University of North Carolina Athletics
Big Weekend For Baseball
June 21, 1999 | Baseball
April 8, 1999
By: Travis R. Everette, Carolina Baseball
When most people first picked up a Carolina Baseball schedule sometime in January, they weren't looking to April 9, 10, and 11 as the key dates listed, but the ACC set with Maryland has become the Tar Heels' biggest of the year thus far.
Having lost five of their last six conference games to top-ranked Florida State and NC State, UNC simply must win this series in order to stay in the conference hunt and the national rankings. On the other hand, Maryland is hot in the ACC, having gotten their first road sweep in conference history at Duke last weekend. The Terps scored an amazing 78 runs in the three games of the series in which they punished the Blue Devils in Durham.
Adding to the drama is the absence of Carolina righty Kyle Snyder. Snyder will not make the trip to College Park because of tendonitis in his throwing elbow, and his projected return date is not known. Stepping in for the ailing Snyder will be UNC's mid week starter and weekend reliever Chris Elmore. The Heels should be in good hands, however, with Elmore, who combined with Ryan Earey against Towson to throw the first Carolina no-hitter in more than two decades. Elmore also started against Virginia Commonwealth on Tuesday when the Tar Heels pounded the 22nd ranked Rams 10-3.
Also absent from the travel squad for the Maryland series is long-injured starter/reliever Corey Richardson, who was scheduled to make the start against VCU, but had lingering lower back pain and could not go. The coaching staff has elected to not risk Richardson this weekend and allow him to recuperate further.
It may not be a big matchup on paper, but Carolina's three game set with the Terps this weekend looms huge in the Tar Heels' schedule and their future goals.
