University of North Carolina Athletics
Freshman Pitcher Daniel Moore Making A Quick Impact
March 16, 2001 | Baseball
March 16, 2001
By: Tameka Rish, TarHeelBlue.com
Very few people enjoy losing. Freshman pitcher Daniel Moore is no different. But the 6-5, 202-pound freshman from Spencer, N.C., considers his greatest athletic moments, the ones where he fell short -- going to the high school state championship and the North Carolina Legion state championship, on two different teams, and falling just a little bit short.
"I think it's made me want to win a championship even more now that I'm here," Moore says. "I think that will actually motivate me for a long time until we get that done."
A fixture in UNC's starting rotation as a freshman, Moore is getting that chance. But being counted on early in his career leaves him with mixed feelings.
"When I found out earlier this fall that I was to be a starter, I was thrilled with the opportunity to come in and be so young and be able to pitch. I thought it was a great opportunity," Moore said. "But on the other side, I felt the pressure that there are so many guys behind me that if I don't come in and get the job done then I'll be back over there waiting my turn everyday."
The mound is not the only place that Carolina is lacking experience. There are 15 freshmen on the team with just one lone senior, Jason Howell, who is a transfer. But the Tar Heels are growing up in a hurry, as they enter the ACC slate this weekend with a record of 15-4.
Moore says he's learned how to be a competitor and gained his will to win by watching Michael Jordan -- his athletic hero. Like Jordan, who does not allow obstacles stand in his way of the goal, it does not bother Moore that more than half of the team is new to Carolina. Moore still has confidence in his teammates.
"I think that if you are going to have inexperience then you want to have a lot of it," he said. "It's a lot easier to teach because everybody's going to make mistakes. I think the coaches can deal with it better when they know that mistakes are going to come."
While there are obviously some mistakes, they haven't been too obvious in a fast start to the 2001 season. Moore is 2-0 with a 3.57 ERA -- tops among UNC starters -- in four starts. He's pitched a team-high 22.2 innings entering today's start versus Wake Forest, and in his two wins -- versus William & Mary on Feb. 14 and against Seton Hall on Feb. 24 -- he pitched a combined 14.0 shutout innings, striking out eight while allowing just six hits.
Moore attributes his success to his older brother and his own hard work. His brother played Division II baseball, but did not have the size of most top prospects. He saw Daniel's size and began to work with him.
"He pushed me a little bit, and eventually he left me by myself," Moore says. "I realized if I was going to make it, I was going to do it on my own."
Though Moore comes across as very strong-willed, he describes himself as easy-going. He says the biggest obstacle he has had to overcome is the adjustment between high school and college, both athletics and academics. But teammates have made the way a little easier.
"It's (baseball) an easy way to get filtered into a social life. As a student, if you don't know anybody it's hard to get in with a bunch of people. Being on a team like this, you get into a social setting and it makes the transition much more comfortable."
College life is important to Moore, who was drafted out of high school by the Florida Marlins. The need to work on his change-up and the mental aspect of the game was not the only thing that kept Moore out of the minor leagues.
"Some guys don't have a choice, and I could see why people would go," Moore says. "But for me, I was coming to the University of North Carolina. If I graduate from here and get a degree, it will actually mean something. I didn't feel that I was ready to be thrust into playing for a paycheck. If you don't succeed you're going home and you have to get a job."
A key addition to the UNC pitching staff, Moore has the size to follow in the footsteps of 6-3 Kyle Snyder and 6-8 Mike Bynum, two standouts polishing their skills in the minor leagues today. With his attitude and ability, look for Daniel Moore to step up and leave some big shoes of his own to be filled.
