University of North Carolina Athletics
No. 15 North Carolina Hosts Three-Game Set with Maryland
May 6, 2004 | Baseball
May 6, 2004
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - No. 15 North Carolina (32-11, 11-7 ACC) returns to ACC play for the first time in two weeks when it hosts Maryland (19-27, 3-15 ACC) for a three-game set at Boshamer Stadium. Games are scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday, 1 p.m. Saturday and 1:30 p.m. Sunday. Jones Angell and Adam Pohl will broadcast all three games on AM-1360 WCHL and TarHeelBlue.com. Saturday's game will be televised locally on Fox Sports Net South. Mike Hogewood (Play-by-Play) and Dan Bonner (Color) will call the action.
SERIES HISTORY
The Tar Heels and Terps have met on the diamond 161 times since 1899 with Carolina holding a 110-49-2 lead in the all-time series. UNC has won the last seven meetings and has not dropped a series against the Terps since losing two of three at Maryland in 2001. The Terps have not won in Chapel Hill since taking two of three from Carolina in 1996. UNC has won its last nine at home versus Maryland. Tar Heel head coach Mike Fox is 12-4 all-time versus the Terps and has not lost at home in six games against Maryland.
SCOUTING THE TERPS
Maryland enters the weekend having dropped its last three outings, including losses this week to Towson and Delaware. The Tar Heels swept a two-game set from Towson (14-1 and 7-4) earlier this season. The Terrapin offense is led by Anthony Buffone, who is batting .373 with 34 runs batted in on the year. Will Frazier, Kevin Hart and Matt Maropis are each batting at least .340. Brian Jarosinski leads the ACC with 15 home runs. On the mound, Ben Pfinsgraff is 3-3 with a 3.72 ERA in eight starts. Dan Waters (2.51) and Justin Hulse (2.96) are solid peformers out of the Maryland bullpen.
BIG PLANS AT THE BOSH
In addition to the action on the field, this weekend's series with Maryland offers a lot of entertainment options for fans of all ages. Friday's game will feature a post-game fireworks display sponsored by the UNC General Alumni Association in celebration of the Class of 2004. Prior to Saturday's game, all kids are invited to take the field with the Tar Heels for the National Anthem, and they'll have the chance to run the bases like their favorite Tar Heel after the game. Following Sunday's series finale, fans will be able to get autographs from the Tar Heels, who will be signing their own baseball cards.
A LOOK AT THE TAR HEEL STARTERS
Friday: Daniel Bard (Fr., RHP): Bard brings a team-best 7-2 record into the weekend series against Maryland. After suffering a pair of losses to Clemson, Bard bounced back with a win at Duke in his last start. He sports a 2.71 earned run average on the year and has 53 strikeouts against just 19 walks. He is holding opponents to a .218 batting average, which ranks fifth in the ACC (through May 3). In conference play, Bard is 4-2 with a 4.02 ERA.
Saturday: Garry Bakker (Jr., RHP): Bakker enters the weekend coming off two strong outings. Despite taking a tough-luck loss at Duke in his last start, Bakker owns a 0.69 ERA over his last two appearances. Over this stretch, he has allowed just one earned run on 12 hits and three walks in 13.1 innings. He has struck out 12 over this stretch. On the year, Bakker is 3-4 with a 4.01 ERA. He is 1-0 in two career starts versus the Terps. On April 13, 2003, Bakker worked 8.2 shutout innings and allowed six hits, no walks and struck out five in a win at Maryland.
Sunday: Andrew Miller (Fr., LHP): With seven shutout innings at Duke in his last start, Miller lowered his ERA to 2.93 on the year. He is 4-2 and, like Bakker, has allowed only one earned run in his last 13.1 innings pitched. Miller has allowed just eight hits over this stretch and opponents are batting just .206 against him on the year to rank third in the ACC. He also stands seventh in the league in ERA. Miller leads the Tar Heels with a 3.44 mark in conference play.
CAROLINA COMES ALIVE AT THE PLATE
Since managing just 10 runs in four games against Clemson and Elon (April 16-20), the Tar Heels have scored 10 or more runs in four of the last five games. Carolina has gone 4-1 over this stretch versus Duke and UNC Greensboro. Junior Chase Younts leads the team with a .467 average over this span, while Marshall Hubbard has homered twice and driven in 10 runs and Sammy Hewitt has hit two homers and put up eight RBI.
HEELS HOT AT HOME
This weekend's action marks the first home series for the Tar Heels since losing two of three to Clemson, April 16-18. The series loss is the only one at home for Carolina this season, and it followed that up with midweek wins over Elon and UNC Greensboro to run its record to 22-4 at The Bosh. 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 home 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. With an 8-0 home record the rest of the way, the Tar Heels will tie the school record of 30 home wins set in 2000.
CAROLINA ALSO ENJOYS ROAD SUCCESS IN THE ACC
With two wins at Duke in its last ACC series, the Tar Heels posted an 8-4 record in conference play on the road. The eight victories ties for the most in program history 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.
BARD CLOSING IN ON ROOKIE RECORD
With just one more win, Daniel Bard will tie the Carolina 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 16 of Carolina's 32 victories this season, as Robert Woodard has five wins and Andrew Miller has four.
TAR HEELS BIG ON BIG INNINGS
With an eighth-run fifth in Wednesday's win at UNC Greensboro, Carolina has now scored at least five runs in an inning 15 times this season. The Tar Heels have also scored at least eight runs in an inning on four occasions, with two coming against the Spartans. The season-high for runs in a single inning is 11 against St. Francis on March 5.
FRESHMAN STARTERS PACE PITCHING STAFF
The combination of rookie starters and a veteran bullpen has been a success for the Tar Heels, as 16 of Carolina's 32 wins have come from freshmen. Daniel Bard leads the way with seven victories, while Robert Woodard has five and Andrew Miller has four. Bard and Miller have been outstanding all season and through games of May 2, they were the only two freshmen to rank among the Atlantic Coast Conference's top 10 in earned run average. Bard ranks fifth at 2.71, while Miller stands seventh at 2.93. Virginia's Andrew Dobies leads the league with a 2.13 mark.
TAR HEELS SCORE LARGEST COMEBACK WIN AT UNCG
Down 5-0 after four innings, things looked bleak for the Tar Heels at UNC Greensboro on Wednesday. But Carolina battled back with eight runs in the fifth to take an 8-5 lead an went on to defeat the Spartans, 10-5. In all, the Tar Heels sent 13 men to the plate that inning and tallied eight hits, which tied a single-inning season-best. The five-run deficit was the largest overcome by the Tar Heels this season. The previous best was a three-run rally that lifted UNC to a 4-3 win over Seton Hall on opening day (February 20).
BENSON AMONG ACC'S ALL-TIME LEADERS IN APPEARANCES
Whitley Benson has made 21 appearances this season and now has 106 in his career to rank 11th in Atlantic Coast Conference history. With three more appearances, he will tie Chris Chavez of Florida State for 10th all-time. On the year, he is 3-0 with one save and a 1.52 ERA. He has made two starts this season and has pitched in a variety of roles out of the bullpen.
HEELS KNOW HITTING STREAKS
Junior right fielder Marshall Hubbard carries a 15-game hitting streak into this weekend's action against Maryland. Over this run he is batting .387 with four homers and 19 RBI. Hubbard also had a 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 five of his last six games, including a 3-for-5 effort at UNC Greensboro on Wednesday. On the season, 11 different Tar Heels have hit safely in at least five consecutive games. Wes Moyer has hit safely in his last six games, and Chase Younts is currently on a five-game streak.
BARD PICKED FOR USA BASEBALL NATIONAL TEAM TRIALS
Freshman right-hander Daniel Bard was among 19 collegiate players that have been invited to participate in the 2004 USA Baseball National Team Trials, the organization announced April 29. The trials are scheduled for June 20-26 in Durham. The USA Baseball National Team will be selected from a pool of 36 players, of which an additional 17 have yet to be determined. The official 20-man team roster will be announced June 27.
HUBBARD, IANNETTA RANK AMONG NCAA, ACC LEADERS
Junior right fielder Marshall Hubbard ranks among the NCAA leaders in three different offensive categories through games of May 2. He is 14th in runs batted in per game (1.36), 22nd in home runs per game (0.33) and 30th in slugging percentage. Teammate Chris Iannetta is 46th in RBI per game at 1.19. This duo also ranks highly among the Atlantic Coast Conference leaders in several categories (through May 2). Hubbard ranks among the league's top 10 in eight categories. He leads the league in RBI per game and total bases per game and stands second in home runs per game and slugging percentage. Iannetta stands among the leads 10 best in seven different categories.
YOUNTS IS HEATING UP
Junior outfielder Chase Younts has been on a tear of late and is becoming tougher and tougher for head coach Mike Fox to keep out of the everyday lineup. Since driving in a career-best four runs at Charlotte on April 14, Younts has recorded four multi-hit games, his first of the season. Over this stretch, he is batting .500 (12-for-24) with six runs scored and seven RBI. He has also hit just hit just the second and third home runs of his career over this stretch. He is currently on a five-game hitting streak.
HUBBARD HOMER WATCH
With 14 home runs through the first 43 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 .347 with the 14 homers and a team-best 60 RBI. Hubbard ranks among the ACC's top 10 in eight offensive categories. He leads the league in RBI per game (1.36) and ranks second in homers per game (0.33).
BAKKER BACK TO FORM
Junior Garry Bakker has had an up-and-down season but he appears to be putting it all together heading into the stretch run. Over his last two starts, he sports a 0.69 ERA and has allowed just one earned run in his last 13.1 innings. After throwing seven shutout innings against Clemson on April 17, he followed that up by allowing just one earned run in 6.1 innings in a loss at Duke on April 24. Bakker has also allowed just three walks over his last two starts after walking four in a loss at Georgia Tech on April 10. Prior to his start in Atlanta, Bakker went 7.2 innings at Wake Forest on April 3.
MIDWEEK MASTERS
With Wednesday's win at UNC Greensboro, the Tar Heels moved to 13-0 in midweek games this season. As a team, the Tar Heels are batting .321 and own a 2.44 earned run average during the week. Junior Chase Younts is batting .478 (11-for-23) during the middle of the week, and Sammy Hewitt has four homers and 14 RBI. Freshman righty Robert Woodard is 5-0 with a 1.57 ERA.
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 28-8 to improve to 32-11 on the year, which ranks as the program's best start since the 2000 team opened 34-9 through 43 games. Since the three-game losing streak, the Tar Heels have: Batted .314 as a team * Posted a 3.39 team ERA * Hit 47 of their 50 home runs this season * Scored 10 or more runs 13 times * Won four games against top-25 teams * Gone 11-7 in the ACC * Struck out 271 batters against 134 walks * Gone 10-4 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 346 of 388 innings played or 89.2 percent of all action. In Atlantic Coast Conference play, Iannetta has caught 157 of 160 innings or 98.1 pecent. Despite playing the most demanding position on the field, Iannetta leads the Tar Heels with a .361 batting average and owns a .987 fielding percentage.
GROSS LEADS VETERAN BULLPEN
Senior Michael Gross has emerged as the Tar Heel closer and has been outstanding all season. He ranks second out of the pen with a 1.69 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 has 38 strikeouts on the year against just five walks. Gross is one of four senior relievers that have been the back bone of the UNC bullpen. Through games of May 2, three seniors in the pen - Gross, Whitley Benson 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 .361 with nine home runs and 50 RBI. Behind the plate, he has picked off nine runners and has thrown out 18-of-33 would-be base stealers. Iannetta owns a .987 fielding percentage in a team-best 390 chances.
