University of North Carolina Athletics
Baseball Faces Clemson For Weekend Series
April 26, 2001 | Baseball
April 26, 2001
UNC Baseball Notes (PDF Format)
Download Free Acrobat Reader
at
Clemson Tigers
Fresh of a 10-game homestand, Carolina hits the road to face Clemson at Tiger Field. After opening their homestand with wins in five of the first six games -- including a 6-3 win over No. 19 East Carolina on April 17 -- the Tar Heels dropped two of three ACC games to Duke and fell 11-5 to UNC Wilmington before halting a three-game skid with a 10-3 win over UNC Greensboro Wednesday evening at Boshamer Stadium. Carolina trails Clemson 78-63-1 in the all-time series between the two schools, though UNC did take its first series from the Tigers since 1990 by winning two of three games last year in Chapel Hill.
UNC'S WEEKEND PITCHING ROTATION
Fri. - Dennis Robinson (3-4, 5.86 ERA) OR Daniel Moore (4-4, 5.36 ERA)
Sat. - Ralph Roberts (2-1, 3.67 ERA)
Sun. - Scott Autrey (1-3, 5.57 ERA)
RECAP OF LAST YEAR'S SERIES BETWEEN UNC AND CLEMSON
Carolina took two of three games from Clemson, ranked No. 1 in the nation at the time by Collegiate Baseball, March 31-April 2, 2000, in Chapel Hill. 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 GET BIG MID-WEEK WIN OVER NO. 19 ECU
Playing against a ranked team for the 10th time this season, the Tar Heels stopped No. 19 East Carolina, 6-3, on April 17 at Boshamer Stadium. Carolina, which has won eight of its last nine meetings with the Pirates, used strong pitching performances by starter Daniel Moore (6.2 IP, 3 R, 3H) and closer Jason Howell (2.1 IP, 0 R, 2 H) to get the win. Leading 3-1, Sean Farrell's solo homer in the fifth proved to be the game-winner as ECU rallied for two runs in the seventh before eventually falling by the three-run margin.
PROSSER VAULTS TO TEAM LEAD IN BATTING
While Chad Prosser has cooled a bit at the plate, the sophomore shortstop still leads the Tar Heels with a .357 average. Prosser is just 2-for-17 over the past four games, but prior to that he was on a tear that included a 9-for-12 (.750) series against NC State and an 11-for-14 (.786) series at Maryland. Prosser, who led the Tar Heels last year as a freshman with a .377 average in ACC games, also leads the team in 2001 with a .467 batting average in 18 league games. That includes two 5-for-5 games in one week (at NC State on April 2 and at Maryland on April 8). Prosser's five-hit game in Raleigh marked the first time a Tar Heel had tallied five hits in one game since Feb. 7, 1998. In the 16-9 win at Maryland on April 8, Prosser's five hits included three doubles, one triple and a single.
UNC IS 10-3 IN ONE-RUN GAMES
Carolina is 10-3 in one-run games in 2001, compared to 8-8 in games decided by a single run last year. Of Carolina's 10 one-run wins, four have been won in the bottom of the ninth with game-ending hits, one was won on a game-ending sacrifice fly, and one was a game-winning homer in the bottom of the 11th inning.
CAROLINA'S ACC STRUGGLES CONTINUE IN DUKE SERIES
Carolina got off to an 0-7 start in ACC play for the first time in school history prior to getting two league wins at NC State on April 2. The Tar Heels were swept by Wake Forest (March 16-18), at Florida State (March 23-25) and dropped the series opener at NC State on March 30. UNC had rebounded to win five of eight ACC games, but dropped to 6-12 in the conference with two losses last weekend to Duke. UNC started 0-4 in ACC play in both 1996 and 2000, but the Tar Heels had never dropped their first seven ACC contests prior to this season. Carolina's worst ACC finish in school history was 6-18 (.250) in 1997.
|
Carolina has allowed double-digit runs in 14 games this season -- all losses. UNC's opponents have averaged 9.8 runs in Carolina's 21 losses in 2001, but only 5.3 in Carolina's 26 wins. But several of UNC's freshman pitchers have shown marked improvement recently. In the April 11 win over Charlotte, Daniel Moore and Kevin Brower combined to allow just three hits and one run against the 49ers, marking the lowest hit total of the year by an opponent and the fewest runs since a 3-0 win over Seton Hall on Feb. 24. Against Virginia two days later, Dennis Robinson set UNC season highs with 8.0 innings and 13 strikeouts. On Wednesday against UNCG, Scott Manshack tied his season-long with 6.0 innings pitched and had allowed only one hit and no runs until the Spartans chased him in the seventh. Manshack collected his second win in the 10-3 Carolina victory and Whitley Benson got his third save with three solid innings of relief.
TAR HEEL TIDBITS
* Jeremy Cleveland owns the two longest hitting streaks on the team this year -- 12 games (March 27-April 13) and 11 games (March 2-21).
* When Ryan Blake went 2-for-4 in the April 17 win over ECU, it marked his first multi-hit game since March 21, a span of 17 games. He followed that up with two more two-hit games to open the Duke series.
* Chris Maples, who entered the season with just two career home runs (both as a freshman in 1999) and 32 RBIs, has had a breakout junior season. Maples leads the Tar Heels with 37 RBIs and his seven home runs are tied for the team lead.
* Sean Farrell has drawn 34 walks in 47 games. Last year, Farrell walked just 20 times the whole season.
* Michael Gross had his best outing of the year on Tuesday against UNC Wilmington. Gross pitched a career-long 4.1 innings out of the bullpen, striking out three and allowing just one hit -- a single to the last batter he faced.
* Scott Manshack earned his first win since Feb. 13 (his collegiate debut) on Wednesday against UNC Greensboro. Manshack allowed just one hit through the first six innings before getting in trouble in the seventh. He finished with five strikeouts in a career-high tying 6.0 innings of work.
* Whitley Benson has allowed just one run in his last three outings (10.0 innings). UNC Greensboro got a run against Benson in the ninth inning of Wednesday's loss to the Tar Heels. Benson still collected his third save of the year in that 10-3 Carolina victory.
* Kevin Brower earned his first career save with four hitless and scoreless innings against Charlotte on April 11. He followed that up with his second win of the year in the 7-6 victory over Virginia on April 14.
PLENTY OF PITCHERS SEEING TIME FOR UNC
After losing nearly its entire pitching staff to the MLB Draft and graduation the past two years -- gone are 38 of 46 wins, 14 of 15 saves and 82.4 percent of UNC's total innings pitched from last year -- Carolina has nine true freshmen pitchers on its roster. Throw in senior transer Jason Howell and junior transfer Ralph Roberts and the Tar Heels have plenty of new faces on the mound in 2001. As a result, 14 different pitchers have seen action through 47 games. In fact, UNC has used an average of 3.9 different pitchers per game, while last year the Tar Heels averaged 3.0 pitchers per game over its 63-game schedule.
|
Among the major holes that needed to be filled with the departure of last year's senior class was that of the closer. Afterall, All-America closer Derrick DePriest, whose 124 career appearances and 26 saves rank second all-time at UNC, had been UNC's ace out of the bullpen since 1998. Jason Howell and Whitley Benson have filled in admirably in the 2001 season, combining for a 9-3 record and seven saves in 79.1 innings. Howell picked up his fourth save in the April 17 win over East Carolina and followed that up with his sixth win in the 10-7 victory over Duke on April 20. Meanwhile, Benson earned his third save of the year on Wednesday against UNC Greensboro. Benson entered that game with the bases loaded and no outs in the seventh but held the Spartans scoreless in the seventh, he struck out the side in the eighth and allowed one run before wrapping up the win in the ninth.
TAR HEELS HELD SCORELESS IN BACK-TO-BACK GAMES
When Towson won the seven-inning second game of the March 21 doubleheader 4-0, it marked the first time the Tar Heels have been held scoreless by an opponent since a 1998 ACC Tournament loss to Wake Forest. Florida State then defeated UNC 3-0 in Carolina's next outing (March 23), marking the first time the Tar Heels had been shut out in back-to-back games since May 5 and 6, 1992, when Princeton dropped Carolina 9-0 and 2-0 in consecutive games. The Towson loss marked the first time UNC had been held with out a run at home since a 9-0 loss to NC State on May 11, 1996.
ROBERTS SHINES IN STARTING ROLE
Ralph Roberts, who transferred to Carolina from Lenoir Community College, was expected to make an immediate contribution when he arrived at UNC in the fall. Roberts, who has already been drafted three times but instead opted to attend UNC, ranks tied for fifth on the team with a .301 batting average. But his biggest impact is being felt on the mound. After three solid relief outings, Roberts moved into the starting rotation on March 29 and has provided some of the consistency that that Tar Heel staff has lacked throughout the season. Roberts, 2-1 with a 3.67 ERA (best among starters), was named the ACC Pitcher of the Week on April 9 after notching conference wins over NC State and Maryland in the week. The junior righty struck out five in 6.2 innings against the Wolfpack in the second game of a April 2 doubleheader, as the Tar Heels won their first series at NCSU since 1993. On April 8 against Maryland, Roberts gave up three runs on just four hits over 7.0 innings for his second win of the year. He also was 2-for-4 (including a three-run homer) and drove in four runs in the series-ending game against the Terps.
RUSS ADAMS COMES UP BIG IN THE CLUTCH
Russ Adams has become one of Carolina's biggest threats at the plate as a sophomore. Adams, who ranks second on the team with a .344 batting average, leads the Tar Heels with 67 hits and 46 runs scored. Adams also has 22 steals (second on the team), 35 RBIs (tied for second) and he's ended three games with game-winning hits -- JMU, Minnesota and UCLA.
LONE SENIOR MAKING BIG IMPACT ON THE MOUND AND AT THE PLATE
Stocked with 15 freshmen, Carolina has just one senior on its 2001 roster, transfer Jason Howell. A three-year letterwinner at Appalachian State University, Howell enrolled at UNC in the fall and made an immediate impact for the Tar Heels. Howell has seen time as the DH, at first base, on the mound and, on a very limited basis, in the outfield. Howell's among the ACC's best with six wins (6-2 overall) in 39.1 innings, and he leads UNC with a 3.20 ERA. He also leads UNC with four saves and ranks third on the team with a .336 batting average.
|
Freshman right-hander Dennis Robinson had his finest outing of the year in a 10-6 win over Virginia on April 13, a game in which he struck out a career-high 13 batters in eight complete innings. Eight innings is the longest outing by a Tar Heel this year, and his 13 K's are also a team-high for the 2001 season. In fact, his 13 strikeouts were the most by a freshman pitcher since Mike Bynum fanned 14 batters in seven innings at Maryland on March 16, 1997. In the second longest appearance by a UNC pitcher this season, Robinson struck out seven in 7.2 innings out out of the bullpen for the win at NC State on April 2 (Game 1), UNC's first ACC victory. Robinson has struggled in his last two starts though, giving up six runs on five hits in 0.2 innings to Duke on April 20 and three runs on three hits in the first inning to UNC Wilmington on Tuesday.
