University of North Carolina Athletics
Baseball Season Less Than A Week Away
February 10, 2003 | Baseball
Feb. 10, 2003
In the midst of one of the most successful periods in the history of the North Carolina baseball program, the 2003 Tar Heels look to build on an exciting 2002 season that saw the team make its fourth NCAA Tournament appearance in the last five years, set nine new team batting records and have three players earn All-America honors for just the second time in school history. Throw in a three-game sweep of the top-ranked Florida State Seminoles, record-setting crowds at Boshamer Stadium and the highest Atlantic Coast Conference finish in more than a decade and there's no question that 2002 was a memorable year to build upon.
But fifth-year head coach Mike Fox knows his team has its work cut out for it to continue its rise in the fiercely competitive ACC, and it will take a different brand of baseball in 2003 for the Tar Heels to enjoy success. Gone are All-Americas Russ Adams, Adam Greenberg and Chris Maples -- veterans who combined to hit .351 with 47 home runs, 191 RBIs and 96 stolen bases last year. One year after shattering team records in batting average, hits, home runs and RBIs -- just to name a few -- Carolina will look to some of the most talented pitchers in the league to set a few records of their own and redefine the personality of the team as one built first around pitching and defense.
Junior pitchers Daniel Moore, Scott Manshack, Whitley Benson and Michael Gross, along with sophomore Garry Bakker headline Carolina's talented pitching staff and all enter the season with the potential to have breakout years. Add to that several talented freshman, and the Tar Heels have the makings of a powerhouse staff.
Meanwhile, senior captain Sean Farrell, who quietly put together an outstanding 2002 season (.354, 73 RBIs, 14 home runs), looks to carry the load on offense. A three-year starter with 153 RBIs and 26 home runs since 2000, Farrell is joined by C/1B Ryan Blake and SS Chad Prosser as the only seniors on the team. While the Tar Heels have holes to fill in the outfield, Blake, Prosser and sophomore 2B Greg Mangum provide defensive stability up the middle. Catcher Chris Iannetta and 1B Jeremy Cleveland could also have big seasons and will be counted on to help create offense.
The preseason No. 22 Tar Heels will once again face a challenging schedule, which not only includes ACC heavyweights Georgia Tech, Florida State, Wake Forest and Clemson, but also features a three-game series with No. 21 Auburn and dates with No. 15 Richmond and No. 25 Virginia Commonwealth. Carolina will play a school-record 39 home games in 2003. The season-opener is Feb. 17 versus Delaware State at 3 p.m. at Boshamer Stadium.
Fox sat down prior to the season to discuss the 2003 Tar Heels. Here is the first of a two-part interview with Fox.
ON THE PITCHING STAFF
"We've got to start with pitching. That's going to be the nucleus of our team and our strength returning, really because we lost just one pitcher in Scott Autrey. The rest are back. Hopefully, they are all going to be a year better. If they continue to make the jump that most of these juniors we have on our team made from 2001 to 2002, then we'll be very competitive. We were better last year on the mound, compared to 2001. Now we want to be able to look back and say in 2003 we were better than in 2002. Whenever you have a good nucleus of pitchers back, it's a good sign, because pitching is still the name of the game. It can keep us in a lot of games. We have depth. We're a lot on the pitching side the way we were last year position-player wise.
"With the depth that we have, it's going to be a challenge for our players, because they know that there are guys waiting in the wings to throw. You have to start with Daniel Moore, Scott Manshack and Garry Bakker - guys who started games for us last year and really showed flashes of what they are capable of doing. Daniel was outstanding at Wake Forest, at Georgia Tech and against Florida State. Scott really came into his own, going 7-0 as a sophomore. He's like a different player this year in terms of his confidence. You can just tell this fall that he has a different presence. The light has gone on for him, where he realizes how good he can be at this level. Garry showed what he is capable of doing last year as a freshman, and we think he will continue to improve.
"We've got two relievers in Michael Gross and Whitley Benson that we will use as a double-headed closer so they're both fresh. If one of them has pitched a couple of games, then we won't mind closing with the other one. The key for us is to be able to get them innings, because they're two of our best guys. We don't want to leave them sitting in the bullpen and not pitch them.
"Kevin Brower will also come out of the bullpen, and last year for a three week period was one of our best relievers. We also have our four freshmen -- Zack Zuercher, Adam Kalkhof, Jonathan Hovis and Matt Danford. They all really pitched well this fall. We were pleased. They all had good command, they throw quick and they're all pretty good athletes for their position.
"We also have Bo Dickerson back from injury who has looked good so far. Todd Boessen and Jason King are also back from being injured last year. Bryan Phillips, Ross Cook and Scott Senatore all give us added depth as well and will be keys for us.
"We've got 16 guys who all have a chance to contribute. We're very competitive on the mound. Any time you've got competition, that's a great thing."
ON THE OFFENSE
"We haven't replaced what we had last year, in terms of somebody who can do what Russ Adams, Adam Greenberg and Chris Maples did. We're not expecting that. We'll be a different team offensively. We're not expecting to hit 108 home runs again.
"But I think we can be very competetive offensively. Sammy Hewitt, Chris Iannetta, Ryan Blake, Sean Farrell and Jeremy Cleveland are all big keys for us. We hope Chad Prosser can get back to where he was as a sophomore in terms of his consistency and average.
"We've got some guys who we'll plug in to the lineup and we'll look to manufacture more runs -- do more hitting and running, running and hitting. If we're a pitching and defense team, which is how I'd have to describe us right now, then we're going to have to play offensively according to our strengths. If that's to score early and to put the onus on our pitching staff, we'll have to do it. We have to prevent the big inning. I don't think we have the firepower to go out and hit a couple of home runs an inning to get back in a game if we're four or five runs down. We won't have quite the run support, especially early. It may be a bit of a different philosophy for us."
