University of North Carolina Athletics
No. 10 Tar Heels Host Clemson at Boshamer
April 15, 2004 | Baseball
April 15, 2004
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - After playing three of its first four Atlantic Coast Conference series on the road, No. 10 North Carolina (26-8, 8-4 ACC) returns home to host Clemson (20-13, 6-3 ACC) for a three-game set at Boshamer Stadium. Games are scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 1:30 p.m. Sunday. Jones Angell and Adam Pohl will call the action on AM-1360 WCHL Friday and Saturday. An internet audio broadcast will be available for all three games at TarHeelBlue.com.
SERIES HISTORY
Carolina and Clemson have met 156 times since 1901, with the Tigers holding an 88-67-1 edge in the series. Over the last two seasons, the Tar Heels are 3-4 against Clemson, including a 10-2 win in last year's ACC Tournament. Head coach Mike Fox owns a 7-10 record against the Tigers. UNC's last series win versus Clemson came in 2000 when the Tar Heels took two of three at home. Carolina is 8-13 at Boshamer Stadium in the series since 1990.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Clemson enters the weekend on the heels of a 13-5 win over No. 6 South Carolina Wednesday and a 9-5 victory over Winthrop Tuesday. After opening the ACC state 6-0, the Tigers were swept at Virginia last weekend and only scored five runs in the series. On the year, Clemson is batting .304 as a team and owns a team earned run average of 4.05. Third baseman Brad McCann leads the Tiger offense with a .409 average, eight homers and 36 RBI. Catcher Lou Santangelo owns nine homers and 28 RBI on the year. Tyler Lumsden (2-2, 4.24) is scheduled to start Friday, while Robert Rohrbaugh (2-1, 2.81) should start Saturday. Sunday's starter is yet to be determined.
A LOOK AT THE TAR HEEL STARTERS
Friday: Daniel Bard (Fr., RHP): Bard is 6-0 on the year and ranks fourth in the ACC with a 2.26 ERA. Through games of April 11, he also ranked among the league's top two in wins, innings per start (6.96) and opponent batting average (.193). On the year he has allowed just 38 hits in 55.2 innings and only 17 walks against 44 strikeouts. Last time out, Bard picked up a win at Georgia Tech after allowing five runs in 7.0 innings. He is 3-0 in ACC play this season.
Saturday: Garry Bakker (Jr., RHP): Bakker is 2-3 on the year with a 5.00 ERA. Last time out, he carried a no-hitter into the fifth at Georgia Tech but lost after allowing six runs on four hits and four walks in 5.1 innings. Bakker is 0-2 in two career starts versus the Tigers.
Sunday: Andrew Miller (Fr., LHP): Miller is 3-2 on the year with a 3.56 ERA. In his last start, he allowed three earned runs on five hits and five walks in 4.1 innings at Georgia Tech. On the year he has allowed just 35 hits in 42.0 innings while striking out 39 batters. Opponents are batting just .217 against him.
IANNETTA RIDES 23-GAME HITTING STREAK
Chris Iannetta brings a career-best hitting streak into the weekend series with Clemson. Iannetta has hit safely in his last 23 games, which is the team's longest streak of the year by 11 games. The school record hitting streak is 31 games by Ron Maurer in 1990. Over the 23-game stretch he is batting .388 (33-for-85) with 22 runs scored, 31 RBI, seven doubles and six home runs. On the year, he has hit safely in 30 of 34 games. Iannetta is also enjoying one of the finest all-around seasons in the ACC thus far. Through games of April 11, he ranked among the league's top 10 in 10 offensive categories. He was the league leader in on-base percentage at .500. In ACC games, Iannetta is batting .444 with four homers and 15 RBI.
BARD GRABS MIDSEASON HONORS FROM BASEBALL AMERICA
On the strength of a perfect 6-0 record after eight collegiate starts, right-hander Daniel Bard was named the nation's top freshman pitcher at the midseason point by Baseball America. Additionally, he was one of five rookie hurlers named to the Midseason Freshman All-America team. A Charlotte native, Bard is 6-0 on the year with a team-best 2.26 earned run average. He has allowed just 38 hits in 55.2 innings and has struck out 44 batters against just 17 walks. In Atlantic Coast Conference play, Bard is 3-0 with a 3.76 ERA. Through games of April 11, he ranked fourth in the league in ERA and also stood first or second in wins, innings per start (6.96), shutouts (1) and opponent batting average (.193). With a win Friday, he will equal the best start for a Tar Heel freshman since Scott Autrey went 7-0 in 2000.
Jay Cox NAMED ACC CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK
After batting .533 with two homers and eight runs batted in last week, freshman left fielder Jay Cox was named Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Co-Player of the Week for April 12. In addition to going 8-for-15 at the plate, Cox also posted a slugging percentage of 1.133 as the Tar Heels went 2-2 on the week. With three RBI against Charlotte on Wednesday and Georgia Tech on Friday, Cox tied his career high in back-to-back games. Against the 49ers, he went 2-for-3 with a double and three RBI. In game one of the Georgia Tech series, Cox put the Tar Heels up 2-0 with a two-run homer in the first inning. In the 9-7 Carolina win, he was 2-for-3 with the homer, two walks and two runs scored. In Saturday's loss Cox was 2-for-5 with an RBI and two doubles. He followed that up with an inside-the-park home run in a 2-for-4 effort Sunday.
MR. APRIL
After struggling with a .274 average in March, Carolina leadoff man Greg Mangum has batted .405 in April to trail just Jay Cox (.409) and Chris Iannetta (.452) on the Tar Heel roster. He has hit safely in seven of the eight games, including the last six. Mangum also had a stretch of five straight multi-hit games, including all three meetings with Georgia Tech.
HEELS RETURN HOME
After playing seven of its last eight games on the road, Carolina returns home for a three-game series for the first time since winning two of three from Florida State March 26-28. Before a 12-4 loss to Cal on March 14, Carolina opened the season 12-0 at Boshamer Stadium. The 12-game win streak at home was the longest since the 2002 squad won 15 straight at The Bosh from March 13-April 10, and the 12 consectutive home wins to open a season were the most since the 2000 team, which opened 21-0, won its first 15 games at Boshamer Stadium. The Tar Heels are currently 19-2 at home on the year.
HUBBARD NAMED TO GOLDEN SPIKES AWARD WATCH LIST
Junior right fielder Marshall Hubbard was one of 30 players named to the first Golden Spikes Award Watch List, announced by USA Baseball in association with the Major League Baseball Players Association. The award is regarded as amateur baseball's most prestigous honor. USA Baseball will announce the five finalists for the award in June. The top 30 players on the watch list are subject to change based on weekly performance.
KALKHOF SHARP AGAINST CHARLOTTE
Sophomore lefty Adam Kalkhof picked up his first win of the year at Charlotte Wednesday. The Durham native worked just five innings but struck out eight batters and allowed just one earned on three hits. Making his second consecutive start against the 49ers, Kalkhof did not pitch for nearly a month due to shoulder soreness. He worked only three innings in his first start back on April 7 but could be a huge addition to the Tar Heel staff down the stretch run.
CAROLINA REBOUNDS FROM SLOW START
After dropping three games at the Crowne Plaza/Rice Invitational, the Tar Heels stood 4-3 on the season. Following that trip, Carolina has gone 22-5 to improve to 26-8 on the year, which ranks as the program's best start since the 2000 team opened 29-5 through 34 games. Since the three-game losing streak, the Tar Heels have: Batted .320 as a team * Posted a 3.63 team ERA * Hit 38 of their 41 home runs this season * Scored 10 or more runs nine times * Won four games against top-25 teams * Gone 8-4 in the ACC * Struck out 201 batters against 105 walks * Gone 7-3 on the road and 15-2 at home * Climbed from No. 30 to a high ranking of No. 8 in the Collegiate Baseball poll.
TAR HEELS CONTINUE TOUGH SCHEDULE
Prior to the Wake Forest series, North Carolina played six games against nationally-ranked teams over an eight-game stretch. The Tar Heels went 4-2 over this stetch, winning series against then-No. 19 Virginia and then-No. 12 Florida State. After losing to Rice and Nebraska earlier this year, Carolina is now 4-4 versus the top 25 this year.
GEHRIG, RIPKEN ... IANNETTA?
Carolina has its own iron man in junior catcher Chris Iannetta. The Johnny Bench Award nominee has been a constant behind the plate for the Tar Heels this season catching 269 of 307 innings played or 87.6 percent of all action. In Atlantic Coast Conference play, Iannetta has caught 106 of 107 innings or 99.1 pecent. Despite playing the most demanding position on the field, Iannetta leads the Tar Heels with a .387 batting average and owns a .987 fielding percentage.
BENSON BOOSTS PITCHING STAFF
Senior Whitley Benson has been outstanding in a variety of roles for the Tar Heel pitching staff and is 3-0 with a 1.91 ERA. He ranks fourth on the team with 16 appearances and is 2-0 as a midweek starter. Benson has also came out of the pen in many situations and has gone at least three innings of relief on three difference occasions. On April 3, he worked 3.2 innings in the final game of the Wake Forest series to pick up his first save of the year. He now has 101 career appearances, which ranks third all-time in program history and is 12th in ACC history. He opened the year tied for fifth on the Carolina list and has passed Tim Kirk (1983-86) and Brad Woodall (1988-91) this season. Derrick DePriest ranks second with 124 appearances, and Thad Crismon holds the school record with 141.
GROSS GETS IT DONE
Despite allowing a combined three earned runs in his last two starts, senior reliever Michael Gross has been outstanding this season and has emerged as the Tar Heel closer. On the year, he is 3-0 with two saves and a 1.37 ERA. With 30 strikeouts on the year against just two walks, Gross owns an amazing 15-to-1 strikeout to walk ratio. After going without a win for the first month of the season, Gross picked up both wins against Virginia and followed that up with a save against Towson on March 24. He also earned a win against Florida State and a save in the Wake Forest series. After entering in a bases-loaded jam in the eighth against Georgia Tech last Friday, he worked a perfect ninth in the Tar Heels' lone win in the series.
HUBBARD HOMER WATCH
With 12 home runs through the first 34 games of the season, junior Marshall Hubbard is well on his way to becoming just the sixth Tar Heel to hit 20 home runs in a season. Devy Bell holds the school record with 24 in 1986, and Chris Maples hit 23 in 2002. Since homering in his first game as a Tar Heel, the William & Mary transfer has been a constant in the middle of the Tar Heel batting order. On the year, he is batting .323 with the 12 homers and a team-best 47 RBI. Through games of April 11, Hubbard ranked among the ACC's top 10 in five offensive categories. He was the league leader with 1.39 RBI per game.
IANNETTA NAMED TO JOHNNY BENCH LIST
Junior catcher Chris Iannetta was named to the official watch list for the 2004 Johnny Bench Award, presented annually to the nation's top collegiate catcher by the Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission. The 45-member watch list was released March 11 and can be updated to include other candidates until May 3. Iannetta is having an outstanding season at the plate, batting .387 with eight home runs and 43 RBI. Through games of April 11, he also ranked among the ACC's top 10 in 10 different offensive categories. Over the last 30 games, he is batting .405 with seven homers and 40 RBI. He is currently on a career-best 23-game hitting streak. Behind the plate, he has picked off seven runners and has thrown out 13-of-24 would-be base stealers. Iannetta owns a .987 fielding percentage in a team-best 315 chances.
HOVIS ADDS DEPTH TO PEN
After posting a 5.51 ERA in 19 appearances a year ago, sophomore Jonathan Hovis has become an integral long reliever for the Tar Heels this season. He leads the bullpen with a 1.31 ERA and owns a 3-0 record. He has allowed just three earned runs in 20.2 innings and owns a five-to-one strikeout to walk ratio.
WAGGETT RETURNS TO ACTION
Sophomore center fielder Blair Waggett made his 2004 debut March 24 against Towson after injuring his shoulder in Carolina's annual Fall World Series. After going hitless in his first eight at bats, Waggett went 2-for-3 with a run scored and two RBI in the April 4 win at Wake Forest. Regarded as the Tar Heels fastest player, Waggett is tied for the team lead with two triples in just 26 at-bats.
SCHEDULE CHANGES
To accommodate the rescheduling of the Battle of the Border between North Carolina and South Carolina, the Tar Heel baseball program has announced a pair of schedule changes for early May. The March 31 game between UNC and USC was rained out. The Tar Heels and Gamecocks will now play their first regular season game since 1988 on May 11 at 7 p.m. The game will still be played at Knights Stadium in Fort Mill, S.C., and all tickets for the rainout will be honored at that time. In order to accommodate this change, the Tar Heels have moved their home game with Virginia Commonwealth from May 11 to May 12. The game will still begin at 6 p.m. at Boshamer Stadium.
