University of North Carolina Athletics
Maples Named ACC Player Of The Week
March 25, 2002 | Baseball
March 25, 2002
CHAPEL HILL - North Carolina's Chris Maples has been named the ACC's Player of the Week. A senior third baseman and relief pitcher from Hillsborough, N.C., Maples sparked Carolina's first sweep of Florida State in school history, as the Tar Heels beat the former No. 1 Seminoles 11-7, 7-1 and 9-1 last weekend in Chapel Hill. Carolina also took two games from Princeton last week and is back in Baseball America's latest Top 25 poll at No. 24.
Maples batted 6-for-11 (.545) with three home runs and 11 RBIs against the Seminoles and was 9-for-18 (.500) with four doubles, eight runs scored, four home runs and 14 RBIs for the entire week to help extend UNC's winning streak to a nine games, its longest since winning 21 straight in 2000. He also pitched two scoreless innings of relief on the week.
In Friday's 11-7 victory over FSU, Maples helped the Tar Heels come from five runs behind for the win. Maples led off the seventh inning with a solo home run and then drove in the go-ahead runs in Carolina's nine-run seventh inning with a grand slam. He added a two-run double and a two-run home run to lead Carolina to a 7-1 win on Saturday and helped ensure the series sweep with an RBI double in the eighth inning of Sunday's 9-1 win.
Maples is batting .303 with 27 RBIs and a team-leading nine home runs. He has hit in 15 of the last 16 games, including seven straight.
UNC has started the ACC regular season 6-0 for the first time since 1990 when they won 51 games and were ACC champions.
Carolina hosts Towson on Tuesday and Wednesday at 3 p.m. and returns to ACC play next weekend at Virginia.
