa.</p>
<h3>Meteorology 101</h3>
<p>Hey it's gonna snow this week!</p>
<p>Boston is going to get hit with snow on Sunday night (at least that's what the forecasters are saying), which is ironic considering the mild winter had virtually no impact on the Boston College baseball schedule (save for when the rains came last week and wiped out the Holy Cross game...which <i>seriously?!</i>).</p>
<p>Still, this series is being played down in South Carolina, where temperatures are going to be a little different than Boston. Friday's game will be played under 70 degree temperatures to start and clear skies, with clouds rolling in throughout the weekend. The temperatures should drop though during the game since the overnight lows will dip down into the high 40s. So managing the pitchers in the temperature shift will be incredibly interesting.</p>
<p>As for the rest of the weekend, clouds will roll in and steadily increase the chance of rain. When the rains come, the temperatures will stay down, meaning the game time temps will get cooler and cooler. Still, 58 degrees on Sunday sounds better than <i>snow</i>.</p>
<h3><a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1EIUP8tvbE">Where In The World Is Boston College Baseball?</a></h3>
<p>Clemson, South Carolina is a wonderful place full of wonderful people. In media appearances or random conversations on Twitter, I can honestly say that the Tiger faithful are usually incredibly cordial. Their fans are knowledgeable and passionate, and it should make for a great weekend of games down at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.</p>
<p>Speaking of Kingsmore Stadium, it's got an old charm that's unto its own. It opened in 1970 as Beautiful Tiger Field, and it's one of the nicest fields in the league. It seats upwards of 6,217 fans, with 4,500 of those fans in seated capacity. It routinely trends towards the better attendance in the nation, and the Tigers enjoy great fan support, which enabled them to host Regionals seven times since the turn of the century, including four Super Regionals.</p>
<p>Dimensionally, the field measures 320 down the left field line and 330 down the right field lines. Power alleys are 370-375 feet, and dead center is 400 feet deep.</p>
<p>When you're watching this game, compare Kingsmore Stadium to Shea Field. Then think about the fact that there's a stadium coming for BC. That should be enough to make you want to think about what the Eagles could do with their construction project.</p>
<p> </p>
<h3>Music To Listen To As You Play in Beautiful South Carolina</h3>
<p><iframe width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/isLqoB3v_wI"></iframe></p>
<p><b>Jason Aldean - My Kinda Party</b>.</p>
<p>I freakin' love this song. The first time I heard it was when Josh Beckett came out of the bullpen to start for the Red Sox, and although my feelings about Beckett would nose dive by the time he left here, at the time, it was awesome. He stalked out to the mound with that cocky swagger, like he knew he was going to blow hitters away. It gave the game a big game feel and electrified right off the bat.</p>
<p>Heading to Clemson is something worth that feel. Not that NC State wasn't big time, but Clemson is a whole other animal. The Tigers are a traditional powerhouse, a national brand. They're a loaded team, nationally ranked, the whole shebang. This is a team that wins can mean a ton against. The crowd is going to be into the games, meaning BC has to walk in with a confident swagger and take their game to the Tigers.</p>
<p>Let's get this thing started. It's my kinda party.</p>
<h3>Random Fact(s) of the Week</h3>
<p>Clemson baseball is actually older than the American League. The American League formed in 1901, while Tiger baseball first played in 1896. The Senior Circuit of the National League, though, is 20 years older than Clemson baseball.</p>
<p>Although we call it "orange and purple," the actual team colors for Clemson are listed as "Tiger Orange and Regalia." I like that. Regalia. Sounds...well...regal.</p>
<p>Boston College never played Clemson before joining the ACC. The Eagles have only won eight times in 30 games all-time, and it took Mike Gambino until 2014 before he actually won a game against the team. Of BC's eight wins, five have come at Clemson.</p>
<p>Clemson is currently eighth in the nation in attendance with 4,738 fans per game, including a record of 6,524 against South Carolina a couple of weeks ago.</p>
<h3>Prediction Time</h3>
<p>Last week, I was intrigued by how Boston College would fare against Clemson. This week, I'm not so much intrigued as I am nervous.</p>
<p>I believe in the Eagles being a contender this year, but this is a series where they're facing a team that's incredibly hot and talented. What makes me concerned is that BC has been solid, but they're also punching up to a higher weight class. Eventually, that's going to catch up with them because it has to. The law of averages makes most sense in that regard.</p>
<p>All of that said, there's always a chance for the Eagles to go down to Clemson and rock their world. After beating NC State, if they can continue this ride, they can really position themselves in a huge way by knocking off a legitimate contender (again - so was NC State, but Clemson is in a different stratosphere).</p>
<p>If BC wins the series, they'll be in tremendous early season position with two wins over divisional opponents. The weekend's going to be a ride. Let's just see where we stand come Sunday afternoon.</p>
https://www.bcinterruption.com/boston-college-baseball/2016/3/18/11260700/boston-college-baseball-vs-19-clemson-first-pitchElectric Boogaloo2016-03-18T05:30:02-04:002016-03-18T05:30:02-04:00Birdball Vs. Clemson: How To Watch & More
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<figcaption>Christian Petersen/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>The Eagles head south once more to take on the Tigers in South Carolina. This time it'll be under the lights.</p> <p>A week after the defeated the NC State Wolfpack, Boston College heads back to the south to take on the Clemson Tiers in a divisional, ACC Atlantic series.</p>
<h3>Game Day Info</h3>
<p><b>Friday First Pitch: </b>6:30 PM<br><b>Saturday First Pitch: </b>4 PM<br><b>Sunday First Pitch: </b>1 PM<br><b>Venue: </b>Doug Kingsmore Stadium, Clemson, South Carolina (Capacity: 6,217)</p>
<h3>How To Watch The Game</h3>
<p><b>TV: </b>N/A<br><b>Internet Streaming: </b>ESPN3<br><b>Audio: </b>ClemsonTigers.com<br><b>Live Stats</b>: Available through <a target="_blank" href="http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=122695">Clemson</a></p>
<p>This is the first weekend that's well-publicized for a full slate of games. Taking on Clemson, the Eagles will play live on ESPN3 all weekend long, with Friday's game coming under the lights and Saturday's twilight start. Sunday (getaway day) is an earlier start to allow for the team to complete the game before making their flight home.</p>
<p>In addition, games will be available through ClemsonTigers.com for audio broadcast, if radio is more your thing.</p>
<h3>Get Social</h3>
<p>There will be plenty of places to weigh in on social media. Boston College's main twitter account for baseball is located <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/bcbirdball">@BCBirdball</a>, while Clemson's can be found at the less creative <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/clemsonbaseball">@ClemsonBaseball</a></p>
<p>As always, you can follow along on Dan Rubin's Twitter by checking out @<a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/danrubin12">DanRubin12 </a>or by hitting up the BCInterruption account @<a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/bcinterruption">BCInterruption</a>.</p>
<p>Looking for a Clemson point of view? That's fine - check out Matt Goldin's coverage over on <a target="_blank" href="http://www.shakinthesouthland.com/">Shakin' the Southland</a> by going to the site's<a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/stsouthland"> twitter</a> or my checking out what<a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/mattfgoldin"> Matt has to </a>say.</p>
https://www.bcinterruption.com/2016/3/18/11248062/boston-college-baseball-vs-clemson-how-to-watch-listen-moreElectric Boogaloo2016-03-18T00:29:27-04:002016-03-18T00:29:27-04:00Eagles To Rock Green Hats Against Clemson<h3 class="link-title"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://twitter.com/BCBirdBall/status/710581179918000131">Eagles To Rock Green Hats Against&nbsp;Clemson</a></h3>
<div class="description"><p><p>St. Paddy's may end when the clock strikes the 18th but Birdball will flash their inner Irishman all weekend with some new sweet lids.</p></p></div>
https://www.bcinterruption.com/2016/3/18/11259670/eagles-to-rock-green-hats-against-clemsonElectric Boogaloo2016-03-17T13:00:03-04:002016-03-17T13:00:03-04:00Baseball America's Michael Lananna Talks With BCI!
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<p>A writer with one of the foremost baseball publications in the sport's universe, this is the perfect opportunity for us to dive into the perspective of the program and the challenges and opportunities faced from the outside for Boston College.</p> <p>Boston College baseball is out to a flying start, winning 12 of their first 15 games. This past weekend, in a thrilling three game series, the Eagles went down to Raleigh and knocked off the NC State Wolfpack for their first opening series win since the magical NCAA Tournament season of 2009.</p>
<p>This season seems to feel different than the last couple of years for the Birdballers. Despite losing Chris Shaw in the lineup, they've become a roster built on production from hitters at every point in the lineup. The pitching staff opened the year with an incredible run, including both Mike King and Jacob Stevens.</p>
<p>Diving into this season, we sit down with Baseball America's <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/mlananna">Michael Lananna</a>. A keen follower of the ACC down in North Carolina, he had a front row seat to BC's weekend series. Given the chance to talk with him, we dove into the state of BC baseball, including the challenges the Eagles face in terms of facilities and location as a northern team in a southern league.</p>
<p>This is a totally different perspective from what we're used to talking about inside the Chestnut Hill walls!</p>
https://www.bcinterruption.com/boston-college-baseball/2016/3/17/11250996/bc-interruption-the-podcast-talks-birdball-with-baseball-americasElectric Boogaloo2016-03-17T06:00:03-04:002016-03-17T06:00:03-04:00Five Good Minutes With Shakin' The Southland
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<p>We sit down with Matt Goldin from STS to talk about the Tigers' baseball program as the Eagles head south to South Carolina to take on a traditional ACC power.</p> <p><i>For more Clemson baseball coverage, be sure to head over to Shakin' The Southland's </i><a target="_blank" href="http://www.shakinthesouthland.com/">SB Nation site page</a><i> and give them a look. </i></p>
<p><b>BC Interruption: Clemson fired Jack Leggett after last season despite winning 950 games in his career and qualifying for a seventh straight NCAA Tournament. What prompted the change?</b></p>
<p>Shakin' The Southland: Leggett took over as head coach in 1994 after being a long time assistant for legendary coach Bill Willhelm. Leggett first drew some frustration in 2002 when the Tigers needed to defeat in state rival South Carolina once in Omaha to advance to the CWS finals. South Carolina beat Clemson twice in a row to eliminate the Tigers.</p>
<p>Same situation happened in our last trip to Omaha, except this time the Gamecocks went on to win their first national title. Next year, Clemson hosted a regional and was set to meet South Carolina in Columbia in the Super Regionals, but back to back blowout losses to UConn ended that run. SC went on to win another title.</p>
<p>After that, Clemson slid into a streak of not hosting regionals. In 2012 and 2013, Clemson lost in the Columbia regionals. In '12, the Gamecocks delivered the 2 L's to Clemson, in 13 Clemson was eliminated before even getting a shot at SC. In '14, Clemson lost in the Nashville regional, and last year Clemson was eliminated by Pepperdine in the Fullerton regional. Clemson has an extremely high standard for baseball, and that standard got higher once SC picked up 2 titles.</p>
<p>That, plus Leggett's lack of success against SC finally did him in at Clemson.</p>
<p><b>BCI: Clemson replaced Jack Leggett with Monte Lee from the College of Charleston. What was the consensus when Lee was hired and what's been the early return on him through the season's first month or so?</b></p>
<p>STS: There was a mixed consensus. Many were happy to see new blood, but some hated the way Jack was cast aside. There was also some who had issue with him having been an assistant at South Carolina, questioning how committed he'd be to Clemson.</p>
<p>A lot of the skepticism continued after the opening loss to Maine, but after that the team has looked extremely well. People are loving that the players are playing more loosely. Tight play was always a criticism of Jack Leggett.</p>
<p>Plus Monte taking 2 of 3 from the Gamecocks won him the approval of many fans.</p>
<p><b>BCI: Last week, the Tigers really teed off on Wake Forest after the Deacs won the opener, taking two of three. What was the storyline of that series after Clemson lost the first game?</b></p>
<p>STS: Losing on Friday and winning the series has become a trend for Clemson this year. It happened in the Maine, South Carolina, and Wake series, (even though) Clemson swept the series with James Madison.</p>
<p>It's unusual how poorly the team has done on Fridays yet has been undefeated on every other day of the week it has played. It'll be interesting to see how this trend continues against BC.</p>
<p><b>BCI: Who are some of the players to watch both on the hill and at the dish for Clemson?</b></p>
<p>STS: On the hill, you've got to watch out for Saturday starter Clate Schmidt and Sunday starter Alex Eubanks. Schmidt faced a tough offseason, being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. He has recovered from it an been very effective, throwing 5+ hit less innings in the first win against South Carolina in Greenville.</p>
<p>Eubanks was a relief pitcher, but got the nod in the Sunday rubber match game with the Gamecocks in Clemson. He led Clemson to a 4-1 victory tossing 7 and 2/3 innings.</p>
<p>On the offensive side, the Tiger fans are loving them some Beer. Seth Beer, that is. The freshman right fielder has been a stud for Clemson so far. In the series against Wake alone he had 4 HR's. Catcher Chris Okey has also been a big source of offense for Clemson.</p>
<p><b>BCI: How do you see this series shaking down?</b></p>
<p>STS: Clemson will win the series because of its ability to score and the talented pitching. Despite the high scoring series with Wake, Clemson has been very solid on the pitching side of the game all year. Clemson's offense is also much more improved from the past season, and is utilizing the long ball very well.</p>
<p>It wouldn't shock me to see BC take game 1, but I expect Clemson to win on Saturday and Sunday.</p>
<p><i>Be sure to follow STS on Twitter by going to their main site page </i><a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/stsouthland">here</a><i>, and make sure to follow Matt at his personal account </i><a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/mattfgoldin">here</a><i>.</i></p>
https://www.bcinterruption.com/boston-college-baseball/2016/3/17/11231968/boston-college-baseball-vs-clemson-five-good-minutes-with-shakin-theElectric BoogalooMatt_Goldin