March 11, 2002
Overall Record: 6-8, 0-0 ACC
Last Week: 1-3 (0-0 vs. ranked teams)
Tuesday (3/5): UNC at Old Dominion: W, 23-3
Friday (3/8): UNC at Auburn: L, 6-5
Friday (3/9): UNC at Auburn: L, 7-5
Sunday (3/10): UNC at Auburn: L, 11-5
KEY PERFORMERS:
Russ Adams went 12-for-19 (.632) in four games last week, with six RBIs and six runs scored. All six RBIs came in Tuesday's victory over Old Dominion, a career high for Adams. The junior second baseman also stole six bases during the week, giving him an ACC-leading 16 steals on the season. By hitting safely in every game last week, Adams extended his team-high hitting streak to eight games. Adams also made his first three starts of the season at his natural second base position. Adams started the season-opener at shortstop and after suffering a thumb injury in that game played in right field and was the team's designated hitter until Friday at Auburn. Adams was 8-for-13 (.615) in three games against the Tigers.
Scott Autrey had his strongest outing of the season in Friday's start at Auburn, striking out a career-high eight batters. Autrey went seven innings, allowing just two earned runs on four hits and at one point retired 11 consecutive batters in the no-decision.
NEWS AND NOTES
Carolina exploded for 23 runs on 21 hits in Tuesday's 23-3 victory over Old Dominion. The 21 hits were a season high and the 23 runs were the most scored by the Tar Heels since last year's season opener versus James Madison (23-9). The 23 runs were also the most ever allowed by Old Dominion.
Carolina's pitching staff combined to strike out ten batters in Tuesday's win over Old Dominion, its sixth double-digit strikeout game in 2002. Last year, the Tar Heel staff combined to strike out ten or more batters just five times all season.
Center fielder Adam Greenberg led off Sunday's 11-5 loss at Auburn by sending the first pitch of the game over the right field fence. It was Greenberg's second leadoff homer of the season and the fifth of his career. Greenberg added another home run in the seventh inning of that game, giving him the first multiple-homer game of his career.
Mell Adams entered the Auburn series with just one start in right field all season, but he started two games in Alabama and had a pair of doubles in each. He was 4-for-7 in two games.
After starting the season slow offensively, the Tar Heels have found their stroke and have notched at least 10 hits in four straight games. Carolina was particularly impressive at Auburn in hitting 16 doubles, one triple and two home runs in three games. In comparison, the Tigers had just six extra base hits (five doubles and one home run).
Several Tar Heels are approaching career-long hitting streaks in the first month of the 2002 season. Russ Adams has hit in eight straight games, one shy of his career-best hit streak of nine games, while Sean Farrell (five straight) and Chris Maples (seven straight) are both two games off their career bests. Adam Greenberg , who hit in 21 consecutive games in 2000, has hit in six straight games - that includes five two-hit games in that stretch.
Adam Greenberg and Russ Adams, the ACC's top two base stealers a year ago, are making the most of their speed on the base paths already in 2002. Adams leads the ACC with 16 steals, including six last week, while Greenberg has eight steals in nine attempts.
The Tar Heels continued two trends last weekend in Auburn - early scoring and an inability to hold late leads. Carolina has scored at least one first inning run 11 times this season in 14 games, including a season-high five runs in the first inning of Saturday's 7-5 loss to Auburn. Meanwhile, Sunday's 11-5 loss marked the first time in eight losses that the Tar Heels have not led or been tied in the late innings. Carolina held a 5-3 lead in the eighth inning of Friday's 6-5 loss, while the Tar Heels and Tigers entered the seventh inning of Saturday's loss tied 5-5 before Auburn got runs in the bottom of the seventh and eighth innings to score a 7-5 victory.
QUOTABLE
Russ Adams: "This weekend was a bump in the road, but each game and each trip is a learning experience -- whether we win the series or lose. We've had a rough road at the start of the season, but playing against top competition will help us in the long run. We need to do a better job of finishing games and find a way to win."
COMING UP THIS WEEK (PROBABLE STARTER):
Tuesday (3/12) vs. Virginia Commonwealth -- PPD (RAIN)
Wednesday (3/13) vs. High Point at 3 p.m. (Daniel Moore)
Friday (3/15) vs. Maryland at 3 p.m. (Scott Autrey)
Saturday (3/16) vs. Maryland at 1 p.m. (Garry Bakker)
Sunday (3/17) vs. Maryland at 2 p.m. (Daniel Moore)
