University of North Carolina Athletics
Heels Travel To Wake Forest For Big ACC Series
April 7, 2000 | Baseball
April 7, 2000
April 7-9, 2000
Gene Hooks Stadium, Winston-Salem, N.C.
NOTE: ALL GAMES LIVE ON TARHEELBLUE
CAROLINA QUICK FACTS
Probable Starters:
Fri.-Ryan Snare, LHP (4.09 ERA, 6-1, 47 K)
Sat.-Chris Elmore, LHP (4.15, 3-0, 36 K)
Sun.-Eric Henderson, LHP (4.28 ERA, 5-3, 51 K)
Head Coach: Mike Fox (UNC '78)
Fox's Record at UNC: 69-24 (second year)
Fox's Overall Record: 609-165-4 (16th year)
Assistant Coaches: Chad Holbrook
Roger Williams
Scott Forbes
WAKE FOREST QUICK FACTS
Probable Starters:
Fri-Scott Siemon, RHP (1.65 ERA, 8-1, 46 K)
Sat.-Eric Schmitt, RHP (3.72 ERA, 4-0, 36 K)
Sun.-Ben Clayton, LHP (3.63 ERA, 6-2, 57 K)
Head Coach: George Greer (Connecticut '68)
Greer's Record at Wake Forest: 456-283-3 (13th year)
Greer's Overall Record: 562-405-7 (19th year)
Assistant Coaches: Bobby Moranda
Mike Rikard
TAR HEELS TRAVEL TO WAKE FOREST
No. 5 North Carolina, winners of six of seven games and four of its past five in the ACC, travels to No. 18 Wake Forest for a three-game series this weekend in Winston-Salem. Carolina opened the ACC season 0-4, but has since pulled to 4-5 and stands in fifth place in league standing behind fourth place Wake Forest.
Carolina has faced Wake more than any other opponent in the 111-year history of the baseball program. The Tar Heels and Demon Deacons have met 240 times since 1891, with Carolina holding a 134-103-3 advantage in the all-time series. Last year, Carolina took two of three from Wake Forest in Chapel Hill. The last time Carolina won two of three in Winston-Salem was in 1996.
CAROLINA TAKES FIRST SERIES FROM CLEMSON SINCE 1990
Last weekend in Chapel Hill, Carolina took two of three games from Clemson, ranked No. 1in the nation at the time by Collegiate Baseball, to move to 4-5 in Atlantic Coast Conference play. After dropping three straight games to Georgia Tech (March 17-19) to open league play, Carolina took two of three from NC State in Chapel Hill (March 24-26) and won last weekend's series with the Tigers. Carolina had not won a series with Clemson since the 1990 season.
Ryan Snare had a stellar outing in the series opener to propel Carolina to a 6-0 win. Snare allowed just two hits while striking out seven and walking four over 6.2 scoreless innings for the victory. Ryan Earey and Derrick Depriest combined for 2.1 hitless innings to seal the win and send Clemson to its first ACC loss of the season. After being held hitless into the fifth inning by Clemson ace Scott Berney, Carolina got runs in the fifth and sixth innings and broke open the game with a four-run eighth.
On Saturday, Carolina committed a season-high six errors and fell 10-2, but UNC responded with a 5-2 win on Sunday to clinch the series. Chris Elmore, Earey and DePriest combined to give up just five Clemson hits and two unearned runs in the victory.
TAR HEELS TAKE TWO OF THREE FROM NC STATE TO GET IN ACC WIN COLUMN
After dropping three straight games at Georgia Tech to open the ACC season, Carolina hosted rival NC State March 24-26 in search of its first conference victory. The Wolfpack got to starter Eric Henderson early and held off a late Tar Heel rally for a 14-11 victory in the series opener to drop UNC to 0-4 in league play. But the Tar Heels responded with two straight wins over the weekend.
In a 5-2 win on Saturday, Carolina used a 17-hit attack and solid pitching from starter Ryan Snare to top the Wolfpack. Tyrell Godwin and Adam Greenberg were both 4-for-4 at the plate, while Snare allowed just one unearned run for his fifth win. On Sunday, Sean Farrell led the way with two home runs as Carolina prevailed 4-1.
TAR HEELS END FOUR-GAME SKID WITH BIG WIN OVER TOWSON
After starting the season with a school-record 21-game winning streak, Carolina dropped three games at Georgia Tech March 17-19 and a disappointing 9-8 contest to Towson March 21. But the Tar Heels responded with one of their biggest wins in school history in topping Towson 25-2 on March 22.
Carolina used a balanced attack to produce 27 hits, while four UNC pitchers combined to hold the Tigers to just three hits. According to school records, Carolina's 25 runs tied for its fifth most all-time and its 23-run margin of victory tied as the third most lopsided win in school history. Ryan Earey had two home runs in the game and tied his career high with seven RBI, while Matt McCay had a career-high tying four hits in five at bats. Five additional Tar Heels had multi-hit games in the win.
CLOSE LOSSES THE DIFFERENCE IN TOUGH STRETCH FOR CAROLINA
In a season that's been marked by several incredible comeback victories for the Tar Heels, Carolina's good fortune in close games turned sour March 17-21 in dropping three games by one-run margins. Georgia Tech ended Carolina's 21-game winning streak on March 17 with a 5-4 victory in Atlanta. Two days later, the Yellow Jackets completed a series sweep with an 8-7 win and Towson handed UNC its fourth consecutive loss with a 9-8 win on March 21. In the March 17 contest at Tech, Carolina rallied from a 5-2 deficit with a run in the eighth inning and another in the ninth before falling just short of the comeback. The final out of the game came with Tar Heel runners on first and third base.
On March 19th, a three-run home run by Ryan Earey in the sixth-inning put Carolina ahead of the Yellow Jackets 7-6. The two teams entered the ninth inning tied 7-7, but a throwing error at the plate helped Tech score the winning run in the 8-7 victory. Meanwhile, in its 9-8 defeat at the hands of Towson, four UNC runs in the bottom of the ninth inning were not enough to erase a 9-4 lead by the Tigers, giving Carolina its third one-run loss in five days.
ANOTHER RECORD START IN 2000
For the second year in a row under head coach Mike Fox, Carolina opened the season with a record start. A year after posting its best start in school history as well as the all-time best UNC winning streak with a 16-0 start in 1999, Carolina broke those records with a 21-0 start in 2000. The 21-game UNC winning streak ranks as the second best of all-time in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Clemson's 26-0 start in 1977 is the both the best start to a season and the longest winning streak in league history. Of Carolina's 21 wins to open the 2000 campaign, seven came against ranked opponents, including a three-game sweep of then-No. 2 UCLA in Westwood and a sweep of Central Florida, Rice and defending national champion Miami at the season-opening ACC/Disney Blast.
NO. 2 NATIONAL RANKING WAS HIGHEST IN SCHOOL HISTORY
Carolina, ranked No. 5 this week in the USA Today Baseball Weekly/ESPN Coaches' Poll, spent back-to-back weeks (March 6 and 13) ranked No. 2 in the nation by both Collegiate Baseball and Baseball Weekly, which was Carolina's all-time highest national ranking. Carolina spent two weeks ranked No. 3 last year by Baseball America (March 15 and 22).
TOWSON ENDS HOME WINNING STREAK
When Towson held off a late UNC rally to take a 9-8 win over the Tar Heels on March 21, the Tigers became the first non-ACC team to win at Boshamer Stadium since Feb. 21, 1998, ending a streak of 52 straight home wins for Carolina over non-conference foes. Seton Hall won that 1998 game 6-3 over the Tar Heels. Last year, Carolina posted one of its most successful seasons ever at home, winning 27 of 30 games for a .900 winning percentage. Carolina is 22-3 at Boshamer Stadium in 2000.
COMEBACKS THE DIFFERENCE IN EARLY-SEASON SUCCESS
Carolina's ability to bounce back from big deficits has played a key role in its success this season. Thirteen of Carolina's 28 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 the bottom half of that inning was the difference in a 3-2 UNC victory. Against NC State on March 24, Carolina trailed 14-2 heading into the bottom of the seventh inning. The Tar Heels rallied for seven runs in the seventh and two more in the ninth before the dramatic UNC comeback bid fell short with the potentital tying run at the plate.
FARRELL HONORED FOR SECOND TIME BY ACC
Sean Farrell earned his second ACC Player of the Week honors of the year on March 27 after a week that saw him bat 8-for-19 (.421) with 10 RBI and six runs scored. In three games against NC State, Farrell had three homers and knocked in six runs to help the Tar Heels to wins in two of three games. In the series opener on March 24, Farrell sparked a seven-run seventh inning with a three-run home run to left field, and in the 4-1 win on Sunday Farrell hit two homers to drive in three runs. He tied the game 1-1 in the fifth inning with a solo shot and then put Carolina ahead for good in the seventh with a two-run homer to right-center field. He was also named Player of the Week on Feb. 21 by the ACC after an outstanding three games at UCLA. Against the Bruins, he was 5-for-10 with nine RBI and he homered twice.
Junior Ryan Earey was recognized as the ACC's Player of the Week on Feb. 28 for a stretch that included 7-for-14 hitting, 10 runs batted in and 2.1 innings of scoreless relief pitching. Earey led Carolina to wins over No. 19 East Carolina and a three-game sweep of Seton Hall. 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.
GREENBERG STAYS ON FIRE
Adam Greenberg is off to a sensational start to his UNC career, leading the team in batting average (.411), slugging percentage (.637), hits (51), triples (4) and stolen bases (18). He has started 32 games, missing only the Penn State doubleheader with a sore hamstring. He carried a team-high 21-game hitting streak into last weekend's Clemson series, before going 0-for-2 in Friday's opener and 0-for-5 the next day against the Tigers. But Greenberg was back at it on Sunday against Clemson and in Wednesday's win over Davidson. Since going 0-for-7 over the first two games with Clemson, Greenberg is batting 5-for-9 (.556) with a triple and his fifth home run. During his 21-game hitting streak, Greenberg had 13 multi-hit games and he leads the team in that category with 17.
SNARE'S DOMINANCE KEYS WINS OVER NC STATE AND CLEMSON
Junior left-hander Ryan Snare has been outstanding on the mound since suffering his first loss of the season at Georgia Tech on March 17. Snare started the season 4-0, but allowed five runs in five innings against the Yellow Jackets and struck out just one batter for his first loss. Snare has posted 13 strikeouts and not allowed an earned run in the two games since, notching wins against NC State (March 25) and Clemson (March 31). Against the Wolfpack, Snare allowed one unearned run on six hits ? all singles ? over 7.0 innings while striking out six batters for the victory. On March 31, Snare sent the top-ranked Tigers to their first ACC loss, giving up just two hits while striking out seven over 6.2 innings for the win.
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 69-24 record, including a school-best 21-0 start this year and a 16-0 start to the 1999 campaign, 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.
TAR HEEL TIDBITS
BIG BATS HAVE HEELS HITTING AT RECORD PACE
One reason for Carolina's success this year has been a balanced and consistent offensive attack. In fact, Carolina's .331 team batting average through 34 games is on pace to be the best in school history. Carolina posted an all-time best .322 team average in 1984. In addition, UNC has hit 43 home runs, second most in the ACC, compared to 26 by its opponents. Eleven different Tar Heels have hit homers this year, led by Ryan Earey with nine, Sean Farrell with seven and Tyrell Godwin with six. Earey and Farrell both already have two two-home run games this year, including a multiple homer game by Farrell in the 4-1 win over NC State on March 26.
Home Run Leaders Ryan Earey 9 Sean Farrell 7 Tyrell Godwin 6 Adam Greenberg 5 Clay Hooper 4 Matt McCay 4 Dan Moylan 3 Ryan Blake 2 Jay Madeira 1 Ryan Mathews 1 Chad Prosser 1
PITCHING HAS BEEN ON TARGET
After finishing eighth in the nation in 1999 with a 3.73 team ERA, Carolina's pitching staff has been solid thus far in 2000, especially considering the loss of first-round draft picks Kyle Snyder and Mike Bynum from last year's rotation. The Tar Heels have a 4.09 team ERA through 34 games and have already posted seven shutout wins. Carolina has not had that many shutouts in an entire season since blanking seven opponents in 1978.
DEPRIEST CLIMBS IN UNC RECORD BOOK
Derrick DePriest is currently in second place in the Carolina record book for all-time appearances with 105. The senior right-hander, who last year led the nation with a 1.71 ERA, has appeared 16 games this year. He has allowed just three earned runs and has struck out 32 batters in 29 innings with just 13 walks for a 0.93 ERA. In the 5-2 win over Clemson last Sunday, he earned his sixth save. He pitched a hitless ninth and struck out two Tigers.
ELMORE CONTINUES WINNING WAYS IN 2000
Chris Elmore has not lost a decision at Carolina since April 19, 1997. At the season-opening ACC/Disney Blast, Elmore guided the Tar Heels to a 9-0 win over then-No. 5 Miami, the defending national champion. 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. He posted a victory on March 5 against West Virginia and had a stellar outing Sunday against Clemson to up his 2000 record to 3-0 and his career mark to 13-2. That .867 winning percentage ranks second all-time at UNC behind former All-America Scott Bankhead.
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 underwent surgery in early March and will undergo several weeks of rehabilitation. 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, 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 AT DISNEY
Three true freshmen, Adam Greenberg, Russ Adams and Chad Prosser all saw considerable playing time in Carolina's season-opening tournament in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. All three, as well as junior transfer 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.
UNC PASSES 2,000-WIN PLATEAU AGAINST SETON HALL
Carolina celebrated its 2,000th all-time win early in the season by defeating Seton Hall 8-0 on Feb. 25. In 111 seasons, the Tar Heels have posted a 2,017-1,197-36 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.
2000 HONOR ROLL
