University of North Carolina Athletics
Heels Get Ready For Regional Action
May 23, 2000 | Baseball
May 23, 2000
PDF Formatted Notes
May 26-28 -- NCAA Regional at Upper Montclair
Yogi Berra Park, Upper Montclair, N.J.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Friday, May 26
Game 1: No.1 Rutgers vs. No. 4 Army 3:30 p.m.
Game 2: No. 2 UNC vs. No. 3 Penn St. 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 27
Game 3: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 Noon
Game 4: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 4:00 p.m.
Game 5: Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, May 28
Game 6: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5 1:00 p.m.
Game 7: If necessary
TAR HEELS MAKE 16TH NCAA APPEARANCE
GODWIN EXPECTED TO PLAY
After missing Carolina's last four games, including all three games last week at the ACC Tournament in Fort Mill, S.C., with a strained right quadriceps, junior leftfielder Tyrell Godwin is expected to be in the lineup this weekend at the NCAA Tournament.
One of the most explosive players in college baseball, Godwin is batting .363 with a team-high 62 RBIs and he is one of 12 semifinalists for the Rotary Smith Award, which is given annually to the nation's top player. A preseason All-America, Godwin was named second-team All-ACC last weekend.
GREENBERG NAMED ACC Rookie OF THE YEAR
Centerfielder Adam Greenberg's sensational freshman season got even better this week when he was named the ACC's Rookie of the Year and second-team All-ACC.
Greenberg leads the Tar Heels in batting average (.381), hits (90), runs (61), triples (7), stolen bases (26) and multi-hit games (31). He also has three leadoff homers this season, most recently on April 22 at Virginia. He has started 57 games, missing only the Penn State doubleheader with a sore hamstring.
Greenberg carried a team-high 21-game hitting streak into the Clemson series (April 7-9), before going 0-for-7 in the first two games of the series with the Tigers. But he followed that up with a seven-game hit streak where he was 16-for-30 (.533) at the plate. He's gone hitless in just nine of 57 games this year.
In the 7-6 win on May 4 at Liberty, Greenberg led off the game with his seventh triple of the season, which moved him into a second-place tie with current UNC assistant coach Chad Holbrook for the most triples in a single season in Tar Heel history. Rip Ryan holds that record with eight triples in the 1949 season. Last month, Greenberg was one of the first 20 invites for the U.S. National Team trials to be held this June in Tucson, Ariz. The only other Tar Heel to win ACC Rookie of the Year honors was Brian Roberts in 1997.
FIVE TAR HEELS NAMED ALL-ACC
Ryan Earey |
In a vote of the nine Atlantic Coast Conference baseball coaches last weekend, five Tar Heels were selected to the All-ACC baseball teams. Senior Derrick DePriest was named first-team All-ACC at relief pitcher after posting 12 saves and an ACC-best 2.39 ERA out of the bullpen.
Ryan Earey, Tyrell Godwin, Adam Greenberg and Ryan Snare were all named to the All-ACC second team. Greenberg was one of just two freshmen selected to either team. Carolina also had five student-athletes selected last year to the All-ACC teams, including Godwin as a first-teamer and DePriest as a second-team pick.
UNC POSTS THIRD STRAIGHT 40-WIN SEASON
HEELS MAINTAIN RECORD PACE AT THE PLATE
TAR HEEL PITCHERS HAVE SEVEN SHUTOUTS IN 2000
After finishing eighth in the nation in 1999 with a 3.73 team ERA, Carolina's pitching staff has been solid 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 4.25 team ERA through 59 games and have posted seven shutout wins. Carolina has not had that many shutouts in an entire season since blanking seven opponents in 1978.
CAROLINA TIES RECORD WITH 30TH HOME WIN IN FSU SERIES
With Carolina's dramatic 6-5 win over Florida State on May 13, Carolina tied a school record with its 30th home win of the season. In 1993, Carolina posted a 30-9 mark at Boshamer Stadium, while this year's team was 30-5 in games played in Chapel Hill. Meanwhile, Carolina's .857 home winning percentage is tied for the fifth best ever at UNC.
In 1985, Carolina posted an all-time best .923 winning percentage (24-2) at Boshamer Stadium. Including last year's 27-3 mark at home, Carolina has posted a 57-8 (.877) record at home over the last two seasons. Carolina's home losses this year were to Clemson, NC State, Towson and two to Florida State.
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.
FOX GETS 75TH WIN IN RECORD PACE
Second-year head coach Mike Fox, a 1978 UNC graduate and former baseball letterwinner, has led the Tar Heels to a 85-33 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.
In Carolina's 8-2 win at East Carolina on April 18, Fox also became the fastest UNC skipper to get to the 75-win mark. Mike Roberts, Walter Rabb and Bunn Hearn are the only other coaches in Carolina history to post at least 75 wins.
DEPRIEST AGAIN AMONG NATION'S ERA LEADERS
Senior reliever Derrick DePriest, who last year led the nation with a 1.71 earned run average, has appeared in 32 games this year and is among the nation's leaders once again in 2000 with an ACC-leading 2.39 ERA.
A first-team All-ACC pick in 2000, DePriest has 12 saves and 55 strikeouts on the season compared to 29 walks. DePriest has 121 career appearances, good for second all-time in the UNC record book.
ELMORE SAVES HIS BEST FOR LAST
Fifth-year senior Chris Elmore is in the midst of his best season as a Tar Heel at 9-1 with a 4.05 ERA. He's been on a tear since dropping his first decision since April 19, 1997, when he took the loss in a 9-8 defeat at Wake Forest on April 8. He was a hard-luck loser in a game that began on Saturday but was suspended for a day because of rain. The Tar Heels trailed 3-0 with Elmore on the mound in the bottom of the second inning when rain forced the suspension of the game. The two teams resumed play on Sunday with new pitchers, but when Carolina's rally fell short, Elmore was dealt the loss.
He has bounced back with wins in six of his past seven starts, including an ACC Tournament win last week versus Duke, to move to 9-1 on the season and 19-3 in his career. His .864 career winning percentage is the second highest all-time at UNC behind only All-America Scott Bankhead.
ELMORE AND GODWIN RECOGNIZED FOR ACADEMICS
Chris Elmore |
Elmore was also one of the big winners last month at Carolina's annual all-sports dinner. He was UNC's male recipient of the Mildred McCaskill Award, which is given each year by the University to the senior who represents excellence in athletics, academics and community service. Elmore was also one of six student-athletes honored by the Atlantic Coast Conference for his community service, and he was baseball's winner of the Athletic Director's Scholar-Athlete Award.
EAREY SHAKES OFF BRUISES, MAKES WAY INTO ACC RECORD BOOK
When Liberty's Darren Adams hit Ryan Earey with a pitch in the fourth inning of Carolina's 7-6 win in Lynchburg, Va., on May 4, Earey became the most hit player in a single season in ACC history. Earey surpassed Florida State's Jose Zabala, who was hit by pitch 24 times in 1997, with his 25th HBP of the season. He has since upped his total to 28 HBPs this year.
Remarkably, Earey was actually hit 18 times in the first 21 games of the year, before his pace slowed considerably. Richmond's Andrew Slater holds the NCAA single-season record with 33 HBPs in 56 games in 1997.
SNARE HAVING MEMORABLE JUNIOR SEASON
Junior left-hander Ryan Snare has been outstanding on the mound in 2000, especially since suffering his only defeat of the year, a 5-4 loss at Georgia Tech on March 17. In notching back-to-back wins against NC State (March 25) and Clemson (March 31), Snare posted 13 strikeouts and allowed just one unearned run.
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. On April 14, Snare pitched Carolina's second complete game of the year in handing Maryland an 8-2 loss. Snare allowed just one earned run over nine innings while striking out eight to improve to 7-1 on the season.
While he has not had a decision in either of his last two outings (Florida State and Wake Forest), Snare has been on fire, allowing just three earned runs while striking out eight batters in 14.0 innings in those two contests.
PROSSER'S LATE-SEASON MOVE TO SHORT A GOOD ONE
After starting 39 of Carolina's first 46 games at second base, head coach Mike Fox shifted freshman Chad Prosser to shortstop for the final 10 games of the regular-season and last weekend at the ACC Tournament.
Prosser has thrived at short, making a host of acrobatic plays in his new position, while fellow freshman Russ Adams has prospered in a move from third base to second. Clay Hooper has moved from short to third and Ryan Earey has handled duties at first to solidify the UNC infield and help contribute to a defensive effort that has improved considerably over last season.
Carolina enters the NCAA Tournament with a .963 fielding percentage, compared to last year's .954.
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, a sweep of Central Florida, Rice and defending national champion Miami at the season-opening ACC/Disney Blast, and a win over in-state rival East Carolina.
TAR HEELS PEAK AT NO. 2 IN NATIONAL POLLS
Carolina, which is ranked No. 15 in the nation this week by Collegiate Baseball, 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).
COMEBACKS KEY SUCCESS IN 2000
Carolina's ability to bounce back from big deficits has played a key role in its success this season. Carolina has 19 wins this season that 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.
CLOSE LOSSES FRUSTRATE HEELS
After starting the season with a school-record 21-game winning streak, Carolina went 15-11 over its next 26 games before rebounding to stand 44-15 overall, 12-12 in ACC play. Eleven of Carolina's 15 losses have been by three runs or less, including seven by just one run. Only two losses have been by more than five runs. Last week at the ACC Tournament, Carolina dropped an 8-7 heartbreaker in 13 innings to Wake Forest and a 4-1 elimination game to Florida State to continue its stretch of close losses. The Demon Deacons fought off two-run deficits in both the 11th and 12th innings before handing Carolina its seventh one-run loss of the year in the 13th. Just five days earlier, Carolina dropped its series opener with Florida State in the 13th inning. The Seminoles and Tar Heels battled into the 13th inning before FSU scored four runs and took a 6-2 win in Chapel Hill. Two days later FSU won 4-2 to take the series two games to one. In mid March, Carolina dropped three one-run games in five days. 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.
THE FSU SERIES: TAR HEELS DROP TWO OF THREE IN TIGHT SERIES WITH SEMINOLES
Carolina gave Florida State, ranked No. 4 in the country at the time, all it could handle May 12-14 in Chapel Hill, but the Seminoles came away with wins in two of three games at Boshamer Stadium.
In the series-opener, FSU outlasted Carolina 6-2 in a thrilling 13-inning contest. Bobby Spano's one-out RBI single in the top of the 13th was the game-winner for the Seminoles, who added three more runs in the inning against Derrick DePriest for the final 6-2 advantage. After two Carolina runs in the fourth and two FSU runs in the fifth, the two teams stayed knotted at 2 until FSU's four-run 13th inning, despite Carolina loading the bases in the ninth and FSU loading the bases in the 11th.
Saturday's middle game of the series came down to the wire again before this time Carolina came away the winner, 6-5 in front of a capacity crowd at Boshamer Stadium. Trailing 5-4 in the ninth, Karl Jernigan's sac fly scored Marshall McDougall to tie the game at 5. But a two-out, pinch-hit double to right-center field by Chris Maples knocked home Dan Moylan from second base for the game-winner.
Florida State won Sunday's rubber game 4-2, using three runs in the sixth off of UNC starter Eric Henderson to erase a 1-0 Carolina lead.
THE DUKE SERIES: THREE-GAME SWEEP SENDS HEELS OVER .500 MARK IN ACC
After starting the ACC season 0-4, Carolina struggled all season long to get back to the .500 mark in conference play. The Tar Heels finally got over the hump with a three-game sweep at Duke (April 27-29). Carolina entered the series having lost two of three games at Virginia but quickly gained control of the series with a 16-1 win in the opener on April 27. Ryan Earey led the 19-hit attack with two home runs and 6 RBIs, while Ryan Snare shut down the Blue Devils, allowing just one run in 7.0 innings for the victory. With the middle game of the series rained out, the two teams squared off for a doubleheader on April 29, and Carolina came away with two important wins over Duke to move to 11-10 in league play. Carolina needed a 10th-inning Tyrell Godwin RBI single to pull away from the Blue Devils 5-3, while UNC took the late game 10-6.
THE VIRGINIA SERIES: ACC ROAD WOES CONTINUE
Carolina traveled to Charlottesville over Easter weekend and scored its first ACC road win of the season, but still dropped two of three to the Cavaliers.
Plagued by close losses throughout the season, Carolina dropped to 0-7 on the road in league play when Virginia scored an unearned run in the bottom of the 8th inning to break a 5-5 tie for a 6-5 victory in the series opener. Carolina responded in game two of the series by scratching out a 5-4 win after having trailed 3-1 after one inning. Adam Greenberg and Chad Prosser both homered in the game and Clay Hooper and Tyrell Godwin had two hits apiece in the tight struggle.
Virginia cruised to a 10-6 win in the rubber game behind 19 hits, the most allowed all year by Carolina, and stellar fielding. Prosser's 4-for-4 game and Dan Moylan's 3 RBIs were not enough to help the Tar Heels bounce back from a six-run third inning by Virginia.
THE MARYLAND SERIES: TAR HEELS DOWN TERPS WITH THREE-GAME SWEEP
Carolina used 44 runs and 47 hits over three days to sweep Maryland April 14-16 at Boshamer Stadium. Ryan Snare went the distance, striking out eight and giving up just one earned run, in picking up the win in Friday's 8-2 victory to open the series. The Terps led 2-1 through the top half of the seventh, but three runs in the bottom of the seventh and four more in the eighth propelled Carolina to the win.
Carolina again got behind on Saturday, having to dig out of an 8-1 third-inning hole to post a 13-11 win. Matt McCay, who was 3-for-4 with a career-high 6 RBIs, put the Heels ahead for good with a grand slam in the fourth inning.
Carolina's offense was running on all cylinders in Sunday's 23-8 win. Carolina got five runs in the first and led 9-0 through three, while Chris Elmore allowed just one run in seven innings for the win. Tyrell Godwin, Ryan Earey, Sean Farrell and Adam Shearin all homered for the Tar Heels.
THE CLEMSON SERIES: CAROLINA TAKES FIRST SERIES FROM TIGERS SINCE 1990
Carolina took two of three games from Clemson, ranked No. 1 in the nation at the time by Collegiate Baseball, March 31-April 2 in Chapel Hill. 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 the series with the Tigers to move to 4-5 in the conference. 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.
THE N.C. STATE SERIES: TAR HEELS TAKE TWO OF THREE 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.
THE GEORGIA TECH SERIES: jackets end 21-game win streak
Carolina rode a school-record 21-game winning streak into Atlanta for its ACC-opening series at Georgia Tech March 17-19, but the Yellow Jackets came out on top with three straight home wins over the visiting Tar Heels.
Carolina, which had an impressive list of late-inning heroics already under its belt in the first six weeks of the season, threatened to score another heroic comeback and keep its winning streak alive in the series opener before eventually falling to the Jackets 5-4. Carolina got runs in the eighth and ninth innings to cut a 5-2 deficit, but Kevin Cameron got Tyrell Godwin to strike out with runners at first and third to end the game and send UNC to its first loss of the season.
Carolina was no match for the hot-hitting Yellow Jackets in the second game of the series, as Georgia Tech got to Eric Henderson early and dealt the junior lefty his first loss of the year. Georgia Tech again prevailed on Sunday, scoring an unearned run on an errant throw by right fielder Matt McCay in the bottom of the ninth to break a 7-7 tie and score an 8-7 victory. Closer Derrick DePriest was forced to go five innings out of the bullpen and took his first loss of the season.
FARRELL AND EAREY HONORED 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.
EAREY SPARKLES IN FIRST COLLEGIATE START
Junior right-hander Ryan Earey, usually used as a set-up man out of the bullpen, made his first-ever start April 18 at East Carolina and he came away with one of Carolina's best pitching performances of the season for a win over the 21st-ranked Pirates. Earey, who had single-game career highs of 4.1 innings and four strikeouts entering the game, struck out 12 Pirate batters in eight complete innings for his fourth win of 2000. Tyrell Godwin's two homers, including a third-inning grand slam, sparked the offense as UNC won 8-2 in Greenville.
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.
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.
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 months 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.
