Baseball Plays Host To West Virginia

March 4, 2000

WEST VIRGINIA (1-9) at No. 9/3/3 NORTH CAROLINA (14-0)
March 4-5, 2000
oshamer Stadium, Chapel Hill, N.C.

CAROLINA QUICK FACTS
Probable Starters:
Sat.-Eric Henderson, LHP (3-0, 2.59 ERA, 26 K)
Sun.-Chris Elmore, LHP (1-0, 6.65 ERA, 16 K)
Head Coach: Mike Fox (UNC '78)
Fox's Record at UNC: 55-18 (second year)
Fox's Overall Record: 595-159-4 (16th year)
Assistant Coaches: Chad Holbrook
Roger Williams
Scott Forbes

WEST VIRGINIA QUICK FACTS
Probable Starters:
Sat.-Vance McCracken, RHP (0-1, 4.32 ERA, 8.1 IP)
Sun.-David Maust, LHP (1-0, 1.23 ERA, 7.1 IP)
Head Coach: Greg Van Zant (West Virginia '84)
Van Zant's Record at WVU: 154-130-1 (5th year)
Van Zants's Overall Record: same
Assistant Coaches: Bruce Cameron
Mike Hampton
Joe McNamec

TAR HEELS HOST WEST VIRGINIA

No. 3 North Carolina continues a 12-game homestand with a two-game series this weekend versus West Virginia. In the only previous series between the two schools, Carolina took two of three games in 1994 at Boshamer Stadium. The Tar Heels enter the two-game weekend series at 14-0, just two wins shy of last year's school-record 16-0 start to the season. Seven of Carolina's 14 wins in 2000 have come against nationally ranked opponents, including a three-game sweep at then-No. 2 UCLA and a victory over defending national champion and then-No. 5 Miami.

HEELS ENJOY CONTINUED SUCCESS AT HOME IN 2000

Carolina has won 45 consecutive non-conference home games, including eight thus far in 2000. The last time the Tar Heels lost to a non-ACC opponent at Boshamer Stadium was Feb. 21, 1998, versus Seton Hall. Carolina posted one of its most productive seasons ever at home in 1999, winning 27 of 30 games for a .900 winning percentage.

COMEBACKS HELP TAR HEELS REMAIN PERFECT THROUGH MONTH ONE

Eight of Carolina's 14 wins this season have come after the Tar Heels have trailed at one point in the game. Most notably, Carolina went into the ninth inning of the Feb. 18 game at UCLA trailing 13-4 before scoring 13 runs in the top half of that inning to prevail 17-13 at Jackie Robinson Stadium. Two days later, Carolina trailed 6-0 after two innings to the Bruins, but an 11-run fourth inning put the Tar Heels ahead for good as they prevailed in that rain-shortened game 12-11. Carolina also faced a 2-0 deficit heading into the bottom of the 10th inning in the second game of the Penn State doubleheader (Feb. 13), but three runs in bottom half of that inning was the difference in a 3-2 UNC victory.

CAROLINA'S COMEBACKS

Date	Opponent            Latest Deficit   Final Score
2/28	vs. Central Florida 3-4 (6th)        W 9-6
2/29	vs. Rice            0-2 (8th)        W 8-2
2/13	Penn State (Gm. 2)  0-2 (10th)       W 3-2 (10)
2/18	at UCLA             4-13 (9th)       W 17-13
2/19	at UCLA             0-1 (1st)        W 6-4
2/20	at UCLA             0-6 (3rd)        W 12-11 (6)
2/23	East Carolina       0-3 (4th)        W 6-4
3/1     VCU                 0-1 (3rd)        W 8-4

TAR HEELS HONORED IN BACK-TO-BACK WEEKS BY THE ACC

One week after freshman Sean Farrell was named the ACC Player of the Week (Feb. 21) for an outstanding three games at UCLA, junior Ryan Earey earned the honor on Feb. 28 for a week that included 7-for-14 hitting, 10 runs batted in and 2.1 innings of scoreless relief. Earey led Carolina to wins over No. 19 East Carolina and a three-game sweep of Seton Hall last week. In UNC's 15-8 win over Seton Hall on Feb. 26, Earey was 3-for-3, including a three-run homer to deep center field, and he knocked in a career-high-tying seven runs. For the season, Earey leads the Tar Heels in batting average (.435), runs (21), home runs (5) and RBI (25). He's also made five appearances as a relief pitcher, where he has a 1-0 record and a 2.45 ERA.

HEELS JUMP IN POLLS

After sweeping three games from then-No.2 UCLA in Westwood Feb. 18-20, Carolina jumped to No. 4 in two national polls and is now up to third in the latest polls released by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and Baseball Weekly. Baseball America has the 14-0 Tar Heels rated No. 9 in the nation. Last year, the Tar Heels earned their highest-ever ranking when they spent two weeks at No. 3 in Baseball America's poll and one week rated third by Collegiate Baseball. UNC's previous high prior to last year was No. 4 in the first three Baseball America polls of the 1984 season, when Carolina was led by future Major Leaguers B.J. Surhoff, Walt Weiss and Scott Bankhead.

FOX GETS 50TH CAROLINA WIN IN UCLA SWEEP

Second-year head coach Mike Fox, a 1978 UNC graduate and former baseball letterwinner, has led the Tar Heels to a 55-18 record, including a school-best 22-2 start in 1999, since returning to his alma mater in May of 1998. With Carolina's three-game sweep of UCLA Feb. 18-20, Fox became the quickest Tar Heel skipper to reach the 50-win mark in history. Bill Fetzer, Carolina's head coach from 1921-25, previously held that distinction, leading UNC to a 50-16-4 mark in his first 70 games at the helm.

CAROLINA GETS 2,000TH ALL-TIME WIN AGAINST SETON HALL

Carolina celebrated its 2,000th all-time win last weekend by defeating Seton Hall 8-0 on Feb. 25. In 111 seasons, the Tar Heels have posted a 2,003-1,191-36 all-time record and are coming off their most productive decade in history. Carolina won 379 games in the 1990s and posted four seasons with more than 40 victories.

TAR HEEL TRENDS

Derrick DePriest, last year's NCAA leader with a 1.71 ERA, has given up just one earned run in 15.1 innings this year. The senior closer has made nine appearances and has struck out 15 batters to go along with three saves and one win. His ERA is 0.59.

Dating back to a 3-for-4 performace in the 17-13 win at UCLA on Feb. 18, Ryan Earey has hit safely in eight straight games, a stretch that has seen him go 14-for-25 (.560) at the plate, with 16 RBI and 14 runs scored.

After pitching brilliantly in his first two outings, senior left-handed pitcher Chris Elmore has struggled his last two times on the mound. Elmore opened the season with starts against Miami and Penn State and through two appearances had given up no runs on just six hits and had struck out 13 batters. But in his two starts since, Elmore has surrendered 16 runs on 17 hits in just 7.2 innings. He has also managed just three strikeouts in that period. Still, Elmore has not lost a decision since April 19, 1997 and his career winning percentage of .846 (11-2) ranks second all-time at UNC.

B.J. Finnerty is 2-0 in three appearances this year. After picking up the win in the 17-13 triumph over UCLA on Feb. 18, Finnerty went 3.2 innings for a win against Seton Hall on Feb. 26.

Tyrell Godwin notched his first three-hit game of the season (3-for-4) in the 7-5 win over Seton Hall on Feb. 27. In his last three games, the junior outfielder is 6-for-13 with a double and a home run.

Adam Greenberg has shaken off an 0-12 performance at UCLA by notching at least one hit in the five games since. He is 9-for-19 (.474) in that stretch, including a 3-for-5 game against Seton Hall on Feb. 27 where he also scored three runs.

Carolina's most consistent starter to date, Eric Henderson struck out five batters in seven scoreless innings against Seton Hall on Feb. 25 to pick up his third win of the season.

Clay Hooper has had three hits in two of the past three games for the Tar Heels. Against Seton Hall on Feb. 26, the senior shortstop was 3-for-5 with three runs scored and two RBI, and on March 1 against VCU he was 3-for-5 with three RBI and he scored on his second home run of the season.

Matt McCay saw a career-high ten game hitting streak snapped against VCU on Wednesday. He was 0-1 against the Rams with two walks and one sacrifice fly.

Chad Prosser has had at least one hit in six of the past seven games, including a 3-for-4 performance against Seton Hall on Feb. 25 that included his first career home run, a three-run shot in the eighth.

DEPRIEST CLIMBS IN UNC RECORD BOOK

Derrick DePriest is currently in second place in the Carolina record book for all-time appearances with 98. The senior right-hander, who last year led the nation with a 1.71 ERA, has appeared in nine of Carolina's 14 games this year. He has allowed just four hits and one earned run and has struck out 15 batters in 15.1 innings.

HOME RUN BARRAGE

While Carolina was held without a home run through the first two games of the season, the Tar Heels have responded with homers in 10 of its last 12 games. In the 17-13 win over UCLA on Feb. 18, Carolina actually surrendered a UCLA-record seven homers to the Bruins but responded with three of their own to prevail 17-13. Ryan Earey hit a three-run homer and Sean Farrell added a two-run blast two batters later to spark a wild 13-run ninth inning in the dramatic come-from-behind victory. In the 14-0 win over Elon on Feb. 9, Carolina had its first two-home-run inning of the season, when Clay Hooper and Tyrell Godwin had back-to-back long balls. Earey leads the team with five home runs for the season, including one grand slam, two three-run homers and two solo shots.

BLAKE OUT FOR SEASON

Sophomore DH/1B/C Ryan Blake will miss the remainder of the 2000 season due to a partial tear of his right rotator cuff. He will undergo surgery in early March and will require six months of rehabilitation after the operation. Blake had played in nine games this year for the Tar Heels. He was hitting .323 with 13 RBI. At the season-opening ACC/Disney Blast in Orlando, Fla., Blake was named to the all-tournament team after going 5-for-10 at the plate with four runs scored. He propelled the Tar Heels to an 8-2 win over Rice with a two-out, two-run triple in the ninth inning of that game and added a two-run home run in a 9-0 victory over the defending national champion Miami Hurricanes. Blake will apply for a medical red-shirt season and should be ready to rejoin the Tar Heels next fall.

BIG INNINGS PROPEL CAROLINA PAST UCLA

Carolina notched a 13-run ninth inning on Friday and an 11-run fourth on Sunday in taking three straight games from UCLA Feb. 18-20 in Westwood. The second-ranked Bruins held a 13-4 advantage heading into the ninth inning of the Feb. 18 contest before the Tar Heels exploded for 13 runs in the top of the ninth to score a dramatic 17-13 come-from-behind victory. Two days later, Carolina trailed 6-0 early, but responded with an 11-run fourth inning to pull ahead of UCLA 11-6. Carolina eventually won the six-inning (rain) game 12-11 to complete a three-game sweep of the Bruins. On Saturday, Eric Henderson had his third consecutive solid outing for the Tar Heels, as he scattered three runs on four hits over 6.0 innings while striking out nine to earn his second win of the season.

TAR HEELS START SEASON WITH A BLAST

Carolina got off to a tremendous start to the 2000 season when it traveled to the ACC/Disney Baseball Blast in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., and came away with three straight wins over a strong field of non-conference opponents. The Tar Heels opened the three-day, season-opening tournament at Disney's Wide World of Sports complex with a come-from-behind 9-6 win over No. 23 Central Florida. On Saturday, UNC scored eight runs in the final two innings to erase a 2-0 deficit and defeat No. 14 Rice 8-2. Carolina capped the weekend with a 9-0 win over defending national champion Miami. The 9-0 shutout of the fifth-ranked Hurricanes was just the second time Miami had been held scoreless since 1975. Ryan Blake, Chris Elmore, Adam Greenberg and Dan Moylan were each named to the All-Tournament team.

FRESHMEN MAKE IMPRESSIVE DEBUT IN ORLANDO

Three true freshmen, Adam Greenberg, Russ Adams and Chad Prosser all saw considerable playing time in Carolina's season-opening tournament in Orlando, Fla. All three, as well as starting pitcher Eric Henderson, got off to tremendous starts to their respective Carolina careers. Greenberg started all three games in centerfield and was 6-for-12 at the plate with four RBI, four runs scored, a triple and three stolen bases in making the all-tournament team. Adams was Carolina's starting third baseman against Central Florida and Rice and he was 1-for-2, scoring twice in the 9-6 win over the Golden Knights. Prosser started two games at second and one at short and batted 3-for-9, including a 2-for-3 performance with one RBI and two runs scored against Central Florida. Meanwhile, Henderson earned the start against Rice and gave up just two runs on three hits in 6.1 innings in his debut.

ELMORE CONTINUES WINNING WAYS IN FLORIDA

Chris Elmore continued his winning ways in Florida in guiding the Tar Heels to a 9-0 win over Miami. The senior left-hander pitched seven scoreless innings and gave up just four hits to up his career record to 11-2 while earning his first win of the season. His .846 winning percentage ranks second all-time at Carolina, and he has not lost a decision since April 19, 1997.

2000 HONOR ROLL

Ryan Blake - ACC/Disney Blast All Tournament Team

Ryan Earey - ACC Co-Player of the Week (Feb. 28)

Chris Elmore - ACC/Disney Blast All Tournament Team

Sean Farrell - ACC Player of the Week (Feb. 21)

Adam Greenberg - ACC/Disney Blast All Tournament Team

Dan Moylan - ACC/Disney Blast All Tournament Team

2000 PRESEASON HONORS

The following Tar Heels were honored as preseason All-Americas:

Derrick DePriest: second-team All-America (Collegiate Baseball)

Tyrell Godwin: first-team All-America (Baseball America), second-team All-America (Collegiate Baseball)

Ryan Snare: third-team All-America (Baseball America)

The following Tar Heels were recognized by Baseball America in its College Preview issue:

Derrick DePriest: first-team All-ACC

Ryan Earey: first-team All-ACC

Tyrell Godwin: first-team All-ACC, No. 2 ACC prospect for 2000 Draft, ACC's fastest runner

Eric Henderson: No. 3 ACC newcomers

Dan Moylan: first-team All-ACC, No. 8 ACC prospect for 2000 draft, ACC's top defensive catcher

Ryan Snare: first-team All-ACC, No. 3 ACC prospect for 2000 Draft

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