UNC Baseball Notebook: May 6

May 6, 2002

Overall Record:35-15, 13-5 ACC
Last Week: 3-0 (1-0 vs. ranked teams)

2002 Season Statistics

Monday (4/29): Elon vs. UNC: W, 7-0
Tuesday (4/30): #14 East Carolina vs. UNC: W, 10-1
Wednesday (5/1): Appalachian State vs. UNC: W, 7-3

IN THE POLLS (through April 29)
Collegiate Baseball: 6
aseball America: 13
USA Today Baseball Weekly/ESPN: 14

TOP PERFORMERS:


	Jeremy Cleveland has raised his batting average to .339.

Jeremy Cleveland went 5-for-8 on the week with three runs scored and four RBIs. With his recent increase in playing time, Cleveland has raised his average to .339, good for fourth on the team.

Scott Manshack pitched a complete game, five-hit shutout in Monday's 7-0 victory over Elon. Carolina's victory marked just the second time this season the Phoenix had been shut out. Manshack struck out seven batters and has now pitched 15 consecutive scoreless innings, improving his record to 6-0.

Chris Maples went 7-for-12 on the week, with four runs scored, four RBIs, three doubles and two home runs, both in Monday's victory over Elon. Maples now has 21 doubles and 19 home runs, putting him in fourth place on both of Carolina's single season records lists.

Whitley Benson made the first start of his collegiate career in Tuesday's victory over East Carolina after making 46 career appearances out of the bullpen previously. Benson pitched six scoreless innings and scattered just five hits to pick up his second win of the season.

NEWS AND NOTES

The Tar Heels have won four games in a row and 10 of their last 11. After beginning the season 6-8, Carolina has gone 29-7 over their last 36 games, an .806 winning percentage.

Carolina finished its 35-game regular-season home schedule with 28 wins, two shy of the Boshamer Stadium record of 30 posted in 2000 and 1993. The Tar Heels entered a nine-day break for final exams with 11 wins in their last 13 games, having dropped just a pair of one-run games in that two and a half week stretch.

Adam Greenberg entered UNC's nine-day exam break riding a season-high 13-game hit streak. Chris Maples, who hit in a team-best 14 games from March 16-April 3 of this season, has hit safely in 11 straight games.

Mike Fox is closing in on his 700th win as a college head coach. Fox, who was 540-141-4 in 15 seasons at Division III North Carolina Wesleyan before returning to his alma mater in 1999, is 693-217-4 in 19 years of coaching.

Carolina has hit 80 home runs in 2002, which ranks as the fourth most in a single season in school history. The school record for homers is 95 in 1986. The Tar Heels also have their sights set on the single-season school record for doubles. Carolina has hit 124 doubles in 2002, while the school record is 137 set in 1998.

QUOTEABLE

Mike Fox had the following to say as his team entered a nine-day layoff for final exams:

"This will give our guys a chance to rest a little bit and to heal up.

"We'll start back on Monday with some optional practice and we'll really get back in gear Tuesday night and at least get three full practices in - Wednesday, Thursday and Friday - before we go to Duke.

"We've gone through this stretch before. Two years ago we were horrible in that first game after the break, but last year we came back and played very well against Georgia Tech. This team knows that we haven't accomplished any of our goals so far, so I know they'll stay motivated and do their work over the break."

NEXT WEEK:
Saturday (5/11) at Duke at 5 p.m. (Scott Autrey)
Sunday (5/12) at Duke at 1:30 p.m. (Garry Bakker)
Monday (5/13) at Duke at 7 p.m. (Daniel Moore)

Scoreboard Slider

University of North Carolina Athletics

Related News

Players Mentioned

Scott Autrey

Adam Greenberg

Chris Maples

Related Videos