University of North Carolina Athletics
Carolina Baseball Outlook
January 28, 2004 | Baseball
Jan. 28, 2004
Fresh off its first NCAA Regional victory since 1989, the University of North Carolina baseball team is poised to continue its rise toward the top of the Atlantic Coast Conference and the national scene in 2004. With 23 letterwinners back in the fold and the addition of the nation's top freshmen class according to Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball, sixth-year head coach Mike Fox and his staff hope to guide the Tar Heels to their first College World Series appearance in 15 years.
With the losses to the lineup of All-ACC performers Chad Prosser and Sean Farrell, who ended their Carolina careers ranked first and second in career hits, the Tar Heels will be built around pitching and defense this season.
"Without question, our team is going to be focused on pitching and defense to start the season," said Fox. "We've got to start on the mound because that's where most of our experience and depth returns. When you start with pitching, you better follow that up with good defense. We need to be good up the middle."
Carolina gets a great start up the middle with junior catcher Chris Iannetta and junior second baseman Greg Mangum, two of the Tar Heels' most experienced returnees. Fox will be forced to replace Prosser at short, while sophomore Blair Waggett and junior Chase Younts figure into the mix in centerfield.
Junior third baseman Sammy Hewitt, a 2003 draft choice of the Texas Rangers, and junior right fielder Marshall Hubbard, a transfer from William & Mary, should be stalwarts in the middle of the Tar Heel lineup. Sophomore Mike Daniel is slated to start in left, while rookie Brack Massey has emerged as the starter at first base.
STARTING PITCHING
On the mound, UNC returns Garry Bakker, Adam Kalkhof and Scott Manshack as probable starters. Highly-touted rookies Daniel Bard and Andrew Miller, both top draft choices in last summer's MLB draft, also figure to start.
"We return pretty much our entire pitching staff intact from last year except for Daniel Moore (a second-round pick of the San Diego Padres)," said Fox. "Certainly that's a huge exception because Daniel was an outstanding pitcher here for three years. We're going to miss his presence, but we have a great nucleus returning with five senior pitchers and several juniors like Garry Bakker that have pitched a great deal for us. Even our three sophomores last year had a lot of appearances. This is a staff that might be considered one our most experienced in terms of innings and appearances returning from one year to the next."
Kalkhof earned Freshman All-America honors from Collegiate Baseball a year ago with a 7-2 record and a 4.26 ERA. He led the staff with 77 strikeouts and was named Rookie of the Year in the New England Collegiate Baseball League last summer. Manshack, who went 7-0 in 2002, was 4-3 last season. He was fourth on the team with 10 starts. Bakker was 6-3 for the second consecutive season in 2003 with a 4.32 ERA. He was third on the squad with 59 strikeouts and was an all-star in the Cape Cod League over the summer.
"Garry has been in that mix since he was a freshman," said Fox. "He's pitched in some really big games and had some outstanding outings for us. He's our hardest worker and he may be the best athlete on the team."
The freshmen tandem of Bard and Miller rounds out the projected Tar Heel starters. Miller (Gainesville, Fla.) was a third-round pick by Tampa Bay, while Bard (Charlotte, N.C.) was chosen in the 20th round by the New York Yankees. Bard also gained valuable experience last summer with the U.S. Junior National Team.
"Daniel and Andrew are highly-touted and have great arms, but they are still freshmen," said Fox. "They both showed the realm of the good and the bad this fall. They had some good outings and some not-so-great ones, which is very typical of young guys trying to feel their way through Division I baseball." Despite the youth of Bard and Miller, Fox expects to depend on the experience of his staff throughout much of the season.
"There is not a guy that we're going to run out there among our seniors, juniors and sophomores that has not been a big ACC game or an NCAA Regional or a tough situation," said Fox. "That's a good thing, and you throw in our freshmen that we feel really good about, and we might have the most depth and best arms that we've had here in awhile."
RELIEF PITCHING
Fox and pitching coach Roger Williams also return a great amount of depth in the bullpen, including seniors Whitley Benson, Kevin Brower, Michael Gross and Scott Senatore.
Benson has been a workhorse over his first three years in Chapel Hill and is tied for fifth in program history with 85 appearances. He made 31 appearances a year ago and posted career-bests of a 3.55 ERA and four saves. Brower is back after a team-best 33 appearances a year ago, while Senatore, who led the staff with a 2.81 ERA, checked in with 32. Brower was 4-4 with a 4.05 ERA. Additionally, Gross made 16 appearances last season.
Sophomores Matt Danford and Jonathan Hovis also gained a great deal of experience last season and should add even more depth. Danford was 3-1 with a 3.47 ERA as a rookie last season. He was fourth on the team with 24 appearances and earned a spot on the all-tournament team at the NCAA Starkville Regional. Hovis worked in 19 games and went 2-1 on the season.
"We have a pretty good mix of players - right- and left-handers - back this year," said Fox. "We have a lot of experience in the bullpen."
Freshman Robert Woodard (Charlotte, N.C.) has also impressed this fall. According to Fox, he has outstanding control. Woodard, Benson and Danford are in the mix to fill the role of closer this season.
Sophomore Bryan Phillips made the biggest jump this fall, while junior Bo Dickerson and freshman Rob Wooten (Pikeville, N.C.) are coming off injuries and may be limited in the amount they can pitch.
CATCHER
Junior Chris Iannetta returns behind the plate as one of the Tar Heels most veteran position players. A year ago, he batted .319 with eight home runs and 55 RBI. Defensively, he committed just five errors in 2003.
"Chris Iannetta is one of our better offensive and defensive players," said Fox. "He caught a lot his first two years here and he's one of our most experienced position players back. Hopefully he'll continue to improve offensively like he did when making the jump between sophomore and junior year."
Versatile junior Justin Webb, who can play four positions, and classmate Mark Griffin will back up Iannetta. Freshman Trent Kline was a highly-touted prep catcher but underwent shoulder surgery in the fall, and his status for the season is undetermined.
FIRST BASE
According to Fox, freshman Brack Massey (Greenville, N.C.) is in the running for the job at first base, which was considered "up in the air" entering the fall.
"Brack Massey really swung the bat well this fall, and we think he has the capability to be a good hitter at this level," said Fox. Massey was an all-state performer as a senior.
When he's not behind the plate, junior Chris Iannetta will play first base, as could senior Sammy Hewitt when not at third base.
SECOND BASE
Junior Greg Mangum returns at second base with 83 starts over under his belt over the last two seasons. In 2003, he hit .305 with 34 RBI and earned a spot on the all-tournament team at the NCAA Starkville Regional.
"Greg Mangum is one of the better defensive infielders that I've ever coached," said Fox, who also played second base at Carolina and East Mecklenburg High School. "He did not make an error at all his freshman year, which was absolutely phenomenal. He had a big grand slam in the Regional. He's a gamer and a competitor."
Freshman Bryan Steed, junior Justin Webb and sophomore Adam Weaver could all add depth at second. "Bryan Steed is a back-up infielder for us who really played well this fall," said Fox. "He's a tough little player and really impressed everybody this fall with his play."
THIRD BASE
Senior Sammy Hewitt, who returned to school after being drafted by the Texas Rangers last summer, is slated to start at third base. He ranks as the Tar Heels leading returning hitter with a .355 average a year ago. Hewitt also added 10 homers and 49 RBI.
"Sammy has power and had a lot of key hits for us," said Fox. "He was out all fall with left shoulder surgery. He had already had surgery on his right shoulder. He's persevered through all that, and we look for Sammy to have a big senior year."
Junior Justin Webb and freshmen Bryan Steed and Jay Cox will back up Hewitt.
SHORTSTOP
Freshman Craig Corrado (Tampa, Fla.) has emerged as the front runner to start at shortstop. A tall, athletic player, Corrado was a two-time all-state selection in Florida.
Utility player Justin Webb, who batted .233 with 13 RBI a year ago, also figures into the mix. "Justin can play all over the field," said Fox. "I mentioned him at short but he's also going to be our back-up catcher, and he'll back up Sammy (Hewitt) at third defensively."
Freshmen Bryan Steed also adds depth at short.
"We've got to replace Chad Prosser and that's a huge hole for us to fill," said Fox. Prosser was four-year standout and graduated as the program's all-time leader in hits.
LEFT FIELD
Sophomore Mike Daniel figures to start in left field. He started 36 games a year ago and batted .248 with 22 RBI as a rookie. According to Fox, Daniel has gotten bigger and stronger since last season and has worked to improve at the plate.
Sophomore Adam Weaver played in the infield last season but could see some time in left in 2004. "Adam Weaver is going to play a little bit in the outfield,' said Fox. "He'll have an opportunity to play, especially against left-handed pitching."
Redshirt freshman Matt Ellington could also see some time in left.
CENTER FIELD
Junior Chase Younts is the likely starter in center field. He missed much of last season with a hamstring injury but batted .351 in 19 games and owns a .321 career batting average. "Chase Younts pulled a hamstring last year and missed a lot of games but when he did play, he did extremely well," said Fox.
Younts' performance will be very important this season, as sophomore Blair Waggett's status is uncertain after surgery on his right shoulder following UNC's Fall World Series. Waggett hit .319 and started 36 games a year ago.
Senior Mell Adams and freshman Tyler White (Charlotte, N.C.) could also see action in center.
RIGHT FIELD
Junior Marshall Hubbard, a transfer from William & Mary, is expected to step in and play in right field and bat in the middle of the order. Big things are expected of Hubbard, who was named Coastal Plain League Offensive Player of the Year after batting .337 last summer.
"Marshall is very well-liked and very well-respected on our team," said Fox. "He's worked hard. Anytime you have to sit out a whole year and have to watch and you stay active, you stay involved and keep working hard you gain a lot of respect."
Junior Ross Cook could also see some action in right. Also adding depth are Mike Daniel, Chase Younts and Mell Adams.
DESIGNATED HITTER
Junior Wes Moyer, redshirt freshman Matt Ellington and freshman Jay Cox all figure into the mix at designated hitter. Moyer batted .312 a year ago and started 28 games. He also added six home runs and 26 RBI. Ellington sat out last season following back surgery, and Cox was an all-state selection as a senior after batting .623.
SCHEDULE
As always, Fox has prepared a challenging schedule for 2004, as the Tar Heels will face 11 teams that made the NCAA Tournament a year ago, including defending national champion Rice.
"Early on in the season, our schedule is designed to get us ready for ACC play," said Fox. "That's the reason we're going to places like Rice to get these guys on the road in a tough environment."
In addition to the host Owls, Carolina will face Nebraska and Northwestern State on the second weekend of the season at the Crowne Plaza/Rice Invitational (Feb. 27-29). The Tar Heels also host Seton Hall (Feb. 20-22) and California (March 12-14) in challenging three-game sets before the start of ACC play. Additionally, UNC travels to Miami (May 14-16) and will play South Carolina in Charlotte on March 31.
"We know our conference schedule will be tough because the league is so good, but our non-conference schedule will be just as difficult," said Fox. "We're using those weekends to prepare us. When we go to Virginia to open up (ACC play), we want to feel like we've been in an environment like we'll find there."
The Tar Heels open ACC play against the Cavaliers in Charlottesville March 19-21. Conference opponents coming to Chapel Hill this season include Florida State (March 26-28), Clemson (April 16-18), Maryland (May 7-9) and NC State (May 20-22).
"I think our schedule is really difficult," said Fox. "I think it's one of the more difficult ones we've had, but I just think it needs to be that way. I think the kids want to play against the best teams in the country. That brings out the best in everyone."
