University of North Carolina Athletics
Baseball Hits Road For Savannah
February 21, 2002 | Baseball
Feb. 21, 2002
2002 UNC Baseball Notes (PDF Format)
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UNC PITCHING ROATION
Friday: Daniel Moore, LHP (0-0, 1.69 ERA)
Saturday: Scott Autrey, RHP (0-0, 3.86 ERA)
Sunday: Garry Bakker, RHP (0-0, 1.80 ERA)
TAR HEELS HIT THE ROAD FOR DIAMOND CLASSIC
After opening the season by dropping two of three games to Seton Hall at Boshamer Stadium, the Tar Heels travel to Savannah, Ga., to play three games in the Memorial Health Diamond Classic. The Tar Heels own a 19-18-2 record all-time against Georgia, a 22-9 mark all-time against Connecticut and are 1-1 in two career meetings with Armstrong State.
HEELS DROP TWO OF THREE IN TIGHT SETON HALL SERIES
Carolina opened the season last weekend with three tight games against Seton Hall and is 1-2 heading into the Diamond Classic. In the season-opener, Carolina rallied from a 4-1 deficit with six runs in the final three innings for a dramatic 7-5 victory. Sean Farrell had a game-tying two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth and Ron Braun's three-run, walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth erased a 5-4 Pirate lead and vaulted UNC to the season-opening win. On Saturday, Seton Hall trailed 2-1 before an unearned run in the eighth tied the game, 2-2. Casey Grimm's two-run single in the 10th was the game-winner for Seton Hall. The Pirates closed out the series with a 4-3 win, scoring the game-winner in the top of the ninth on a wild pitch by UNC reliever Scott Senatore.
ADAMS LISTED AS DAY-TO-DAY
Preseason All-America second baseman Russ Adams suffered a hairline fracture in his left thumb in the season-opener on Feb. 15 and heads into the Diamond Classic listed as day-to-day. Adams caught the ball off his thumb while making a bunt attempt in his second at bat of the season, but he stayed in the game and was 2-for-3 with one RBI, one stolen base and he scored two times. Adams did not play in the field but got one hit and scored once as Carolina's DH in Saturday's loss. He did not play on Sunday. Adams is expected to at least hit this weekend.
PITCHERS MAKE STRONG SHOWING AGAINST SETON HALL
One year after UNC's young and inexperienced pitching staff posted a 5.90 team ERA and walked 289 batters compared to just 315 strikeouts, the Tar Heels got off to a great start on the mound in its season-opening series with Seton Hall. Starters Scott Autrey and Daniel Moore both set new career highs for strikeouts with seven and six respectively, while freshman Garry Bakker was impressive in his collegiate debut on Sunday, striking out seven batters in 5.0 two-hit innings. Overall, the Tar Heels struck out 34 batters and walked 14.
Said head coach Mike Fox: "I thought we pitched great for three days. We're not going to lose too many games when we pitch the way we did this weekend. I was impressed with the maturity our guys showed out there and I think Garry Bakker was impressive in his first start. He has the chance to be very, very good for us."
Carolina's pitching staff returns 69 percent of its innings pitched and 61 percent of its wins from 2001.
HEELS HAVE CLICKED IN FEBRUARY UNDER FOX
While Carolina struggled in its season-opening series with Seton Hall, dropping close back-to-back games on Saturday and Sunday after opening the series with a 7-5 win, Carolina has had tremendous success in the month of February in the Mike Fox era. Since Fox became Carolina's head coach in 1999, the Tar Heels are 31-4 in February. Carolina was 10-0 in both 1999 and 2000 in February, getting off to school-record 16-0 and 21-0 starts, while the Tar Heels were 10-2 last season in the early going.
2002 UNC Baseball Notes (PDF Format)Download Free Acrobat Reader
