March 4, 2002
Overall Record: 5-5, 0-0 ACC
Last Week: 2-2 (0-0 vs. ranked teams)
Tuesday (2/26): UNC-Wilmington vs. UNC: W, 6-3
Friday (3/1): (Game 1) California vs. UNC: L, 4-2
Friday (3/1): (Game 2) California vs. UNC: W, 7-5
Sunday (3/3): California vs. UNC: L, 7-4
KEY PERFORMERS:
Ryan Blake went 7-for-11 during the week, including home runs in consecutive plate appearances Sunday against California. In that game, Blake tied his career high for hits with three and he became the first Tar Heel to homer in consecutive at bats since Chris Maples did so last year at Maryland on April 8. Blake currently leads the Tar Heels with a .429 batting average.
Whitley Benson appeared in three of Carolina's four games this week and pitched 4.2 innings without allowing a hit. In Tuesday's 6-3 victory over UNC Wilmington, Benson came on to pitch the final two innings without allowing a base-runner and he picked up his second save of the
season.
NEWS AND NOTES
Adam Greenberg entered the season needing five triples to pass current UNC assistant coach Chad Holbrook as Carolina's all time record holder in that category. Greenberg had two triples this week and already has three in just 10 games this season for 13 in his career. Holbrook had 14 triples from 1990-93.
Greenberg finished the week with back-to-back two-hit games against California. He has a team-high five multiple-hit games this season.
Greenberg's leadoff home run in Sunday's 7-4 loss to California was the fourth leadoff home run of his career, but his first since his freshman year. Greenberg's last leadoff homer was April 22, 2000, at Virginia.
Russ Adams has hit safely in four straight games, the longest current streak on the team. Adams also has an ACC-best 10 stolen bases thus far in 2002.
Chad Prosser had a terrific doubleheader against Cal last Friday, batting 5-for-7 with three RBIs in two games.
Daniel Moore struck out a career-high 12 California batters in Game 2 of Friday's doubleheader, picking up his first win of the season. Moore also pitched a career-high 7.2 innings in the game. Moore's previous career high for K's was six, which he had last month against Seton Hall.
Senior Chris Maples earned his first career save by pitching the final 1.1 innings of Friday's Game 2 victory over California. Maples struck out three of the four batters he retired, giving him six strikeouts in just 2.1 innings pitched on the season.
When Daniel Moore and Chris Maples combined to strike out 15 California batters on Friday it marked the most strikeouts by the Tar Heels in one game since the first game of the Feb. 13, 2000 doubleheader with Penn State. Carolina has now posted 10 or more strikeouts in five of 10 games in 2002. Last year, Carolina notched at least 10 strikeouts five times all season.
NEXT WEEK (PROBABLE STARTER):
Tuesday (3/5) at Old Dominion at 3 p.m. (Scott Manshack)
Friday (3/8) at Auburn at 6:30 p.m. (Daniel Moore)
Saturday (3/9) at Auburn at 3 p.m. (Scott Autrey)
Sunday (3/10) at Auburn at 1:30 p.m. (Garry Bakker)
