March 18, 1999
North Carolina (18-1, 0-0 ACC) vs. Wake Forest (14-4, 2-0 ACC)
March 19-21, 1999
Chapel Hill, N.C.
NOTING THE TAR HEELS
Carolina is off to its best start ever this season, entering the Wake Forest series with a record of 18-1 after Wednesday's win over Appalachian State. The Tar Heels started the season 16-0, setting the school record for longest winning streak. The longest previous winning streak in school history was 14 games, accomplished during the 1960 season and twice during the 1990 season.
Carolina has won 29 consecutive non-conference home games, including a 10-0 mark this season after the win over Appalachian State on March 17. The last time Carolina lost to a non-conference team at Boshamer Stadium was Feb. 21, 1998 versus Seton Hall. After that loss, the Tar Heels closed the 1998 season with 19 non-conference home wins in a row.
UNC's team ERA is 2.58 and Tar Heel pitchers have struck out 175 batters and issued just 67 walks in 171.0 innings, a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 2.6-to-1.
The Tar Heels have outscored their opponents, 192-72, this season.
Carolina has limited its opponnents to just six stolen bases in 20 attempts this season. Starting catcher Dan Moylan has thrown out 10 of 15 potential base-stealers. Meanwhile, the Tar Heels have stolen 49 bases in 65 attempts.
PROBABLE PITCHING ROTATION
Friday -- RHP Kyle Snyder (Jr., Sarasota, Fla., 6-0, 2.23 ERA)
(last start: March 13 at Fresno State, W, 8.0 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 11 K)
Saturday -- LHP Mike Bynum (Jr., Middleburg, Fla., 4-0, 1.82 ERA)
(last start: March 11 vs. Penn, W, 7.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 10 K)
Sunday -- RHP Corey Richardson (Sr., Raleigh, N.C., 3-0, 3.20 ERA)
(last start: March 12 at Fresno State; ND, 7.0 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 7 K)
TAR HEELS EARN HIGHEST BASEBALL AMERICA POLL RANKING EVER
Carolina a ranking of No. 3 in the nation in the latest Baseball America Top 25 poll, dated March 15. That is UNC's highest ranking ever in the Baseball America poll. UNC's highest previous ranking was No. 4 in the first three polls of the 1984 season, when the Tar Heels were led by future Major Leaguers B.J. Surhoff, Walt Weiss and Scott Bankhead.
The Tar Heels moved into the Top 10 on Feb. 15. Prior to this season, the last time Carolina had earned a top-10 ranking in any poll was 1989 and the last time it had earned a top-10 ranking in the Baseball America poll was 1985.
SHEARIN NEARS UNC CAREER RBI, RUNS SCORED RECORDS
Senior centerfielder Jarrett Shearin is nearing Carolina's records for career RBI and runs scored. He enters the Wake Forest series with 184 career runs scored, good for second place in school history behind B.J. Surhoff's total of 187 set from 1983-85.
Shearin also enters the Wake Forest series in third place on the career RBI list with 185, two short of second place Pete Kumiega's (1980-83) total of 187 and seven short of the school record of 192 set by Devy Bell (1984-87).
THE SERIES VERSUS WAKE FOREST
Carolina leads the all-time series with Wake Forest, 132-103-3. Carolina has played Wake Forest more than it has played any other opponent. Last year, the Demon Deacons won three of four games with the Tar Heels, including two of three games during the regular season in Winston-Salem. Wake also eliminated the Tar Heels, 3-0, in the ACC Tournament on its way to the 1998 ACC championship.
TAR HEELS WIN PEPSI/JOHNNY QUIK CLASSI IN FRESNO
Led by tournament MVP Kyle Snyder, Carolina posted a 5-1 record and captured the championship of the Pepsi/Johnny Quik Classic in Fresno, Calif., March 8-13. Snyder picked up two wins at the tournament, striking out 18 batters, walking just three and giving up three earned runs in 14.1 innings of work (1.91 ERA).
The Tar Heels won their first four games at the tournament over New Mexico, Navy, Portland and Penn before losing their first game of the season versus host Fresno State on March 12. Carolina played Fresno State again the next night, however, and downed the Bulldogs, 8-5, as Snyder struck out 11 and gave up zero earned runs in 8.0 innings.
Ryan Earey led Tar Heel batters, going 8-for-19 (.421) at the plate with three home runs and nine RBI in five games.
PITCHING STAFF DOMINATES IN THE EARLY GOING
Carolina's pitching staff is a veteran group that has dominated opposing hitters thus far in 1999. The Tar Heels' team ERA is a paltry 2.58. Carolina pitchers have compiled 175 strikeouts in 171.0 innings pitched while allowing just 67 walks and 141 hits.
SNYDER LIVING UP TO THE HYPE
RHP Kyle Snyder was named the top pitching prospect in all of college baseball by Baseball America before the 1999 season. Thus far, the hard-throwing 6-8 junior has lived up to the hype, striking out 44 and walking just eight while winning all six of his starts with an ERA of 2.23. Snyder was named a preseason first-team All-America by Baseball America.
In his March 7 column in the Boston Globe, ESPN baseball analyst Peter Gammons projected Snyder as the second overall pick in the 1999 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft to the Florida Marlins behind USC catcher Eric Munson. Gammons described Snyder as
a monster
on the mound
who scouts like better than recent overall No. 1s Paul Wilson and Kris Benson.
GODWIN ON A TEAR
Sophomore Tyrell Godwin leads the Tar Heels in hits and RBI and is tied for first in extra-base hits this season. Godwin's 35 RBI this season more than double his 1998 total of 17 RBI.
Godwin was named the ACC Co-Player of the Week (along with Florida State infielder Marshall McDougall) Feb. 22 after batting .643 (9-for-14) with three doubles, two home runs, six runs scored, 11 RBI and three stolen bases in the Tar Heels' three wins Feb. 19-21 over Seton Hall. He opened the series going 4-for-5 at the plate in an 11-3 win with two doubles, a home run, four RBI, three runs scored and a stolen base. In Saturday's 9-3 win, he batted 2-for-5 with an RBI and a stolen base. In Sunday's 15-1 victory, he went 3-for-4 at the plate with a double and a grand slam, three runs scored, six RBI and a stolen base. All six of his RBI came in a 10-run seventh inning on a two-run double and a grand slam.
BYNUM DOMINATES
Junior LHP Mike Bynum has dominated opposing hitters thus far this season, posting a record of 4-0 and a 1.82 ERA. He has allowed six earned runs in 29.2 innings while striking out 32 and walking 12.
HOT START FOR HOOPER
After two seasons as Carolina's starting third baseman, junior Clay Hooper is the Tar Heels' everyday shortstop in 1999. He got the new season off to a hot start by batting .400 (4-for-10) with a home run, two doubles and six RBI in UNC's three wins at the Winn-Dixie Shootout Feb. 12-14. Hooper hit a grand slam in the Feb. 12 win over East Carolina.
Overall this season, Hooper is third among Tar Heel regulars with a .389 batting average, is second on the team with four home runs and is fifth on the team with 16 RBI. Hooper started at third base for Carolina in both the 1996 and 1997 seasons before redshirting the 1998 campaign.
MOYLAN A HIT IN LEADOFF SPOT
Sophomore catcher Dan Moylan doesn't have the speed of the typical leadoff hitter, but he has gotten the job done with a flair for the Tar Heels since the middle of last season. Moylan became Carolina's leadoff hitter Apr. 15, 1998 and batted .398 (33-for-83) with eight home runs, 28 runs scored and 23 RBI in the final 21 games of last season. This year, Moylan is batting .343 and leads the team with 27 walks and 11 stolen bases. Moylan has thrown out 10 of 15 runners attempting to steal against him this season.
LAMARSH'S BATTING EYE
Senior designated hitter Chris LaMarsh leads Carolina in batting average this season with a .421 mark. He is also second on the team with 24 walks and has struck out just nine times. LaMarsh had more walks than strikeouts in both 1997 and 1998 and was named second-team All-ACC in 98 at DH.
PITCHING SPARKLES IN SWEEP AT WINN-DIXIE SHOOTOUT
Carolina's pitching staff compiled a 2.33 ERA in three wins at the Winn-Dixie Shootout in Charleston, S.C., Feb. 12-14. Starters Kyle Snyder, Mike Bynum and Corey Richardson each pitched at least 6.0 strong innings and earned wins. The Tar Heel defense, which turned five double plays on the weekend, was also strong to begin the 1999 campaign. 3B/P Ryan Earey (HR, 3 RBI, 1 save), SS Clay Hooper (.400, grand slam, 6 RBI, 2 doubles) and C Dan Moylan (.500, 2 SB) were all named to the All-Shootout Team.
HEAD COACH MIKE FOX
Carolina head coach Mike Fox is in his first year as the head coach of his alma mater after 15 years as the head coach at N.C. Wesleyan College in Rocky Mount. He also served as Wesleyan's athletic director. Fox has a career record of 558-142-4. He led Wesleyan to 14 NCAA Tournament appearances, eight Division III College World Series appearances and the 1989 NCAA Division III national championship. His teams posted 15 consecutive top-20 finishes in the national polls and won 11 Dixie Conference championships.
PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA HONORS FOR SNYDER, GODWIN
Junior RHP Kyle Snyder and sophomore OF Tyrell Godwin each received preseason All-America honors from Baseball America for 1999. Snyder, who was named the top college pitching prospect in the nation and third-best prospect overall by the magazine, was named a preseason First-Team All-America. Godwin was named a preseason Third-Team All-America in the outfield despite being just a part-time starter last year.
BASEBALL AMERICA PRESEASON ACC ACCOLADES
In its College Preview issue, Baseball America bestowed several conference honors on Tar Heel players in its ACC preview:
Kyle Snyder (#1 prospect for 1999 draft, Pitcher of the Year, first-team All-ACC, best fastball)
Jarrett Shearin (first-team All-ACC, outfielder/best arm)
Mike Bynum (#9 prospect for 1999 draft)
Ryan Snare (#5 prospect for 2000 draft)
Dan Moylan (best defensive catcher)
Tyrell Godwin (#2 prospect for 2000 draft, fastest baserunner)
Derrick DePriest (first-team All-ACC)
1999 HONOR ROLL
The following Tar Heels have earned the following accolades this season:
Ryan Earey: All-Winn Dixie Shootout Team
Tyrell Godwin: ACC Co-Player of the Week, Feb. 22
Clay Hooper: All-Winn Dixie Shootout Team
Dan Moylan: All-Winn Dixie Shootout Team
Kyle Snyder: MVP of Pepsi/Johnny Quik Classic
