University of North Carolina Athletics
No. 17 Tar Heels Head West to Crowne Plaza/Rice Invitational
February 26, 2004 | Baseball
Feb. 26, 2004
Complete Game Notes in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
CHAPEL HILL -- Carolina's trip to this weekend's Crowne Plaza/Rice Invitational marks the furthest west the Tar Heels have traveled since the 2000 squad played a three-game set at UCLA. Carolina will face No. 2 Rice, the defending national champion, at 5:30 p.m. EST Friday, followed by a Saturday meeting with Northwestern State (5:30 p.m. EST) and a Sunday tilt with No. 23 Nebraska (1 p.m. EST). The event is the Tar Heels' first journey to the Lone Star State since the 1993 NCAA Central I Regional in College Station. Current Carolina assistant coach Chad Holbrook was a senior on that team. UNC has played only one game in its history against its three opponents this weekend, an 8-2 win over Rice in 2000 at the Coca-Cola Classic in Mobile, Ala. The Tar Heels have never faced Northwestern State or Nebraska.
SCOUTING THE FIELD
No. 2 Rice (5-2): The Tar Heels will take on the defending national champion for the first time since taking two of three from 2001 College World Series champ Miami at Boshamer Stadium in 2002. Rice is led by three preseason All-America pitchers: Jeff Neimann, Wade Townsend and Philip Humber. At the plate, center fielder Chris Kolkhorst leads the way with a .500 average (12-for-24) and seven RBI.
Northwestern State (3-4): Batting .293 as a team, the Demons are led by Hunter Thoms (.455, 10 RBI) and Brandon Morgan (.429) at the plate. Bobby Barbier has homered three times in seven games this season. On the mound, NSU sports a team earned run average of 7.60.
No. 23 Nebraska (3-0): The Huskers went 3-0 and scored at least 12 runs per game at last weekend's Ultimate Dugout Baseball Fiesta in Albuquerque, N.M. Nebraska is batting .400 as a team, led by Joe Simokaitis' .600 mark (6-for-10). Daniel Bruce is hitting .462 with three homers and nine RBI. The Tar Heels will face senior lefty Justin Pekarek (0-0, 13.50 ERA) on Sunday.
A LOOK AT THE TAR HEEL STARTERS
Rice: Garry Bakker (Jr., RHP): Bakker brings a career mark of 12-6 into Friday's meeting with No. 1 Rice. Last time out, Bakker allowed three runs on seven hits, while striking out five, in a no-decision against Seton Hall on Feb. 20.
Northwestern State: Daniel Bard (Fr., RHP): A 20th-round pick of the Yankees in the 2003 MLB Draft, Bard picked up a win in his collegiate debut versus Seton Hall on Feb. 21. He went 5.1 innings and gave up four hits and two earned runs. Bard struck out seven batters.
Nebraska: Adam Kalkhof (So., LHP): A Freshman All-America a year ago, Kalkhof went four innings and allowed just four hits and one earned run in game three of the Seton Hall series. The lefty also struck out six batters in the no-decision.
LIVE VIDEO FOR RICE, NEBRASKA GAMES
Carolina's games against both Rice (Friday, 5:30 p.m. EST) and Nebraska (Sunday, 1 p.m. EST) can be seen live via the internet. A link to streaming video of Friday's game with the defending national champions can be found at RiceOwls.com, while audio is available at both www.ktru.org and www.tsrnsports.com. A link to video of Sunday's Tar Heel-Husker match-up can be found at Huskers.com.
LAST TIME OUT: CAROLINA 5, GARDNER-WEBB 1
Freshman lefty Andrew Miller allowed no runs and just two hits over six innings in his collegiate debut to lead No. 17 North Carolina (4-0) to a 5-1 victory over Gardner-Webb (3-5) Wednesday. Miller, who is rated the top freshman prospect in the nation by Baseball America, was outstanding in his first Tar Heel start, striking out four and walking just two batters. Seniors Kevin Brower, Whitley Benson and Scott Senatore combined to allowed one unearned run over the final three innings to close out the win. At the plate, freshman left fielder Jay Cox went 3-for-3 with an RBI, and second baseman Greg Mangum and third baseman Justin Webb each added two hits to lead the Tar Heel offense. Mangum improved his average to a team-best .412.
MANGUM, IANNETTA PROVIDE PUNCH
Carolina's two most experienced position players - juniors Chris Iannetta and Greg Mangum - both came up big on the first weekend of the season. Against Seton Hall, Mangum hit .385 (5-for-13) and drove in four runs, including the 11th-inning game-winner on opening day. He also played stellar defense at second base and stole a pair of bases. On the season, Mangum leads Carolina with a .412 average, five RBI and three steals. He has driven in at least on run in each game this season. Iannetta led the Tar Heels in game two versus the Pirates, as he went 2-for-3 with a homer and 3 RBI. On the year, he his batting .231 (3-for-13) with a homer, a double and four runs scored. Iannetta also leads the Tar Heels with four walks on the year.
HEELS FIND HELP FROM HUBBARD
Junior Marshall Hubbard, who transferred to Carolina from William & Mary, joined the Tar Heel lineup after sitting out last season and has made a huge impact in the first few games of the season. Playing right field and batting third in the order, Hubbard hit .308 (4-for-14) with a home run, two RBI and four runs scored in the Seton Hall series. His first homer in a Tar Heel uniform was a memorable one, as it tied the Feb. 20 game with Seton Hall in the eighth inning and allowed Carolina to win it 4-3 in the 11th. On the year, Hubbard is batting .235 (4-for-17). At William & Mary, Hubbard batted .326 with eight home runs and 42 RBI in 2002 and he hit .388 as a freshman in 2001. This summer, Hubbard earned Coastal Plain League Offensive Player of the Year honors after batting .337 with seven home runs and 37 RBI for the Outer Banks Daredevils. Hubbard was named the nation's No. 6 impact transfer by Baseball America.
ROOKIE HURLERS IMPRESSIVE EARLY
Carolina's highly-touted freshman pitchers have lived up to their billing through the first four games of the season. Rookies Daniel Bard and Andrew Miller are the lone starters to record wins and have combined to allow just seven hits and two earned runs in 12 innings this season. The duo has also tallied 11 strikeouts. Miller beat Gardner-Webb on Wednesday with just two hits in six shutout innings, while Bard went 5.1 innings in game two against Seton Hall and allowed just two runs on four hits, while striking out seven. Miller came on to get the final two outs in the sixth in that game, and classmate Robert Woodard struck out the side in the ninth to earn the save. Woodard also got the final out in the 11-6 win in game three versus the Pirates. This trio is a big part of Carolina's 2.13 team earned run average.
SENIORS CARRY THE LOAD
On the season, Carolina's four senior relievers - Whitley Benson, Kevin Brower, Michael Gross and Scott Senatore - have combined to work 10.2 innings without allowing an earned run. Benson led the way with 3.1 hitless innings and a win on opening day, and Brower, Benson and Senatore worked three innings in the win over Gardner-Webb. This group has been an important part of the Roger Williams' staff over the last four years and combined for 112 appearances a year ago.
WOODARD WOWS 'EM
Freshman closer Robert Woodard has fanned all four batters he's faced this season. He came on the ninth to earn his first career save and strike out three in game two of the Seton Hall series and also retired the final batter of UNC's 11-6 win over the Pirates in the final game of the set.
UNC FRESHMAN CLASS RATED THE NATION'S BEST
North Carolina's 10-man freshman class was named the nation's best by Baseball America and shared top billing with South Carolina in Collegiate Baseball's recruiting rankings. Headlining the class for the Tar Heels are Major League Baseball draftees pitcher Andrew Miller (third round pick of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays), pitcher Daniel Bard (20th round pick of the New York Yankees) and catcher Trent Kline (39th round pick of the Montreal Expos). Rookie shortstop Craig Corrado and first baseman Brack Massey are expected to battle for starting spots, while pitcher Robert Woodard opens the season at the Tar Heel closer. Rookies Jay Cox, Bryan Steed and Tyler White add important depth. Kline and pitcher Rob Wooten are both rehabbing shoulder injuries.
Miller has brought home several preseason honors. He was named ACC Preseason Freshman of the Year by Baseball America and the league's Preseason Newcomer of the Year by Collegiate Baseball. Additionally, he was named the nation's No. 1 freshman prospect by Baseball America. Bard was ninth on that list.
HEWITT RETURNS TO THE HILL
Senior third baseman Sammy Hewitt returns as the Tar Heels' top hitter despite being selected in the 34th round of the 2003 Major League Baseball Draft by the Texas Rangers. In his first season at Carolina, Hewitt batted .355 with 10 homers and 49 runs batted in. His average was second on the team behind Jeremy Cleveland's .410 mark. Hewitt, who was a second-team preseason all-conference choice by Southeastern Baseball, will be counted on as one of Carolina's top hitters again this season. After starting the season 0-9, Hewitt has four hits in his last seven at bats. He has also driven in a pair of runs over this stretch.
TAR HEELS PICKED FOURTH IN ACC COACHES POLL
Off a 42-23 record a year ago, North Carolina was selected fourth in the 2004 Atlantic Coast Conference Preseason Baseball Coaches Poll, which was released Jan. 29. The Tar Heels tallied 58 points, just two points shy of third-place Clemson (60 points) and three points behind No. 2 Florida State (61 points). Defending ACC champ Georgia Tech claimed the top spot with six first-place votes and 77 points.
HEELS, COCKS SET FOR BATTLE OF THE BORDER
The University of North Carolina and University of South Carolina baseball teams will play the first annual "Battle of the Border" at Knights Stadium, home of the Triple-A Charlotte Knights, on Wednesday, March 31 at 7:15 p.m. The Tar Heels lead the all-time series 58-30-1, but the Gamecocks have eliminated Carolina in each of the last two NCAA Tournaments, including last year's Super Regional. All tickets for the game are general admission and cost $8. UNC will be the home team and occupy the third base dugout. Tickets can be ordered by visiting the Charlotte Knights Box Office at Knights Stadium, online at www.charlotteknights.com or by calling (704) 36-HOMER.
CAROLINA HOSTS 35 AT THE BOSH
After playing a record 40 home games a year ago, Carolina will play 35 games at Boshamer Stadium in 2004. Since Mike Fox took over prior to the 1999 season, the Tar Heels have played at least 30 home games each season and own a 142-39 mark (.785) at home over the last five years. Since the stadium's opening in 1972, Carolina sports a 683-244-4 (.736) record at home. The school record for wins at home is 30, established when Fox's team went 30-5 in 2000.
