WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The William & Mary baseball team opens 2018 with a trip to the Palmetto State to face off against No. 12 Clemson this weekend. The three-game series starts on Friday, Feb. 16 at 4:00 p.m., continues on Saturday, Feb. 17 at 2:00 p.m., and concludes on Sunday, Feb. 18 at 3:00 p.m. Each contest will be broadcasted on ACC Network Extra via
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• W&M starts off a new season at a nationally-ranked opponent for the third time in the last four years. After hosting a 2017 NCAA Regional, Clemson earned a top 25 spot in three preseason national rankings (NCBWA, Baseball America, USA Today Coaches Poll). Last year, the Tribe traveled to then-ranked No. 2 Florida, and visited another SEC opponent in then-ranked No. 18 Ole Miss in 2015.
• The Green and Gold is coming off a well-decorated 2017 season after tying seventh for the most wins (32) in program history. W&M finished top-three in the CAA standings for its fifth consecutive postseason appearance, which is a program-best since qualifying started for the CAA Baseball Tournament. At the end of the season, four Tribe players signed minor league contracts – two of which were selected in the first five rounds of the MLB draft.
• W&M and Clemson will meet for just the seventh-ninth time in series history this weekend. The Tigers hold a 5-1 all-time series lead over the Tribe. However, the Green and Gold took the second of a three-game series during the previous meeting in 2013. Each contest between the programs has been played in Clemson, S.C., including a NCAA Regional tilt in 2000.
• A trio of Tribe Baseball players earned preseason recognition from the Colonial Athletic Association, highlighted by sophomore
Brandon Raquet making the All-Conference Team. Senior
Ryan Hall and junior
Hunter Smith both received Honorable Mention distinctions. In the predicted order of finish, the Tribe tied fifth with Elon with 37 points. UNCW (six first-place votes) is the preseason favorite, followed by Delaware (three first-place votes) and College of Charleston rounding out the top three.
• The Tribe returns a plethora of experienced position players for 2018. A total of seven players made at least 38 appearances last year. Hall, a .299 career hitter, made the most starts in 2017 with 55. Raquet also saw action in 50-plus games and owns the top batting average (.337) among returners.
• W&M sports a fairly young pitching staff as 57 percent of its arms are freshmen (four) and sophomores (four). Junior
Bodie Sheehan is the most seasoned returner with 30 career starts and 173.2 career innings pitched. The Tribe also retained a pair of key relievers in seniors
Charlie Fletcher (3.14 ERA) and
Robert White (4.76 ERA), who combined for a 7-2 record last year. Furthermore, sophomores
Wade Strain,
Jamie Sara, and
Chris Farrell all earned double-digit appearances in 2017 and are poised to take the next step.
• The Green and Gold added 10 newcomers to the roster, including a pair of transfers.
Andrew Burnick, a graduate transfer from Penn, will provide an extra veteran arm to the bullpen, while community college transfer (Guilford Tech)
Colin Lipke will offer more firepower to the offense. The first-year players consist of
David Hogarth (INF),
Justin Pearson (LHP),
Jacob Haney (RHP),
Aljo Sujak (LHP),
Matt McDermott (INF),
Randy Prosperi (RHP), and
Will Evans (C).
• In the comfy confines of Plumeri Park, W&M was at the top of its game last year. The Tribe went 18-7 (.720) when facing opponents in Williamsburg. Nine of the team's wins were by five runs or more. The Tribe is scheduled to hold 30 home dates at Plumeri this year.
• Senior
Charlie Fletcher ranks seventh in Tribe history with 77 career appearances. The Ashburn, Va., native needs 19 more trips to the bump to break the all-time record. He made at least 30 appearances in the last two seasons, including W&M's second-most (33) in 2016. Last season, Fletcher logged 28.2 innings of relief, allowed just 10 earned runs on 30 hits (3.14 ERA), and posted a 3-1 record.
• Right-handed pitcher
Jacob Haney will be the first true freshman to start on opening weekend since 2012.
Jason Inghram '15 was the previous rookie hurler to crack the first weekend rotation of a season. Sophomore righty
Jamie Sara will also make the first weekend start of his career. Sara made 12 appearances with three mid-week nods, notched a 1-1 record, and secured a save last year.
• Under head coach
Brian Murphy, W&M has fashioned three 30-plus win seasons in his four years as the skipper. His most wins (34) occurred in his first season at the helm (2014), resulting in CAA Coach of the Year honors. Murphy owns a career record of 119-108 (.524) and 54-35 (.600) mark in conference play.
