No. 18 Carolina Wraps Up ACC Road Schedule at Duke

April 22, 2004 | Baseball

By: UNC Athletic Communications

April 22, 2004

CHAPEL HILL - No. 18 North Carolina (29-10, 9-6 ACC) plays its final Atlantic Coast Conference road series this weekend when it faces Duke (21-18, 6-6 ACC) for a three-game set at the Blue Devils' Jack Coombs Field. Games are scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday, 5 p.m. Saturday and 1:30 p.m. Sunday. Jones Angell will call the action on AM-1360 WCHL and TarHeelBlue.com. The Tar Heels are 6-3 on the road in the conference play with series victories at ACC-leader Virginia and Wake Forest. Carolina has won its last 11 games in Durham dating back to 1996.

SERIES HISTORY
Rivals Carolina and Duke have met 247 times since 1891 with the Tar Heels holding a 156-89-2 lead in the series. The series is the fourth longest in Carolina baseball history behind Wake Forest (258), Virginia (254) and NC State (252). The Tar Heels have won the last six meetings in the series since losing two of three to the Blue Devils in Chapel Hill in 2001. Carolina has won its last 11 meetings with Duke in Durham. Mike Fox is 14-2 against Duke.

CARLYLE CUP POINTS ON THE LINE
The winner of this weekend's series will receive one point towards the Carlyle Cup, the all-sports competition between Carolina and Duke. The Blue Devils currently hold a 14-11 lead in the competition. This is the last scheduled event that counts toward the Cup, but the Tar Heels could have the opportunity to win back some points should Carolina and Duke meet in various NCAA Tournaments this spring.

SCOUTING THE BLUE DEVILS
Duke enters the weekend on a six-game winning streak following Wednesday's 8-3 victory over Davidson. Left fielder Javier Socorro leads the team with a .397 average from the lead off spot. Utility man Tim Layden is the team's top run producer with five homers and 41 RBI. Layden was also named national pitcher of the week by several sources after no-hitting Old Dominon on April 13. On the year, he is 5-2 with a 4.33 ERA. Layden is expected to start Friday. Saturday starter Zach Schreiber is 3-3 with a 4.30 ERA, and Sunday starter Greg Burke is 4-4 with a 2.35 ERA.

A LOOK AT THE TAR HEEL STARTERS
Friday: Daniel Bard (Fr., RHP): After suffering a pair of losses against Clemson last weekend, Bard is 6-2 on the year and ranks sixth in the ACC with a 2.59 ERA (through April 18). He also stands fourth in the conference with a .207 opponent batting average and has recorded 47 strikeouts against just 18 walks. Bard also averages nearly seven innings per start. He is 3-2 in ACC play with a 4.05 ERA.
Saturday: Garry Bakker (Jr., RHP): Bakker enters the weekend on the heels of his finest start of the year. Against Clemson, he worked seven shutout innings and struck out five batters en route to his first win in over a month. On the season, he is 3-3 with a 4.33 ERA. Bakker is 2-0 in two career starts against Duke.
Sunday: Andrew Miller (Fr., LHP): Miller looked sharp in a no-decision against Clemson last weekend, allowing just one earned run on five hits in 6.1 innings against the Tigers. He also struck out a career-high eight batters. For the season, he is 3-2 with a 3.35 ERA. Miller has given up 40 hits in 48.1 innings and stands seventh in the ACC with a .215 opponent batting average (through April 18).

HEELS KNOW HITTING STREAKS
Junior right fielder Marshall Hubbard carries an 11-game hitting streak into this weekend's action at Duke. Over this run he is batting .378 with two homers and 10 RBI. With a base hit Friday, Hubbard will match his season-best hitting streak of 12 games from February 29 to March 17. Junior catcher Chris Iannetta had a 23-game hitting streak snapped against Clemson but is back at it again with hits in each of his last three games, including a three-run double against UNC Greensboro Wednesday. On the season, nine different Tar Heels have hit safely in at least five consecutive games.

CAROLINA ENJOYS ROAD SUCCESS IN ACC
The Tar Heels wrap up the road portion of the Atlantic Coast Conference schedule in Durham this weekend. Thus far, Carolina is 6-3 on the road with series wins over Virginia and Wake Forest. The Tar Heels dropped two of three at Georgia Tech. On the road, the Tar Heels have been led by their usual 1-2-3 hitters. Leadoff man Greg Mangum is batting .390 (16-for-41) with 11 runs scored. Jay Cox is batting .407 (11-for-27) and has also scored 11 runs. Catcher Chris Iannetta leads the squad with a .455 average (15-for-33) with three homers and 13 RBI. Marshall Hubbard has driven in 13 runs on the road. While the bats have enjoyed success on the road in league play, the Tar Heel pitching staff has a combined earned run average of 5.06 compared to its season mark of 3.49.

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 6-2 on the year with a team-best 2.59 earned run average. He has allowed just 46 hits in 62.2 innings and has struck out 47 batters against just 18 walks. With a win Friday, Bard will join Adam Kalkhof and Scott Autrey as the only Tar Heel freshman to win seven games since 2000.

BENSON AMONG NATIONAL ERA LEADERS
With a 1.67 ERA, senior Whitley Benson ranked 13th nationally through games of April 18. He was also second in the ACC and led the league with a .181 opponent batting average. Working mainly out of the bullpen, Benson has been in and out of the conference leaders for much of the season because he has not always qualified. Pitchers must average one inning per team game played to be eligible for the conference leaders. Entering the weekend, Benson has worked 37.2 innings, and the Tar Heels have played 39 games. He ranks fourth on the team with 18 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 four difference occasions. He now has 103 career appearances, which ranks third all-time in program history and is tied for 11th 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.

KALKHOF SHARP SINCE RETURN
Sophomore lefty Adam Kalkhof won his second straight start Tuesday with a gem against Elon. The Durham native worked 7.1 innings and allowed just one run on four hits and two walks. Last week at Charlotte, Kalkhof went just five innings but struck out eight batters and allowed just one earned on three hits. Since resting a sore shoulder for nearly a month, Kalkhof is 2-0 with a 2.35 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 15.1 innings in three starts.

MIDWEEK MASTERS
With victories over Elon and UNC Greensboro this week, the Tar Heels moved to 12-0 in midweek games this season. As a team, the Tar Heels are batting .318 and own a 2.31 earned run average during the week. Senior Sammy Hewitt is batting .406 (13-for-32) with four homers and 13 RBI during the week, while freshman righty Robert Woodard is 4-0 with a 1.86 ERA.

MR. APRIL
After struggling with a .274 average in March, Carolina leadoff man Greg Mangum has batted .339 in April to trail just Jay Cox (.368) and Chris Iannetta (.375) on the Tar Heel roster. He has hit safely in 10 of the 13 games, Mangum also had a stretch of five straight multi-hit games, including all three meetings with Georgia Tech. He leads the team with seven multi-hit games this month.

HEELS HOT AT HOME
After playing seven of its previous eight games on the road, Carolina returned home for last weekend against Clemson for its first three-game series at Boshamer Stadium since winning two of three from Florida State March 26-28. The Tar Heels dropped two of three to the Tigers for their first home series loss this year but won midweek games against Elon and UNC Greensboro to improve to 22-4 at home this year. 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.

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.

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 25-7 to improve to 29-10 on the year, which ranks as the program's best start since the 2000 team opened 30-9 through 39 games. Since the three-game losing streak, the Tar Heels have: Batted .324 as a team * Posted a 3.36 team ERA * Hit 42 of their 45 home runs this season * Scored 10 or more runs 10 times * Won four games against top-25 teams * Gone 9-6 in the ACC * Struck out 235 batters against 122 walks * Gone 7-3 on the road and 18-4 at home * Climbed from No. 30 to a high ranking of No. 8 in the Collegiate Baseball poll.

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 313 of 353 innings played or 88.7 percent of all action. In Atlantic Coast Conference play, Iannetta has caught 133 of 134 innings or 99.3 pecent. Despite playing the most demanding position on the field, Iannetta leads the Tar Heels with a .369 batting average and owns a .989 fielding percentage.

HUBBARD HOMER WATCH
With 12 home runs through the first 39 games of the season, junior Marshall Hubbard is 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 .340 with the 12 homers and a team-best 51 RBI. Hubbard ranks among the ACC's top 10 in six offensive categories. He leads the league in RBI per game (1.35) and slugging percentage .697 (through April 18).

GROSS LEADS VETERAN BULLPEN
Senior Michael Gross has emerged as the Tar Heel closer and has been outstanding all season. He leads the pen with a 1.20 ERA and is 3-0 on the year with three saves. Gross is enjoying the finest season of his career, as he entered the year with a career ERA of 5.58 and just three saves in the previous three seasons combined. He also averages more than eight strikeouts per walk. Gross is one of four senior relievers that have been the back bone of the UNC bullpen. Through games of April 18, all four seniors in the pen - Gross, Whitley Benson, Kevin Brower and Scott Senatore - rank among the ACC's top 10 in appearances.

IANNETTA AMONG NATION'S BEST CATCHERS
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 .369 with eight home runs and 46 RBI. Over the last 20 games, he is batting .403 with five homers and 25 RBI. Behind the plate, he has picked off eight runners and has thrown out 15-of-31 would-be base stealers. Iannetta owns a .989 fielding percentage in a team-best 354 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 owns a 1.64 ERA and owns a 3-0 record. He has allowed just four earned runs in 22.2 innings and owns a three-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 34 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.