February 26, 1999
Temple (0-0) at North Carolina (7-0)
February 26-28, 1999
Chapel Hill, N.C.
NOTING THE TAR HEELS
Carolina's 7-0 start this season is its best start since beginning the 1942 season with a 9-0 record. The best start in school history was 9-0 in both 1934 and 1942.
Carolina has won 23 consecutive non-conference home games, including a 4-0 mark this season after Thursday's 7-5 win over Winthrop. 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.
OF Tyrell Godwin is batting .471 (8-for-17) with runners in scoring position this season. He leads the Tar Heels with nine two-out RBI this season. He leads Carolina with 16 overall RBI. With one more run batted in, he will equal his 1998 total of 17 RBI.
RHP Corey Richardson is holding opposing batters to a .125 batting average this season, limiting batters to just four hits in 32 official at-bats in two appearances in 1999.
LHP Mike Bynum leads Carolina with three pickoffs this season.
PROBABLE PITCHING ROTATION
Friday -- LHP Mike Bynum (Jr., Middleburg, Fla., 2-0, 0.75 ERA)
(last appearance: Feb. 21 vs. Seton Hall; W, 6.0 IP, 9 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K)
Saturday -- RHP Corey Richardson (Sr., Raleigh, N.C., 2-0, 1.86 ERA)
(last appearance: Feb. 20 vs. Seton Hall; W, 3.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K)
Sunday -- LHP Ryan Snare (So., Palm Harbor, Fla.)
(last appearance: Feb. 20 vs. Seton Hall; ND, 4.1 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K)
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 2.43 and UNC pitchers have held the opposition to three runs or less in five of seven games thus far this season. Carolina pitchers have compiled 62 strikeouts in 63.0 innings pitched entering the Temple series while allowing just 26 walks and 55 hits.
TAR HEELS EARN FIRST TOP-5 RANKING SINCE 1984
Carolina earned a ranking of No. 5 in the nation in this week's Baseball America Top 25 poll, released Feb. 22. The No. 5 ranking is Carolina's highest Baseball America ranking since 1984.
The highest ranking Carolina ever has garnered in the Baseball America poll is No. 4, in the first three polls of the 1984 season. Last week, Carolina earned its first top-10 ranking since 1989 and its first top-10 ranking in the Baseball America poll since 1985.
GODWIN NAMED ACC CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK FEB. 22
Sophomore Tyrell 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 last weekend 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, giving up just one run in two starts. He has allowed one earned run in 12.0 innings for an ERA of 0.75 while striking out 10 and walking three.
SNYDER LIVES 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 21 and walking just three while posting a 3-0 record with an ERA of 3.00. Snyder was named a preseason first-team All-America by Baseball America.
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 .370 batting average, is tied for the team lead with two home runs and is second on the team with nine 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 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 leads the Tar Heels with a .500 batting average and 12 walks. He is also tied for the team lead with three stolen bases.
PITCHING SPARKLES IN SWEEP AT WINN-DIXIE SHOOTOUT
Carolina's pitching staff compiled a 2.33 ERA in three wins at last weekend's Winn-Dixie Shootout in Charleston, S.C. 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.
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 ACCOLADES
In its College Preview issue, Baseball America bestowed several honors on Tar Heel players:
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)
Clay Hooper (All-Winn Dixie Shootout Team)
Dan Moylan (All-Winn Dixie Shootout Team)
Tyrell Godwin (ACC Co-Player of the Week, Feb. 22)
