University of North Carolina Athletics
Carolina Baseball By the Numbers
April 27, 2004 | Baseball
April 27, 2004
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - With the North Carolina baseball team in the midst of a nine-day break for final exams, TarHeelBlue.com glances back at the season to this point and looks ahead for the stretch run of the 2004 season. The Tar Heels are currently ranked as high as No. 16 nationally and sport a 31-11 record and an 11-7 mark in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
CAROLINA BASEBALL BY THE NUMBERS:
1 - One is the number of wins needed by Daniel Bard to tie the school record for victories by a freshman. Carter Harrell (2002), Paul Shuey (1990) and Michael Hoog (1987) share the current mark of eight wins. Bard is 7-2 this season with a team-best 2.71 earned run average. He was named the top freshman pitcher in the country at the midseason point by Baseball America. Freshmen have accounted for 15 of Carolina's 31 victories this season, as Andrew Miller and Robert Woodard each have four wins.
2 - Two is the number of Tar Heels that have earned ACC Player of the Week honors this season. Marshall Hubbard claimed honors on March 29 after leading Carolina to a 4-1 week and series win over Florida State. Against the Seminoles, Hubbard went 7-for-13 (.538) with a homer, three doubles and six RBI. Freshman Jay Cox picked up the honor on April 12 after batting .533 with two homers and eight RBI in a 2-2 week for the Tar Heels.
3 - Three games is the Tar Heels' longest losing streak this season. After opening 4-0, Carolina lost three straight at the Crowne Plaza/Rice Invitational. Following that trip, Carolina won its next eight and now sits at 31-11 on the season. The Tar Heels have only lost back-to-back games twice this season.
4 - Four is the number of games against top-10 opponents scheduled for the week of May 10-16. The Battle of the Border between the Tar Heels and No. 7 South Carolina was rescheduled for May 11 and following a May 12 meeting at home with Virginia Commonwealth, the Tar Heels travel to Coral Gables, Fla., for a three-game series with No. 4 Miami. Carolina is 4-4 against top-25 teams this season.
5 - Five is the number of regular season games broadcast on television this season. Fox Sports Net South has already broadcast two games at Georgia Tech. The Tar Heels' home games against Maryland on May 8 and NC State on May 22 will also be shown on FSNS in North Carolina. College Sports Television will carry the May 14 game at Miami.
6 - Six is the number of home runs needed by junior Marshall Hubbard to become just the sixth Tar Heel to hit 20 in one season. Devy Bell set the school record of 24 in 1984. Hubbard, who hit two at Duke last weekend, sits at 14. He also has driven in a team-best 57 runs and is second in batting average at .352. Hubbard is currently on a season-best 14-game hitting streak. He also had a 12-game streak earlier this season.
7 - Seven is the number of appearances needed by senior Whitley Benson to move into ninth all-time in Atlantic Coast Conference history with 112. Benson has made 105 appearances, including 20 this season. On the year, he is 3-0 with one save and a 1.60 ERA. He has made two starts this season and has pitched in a variety of roles out of the bullpen.
8 - Eight is the number of Atlantic Coast Conference road wins this season, which ties for the most since the league went to its current three-game series format in 1990. The Tar Heels also won eight conference road contests in 1990 and '96. This year's team wrapped up league play with an 8-4 mark after winning series at Virginia, Wake Forest and Duke.
9 - Nine is the number of base runners picked off by junior catcher Chris Iannetta, a candidate for the Johnny Bench Award. Additionally, he has thrown out 15 of 33 would-be base stealers (45.5 percent) and owns a .987 fielding percentage. At the plate, Iannetta leads the Tar Heels with a .353 average and ranks second with 50 RBI and third with nine home runs. He had a 23-game hitting streak earlier this season.
10 - Ten is the number of home runs by senior Sammy Hewitt, which ranks second on the team. After struggling early in the year, Hewitt has six homers in Atlantic Coast Conference play to lead the team. He has also drive in 19 runs in ACC play to stand second on the club. Hewitt hit two homers and drove in eight runs in last weekend's series at Duke. He also hit 10 home runs last season, his first year at Carolina.
