University of North Carolina Athletics
No. 9 Tar Heels Host Virginia for Three-Game Series
March 31, 2005 | Baseball
March 31, 2005
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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Two of the hottest teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference will take the diamond at Boshamer Stadium this weekend, as ninth-ranked North Carolina hosts Virginia for a three-game series. The Tar Heels (21-5, 5-2 ACC) have won six straight overall and are 19-0 at home, while the Cavaliers (19-6, 4-3 ACC) bring an 11-game winning streak to Chapel Hill. Games are set for 7 p.m. Friday, 1 p.m. Saturday and 1:30 p.m. Sunday. Saturday's game will be televised on Fox Sports Net South with Mike Hogewood and Dan Bonner calling the action. The Tar Heels Sports Network will carry all three games on AM-1360 WCHL in Chapel Hill and on TarHeelBlue.com. Jones Angell will handle the play-by-play duties with Adam Lucas serving as color analyst.
A LOOK AT THE SERIES
Virginia (19-6, 4-3 ACC) at North Carolina (21-5, 5-2 ACC)
Fri., April 1, 7 p.m.
Sat., April 2, 1 p.m. (RSN)
Sun., April 3, 1:30 p.m.
All-Time Series:UNC leads, 161-89-4
Last Series: UNC won two of three at UVa, March 19-21, 2004
Quick Hit: Carolina and Virginia have combined to win 17 straight games.
TAR HEELS AT A GLANCE
2005 Carolina Record:
21-5, 5-2 ACC
Carolina in the National Rankings:
aseball America: 11th
Collegiate Baseball: 11th
NCBWA: 9th
Sports Weekly/ESPN: 13th
UNC-UVa SERIES HISTORY
Carolina holds a 161-89-4 lead in the all-time series, which dates to 1891. Under Mike Fox, the Tar Heels are 12-7 overall versus UVa, including a 6-3 mark in Chapel Hill. The Cavaliers won two of three at Boshamer in 2003, but the Tar Heels returned the favor by taking two of three in Charlottesville a year ago. Prior to the 2003 series loss, the Tar Heels had won each of the series held in Chapel Hill since the league went to three-game sets in 1990.
A LOOK AT THE TAR HEELS
Carolina brings a season-best .304 team batting average and an ACC-best 1.82 ERA into the weekend series with Virginia. The Tar Heels have won six straight and are batting .346 as a team since losing three straight at the Keith LeClair Classic, a span of 14 games. Junior Mike Daniel, who is batting .522 with 14 RBI over this stretch, leads the team with a .405 average, while freshman shortstop Josh Horton is second at .388. Redshirt sophomore designated hitter Matt Ellington continues to lead the team with 26 RBI, and freshman outfielder Seth Williams has a team-high six home runs, including a grand slam Tuesday. On the mound, sophomores Andrew Miller (6-0, 0.60 ERA, 57 K) and Daniel Bard (4-2, 1.73 ERA, 32 K) have been outstanding, as has the bullpen. Closer Matt Danford is 2-1 with five saves and a 0.53 ERA.
SCOUTING THE CAVALIERS
After being swept at Wake Forest March 4-6, Virginia is a perfect 11-0, including ACC wins over Maryland and Virginia Tech. The Cavaliers are batting .304 as a team led by third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, who is hitting .381 with three homers and 33 RBI. Freshman Sean Doolittle leads the team with four of its 13 home runs. The Virginia pitching staff sports a strong 2.82 team ERA led by junior lefty Mike Ballard, who is 5-1 with a 2.68 ERA and 29 strikeouts. He will start Saturday with righty Matt Avery (3-2, 4.35 ERA, 28 K) set to start Friday. Right-hander Jeff Kamrath (5-2, 2.95 ERA, 33 K) is slated to start Sunday. Reliever Casey Lambert has a 1.04 ERA and seven saves.
A LOOK AT THE TAR HEEL STARTERS
Friday: Andrew Miller (So., LHP): Sophomore lefty Andrew Miller is the scheduled starter for Friday's series opener. Last time out he improved to 6-0 this season and tied his win total of 2004 with yet another strong start against Wake Forest March 25. Miller went six innings and allowed just one unearned run on four hits. He struck out eight and now has 57 strikeouts in just 45.1 innings this season. Miller has a 0.60 ERA, which is tops among ACC starters, and is holding opposing batters to just a .196 average. In his last three starts - all in ACC action - Miller sports a 0.45 ERA and has 27 strikeouts in 20 innings. He is 0-1 in his career against Virginia after allowing two runs on five hits and four walks over 5.2 innings last March 21. Miller will face right-hander Matt Avery Friday.
Saturday: Daniel Bard (So., RHP): Sophomore right-hander Daniel Bard will take the hill on Saturday in search of back-to-back wins for the first time since Feb. 25. He has split his last four decisions and stands 4-2 on the year with an ERA of 1.73, which ranked fourth in the ACC as of March 28. In his last start, Bard allowed just a first inning solo home run against Wake Forest in the first game of the March 26 doubleheader and kept the Deacs off the scoreboard the rest of the way. He fanned seven and allowed just five hits over seven innings. Opponents are hitting just .183 against Bard. Last season, he took a no-decision in a Friday start versus the Wahoos in Charlottesville. He went 6.2 innings and allowed just three runs on four hits. Bard fanned eight, and the Tar Heels went on to win 5-3 in 11 innings. Bard will face Virginia's Mike Ballard Saturday.
Sunday: To Be Announced: Carolina's starter for Sunday's game has yet to be determined. The Cavaliers will start right-hander Jeff Kamrath.
LAST TIME OUT: CAROLINA 15, WINTHROP 5
Freshman shortstop Josh Horton went 3-for-5 with a two-run home run and four runs scored, and classmates Seth Williams, Matt Spencer and Chad Flack also homered to lead No. 9-ranked North Carolina to a 15-5 win over Winthrop Tuesday at Boshamer Stadium. The four home runs, which tied a single-game season high for Carolina, were capped by Williams' eighth inning grand slam, which pushed the lead to the final 10-run margin. Horton's two-run shot in the seventh gave Carolina a six-run cushion, and the other two home runs were just as key, as Spencer's gave the Tar Heels a 2-1 advantage in the bottom of the second, and Flack's pushed the Tar Heel lead to 8-4 in the fifth after the Eagles had cut the lead in half in the top of the inning. Williams' homer was his team-high sixth and came in his lone at-bat of the night after he entered as a defensive sub. Horton, who is riding a career-best five-game hitting streak, opened the game with a pair of infield singles before ripping his second home run of the season over the wall in right center.
TAR HEELS AMONG NATION'S BEST IN ERA
The Carolina pitching staff has been nothing short of brilliant this season and leads the ACC with a 1.82 ERA, which ranks nearly two runs below its staff ERA of 2004 (3.62), which stood 14th nationally. Rice was last year's national leader with a 2.64 staff mark. The NCAA has not yet tallied national statistical leaders, but the Tar Heels should rank among the nation's very best, as their staff mark was tops in a quick survey of the nation's top baseball conferences. Carolina's 1.82 mark bettered Big 12 leader Missouri's 2.02 mark and SEC leader Alabama's 2.51 ERA. Other top staffs include Michigan (2.60), Long Beach State (2.31), University of San Francisco (2.19), Coastal Carolina (2.61) and Rice (2.70). All ERAs are through games of March 27.
FRESHMEN FIREPOWER
As evidenced by the four freshmen home runs in Tuesday's win, Carolina's highly-regarded recruiting class has quickly adjusted to the speed of the college game. The Tar Heels regularly start four rookies - first baseman Chad Flack, shortstop Josh Horton, third baseman Reid Fronk and outfielder Seth Williams. Horton is hitting .388 with two homers and 11 RBI, while Fronk is batting .349 and Flack has three home runs and 12 RBI. Williams leads the team with six home runs in just 53 at-bats. First baseman Matt Spencer is also swinging a hot bat and has homered in each of the last two games. This crop of rookies has helped Carolina raise its team average to .304, as the Tar Heels have hit .356 and averaged 8.3 runs per game since scoring just four runs in three games at the Keith LeClair Classic. These five rookies have each been outstanding over this run:
FRESHMEN PRODUCTION OVER THE LAST 14 GAMES (12-2 RECORD) Name Avg. AB H HR RBI 2B 3B Josh Horton .462 39 18 2 6 4 0 Reid Fronk .415 41 17 1 8 2 0 Chad Flack .345 29 10 1 6 3 0 Seth Williams .324 37 12 6 11 1 0 Matt Spencer .313 16 5 3 6 1 0
MORE ON ERA
With an ERA of 1.82, Carolina appears headed for one of the top pitching seasons in program history. The Tar Heels have not had a team ERA below 3.00 since a 2.89 mark in 1983. Carolina's lowest team mark since 1970 is a 2.23 ERA in 1972, the first year the Tar Heels played in Boshamer Stadium. This year, Carolina has allowed just 47 earned runs in 232.2 innings and is holding opponents to a .203 batting average. Tar Heel hurlers have 223 batters compared to just 85 walks. Detailed pitching stats are only available since the early 1950s, and the top Tar Heel ERA since that time was a 1.66 staff mark in 1967. Garry Hill went 8-0 and led the team with a school-record 0.70 mark in 89 innings.
LAST SEASON VERSUS VIRGINIA
Sophomore Jay Cox enjoyed his trip to Charlottesville last season, as he batted 4-for-11 and scored four times as the Tar Heels took the series, 2-1. Senior Greg Mangum also added four hits in the series, including a 3-for-5 effort in Carolina's 8-4 win in the Saturday game. Classmate Justin Webb had one hit in all three games of the 2004 series.
MANGUM ON NINE-GAME HIT STREAK
Senior second baseman Greg Mangum is currently on a nine-game hit streak, which is a team-best for the Tar Heels this season. He is hitting .368 (14-38) over this stretch and has three straight multi-hit games. Mangum also has five RBI and five runs scored over the last three. He is batting .295 on the year and is the only Tar Heel to appear in all 26 games. Mangum leads the team with five steals.
DANIEL REMAINS RED-HOT
Junior outfielder Mike Daniel hit .455 in March to raise his season mark to a team-best .405. He ranked seventh in the ACC in hitting through games of March 27. He is second on the team with 17 RBI and hit his first two home runs of the season in the March 23 win over Towson. Daniel, who was also seventh in the ACC with a .638 slugging percentage, was 5-for-7 in the two-game set with the Tigers and hit for the cycle over the course of the two games with two homers, a triple, a double and a single. He stayed hot with six hits in the Wake Forest series, including four in game three. Daniel is batting .522 with two homers and 14 RBI over the last 14 games.
HOME START AMONG BEST-EVER AT BOSHAMER
Carolina has been hot out of the gates at Boshamer Stadium, winning its first 19 home games of the season. This start ranks as the second best at home in school history. The 1990 team, which won a school-record 51 games opened 21-0 at home, while the 1987 squad won 17 straight at The Bosh to start the season. A sweep this weekend would give the Tar Heels a school-record home start.
BEST STARTS AT BOSHAMER STADIUM YEAR START FINISH 1990 21-0 29-3 2005 19-0 ??? 1987 17-0 22-8 2000 15-0 30-5
VETERANS LEAD TAR HEELS IN ACC PLAY
Carolina has played just seven ACC games but seniors Justin Webb and Greg Mangum have shown their level of experience in conference play so far this season. Webb is batting .407 (11-27) with two home runs and nine RBI, while Mangum is hitting .400 (12-30) with nine runs scored, four RBI and three stolen bases. Webb also leads the Tar Heels in ACC action with a .630 slugging percentage. As a team, the Tar Heels are hitting .316 in conference play compared to a .300 average in non-conference action. Freshman third baseman Reid Fronk leads Carolina in ACC games with a .429 mark.
ELLINGTON TOPS TAR HEELS RBI LIST
Redshirt sophomore designated hitter Matt Ellington was expected to be one of Carolina's top run producers and he has delivered with 26 RBI through 26 games. He was UNC's top returning RBI man with 27 in 2004 and needs two more for a new career single-season high. Ellington has also doubled his career home run total with four this season. He entered 2005 with two. Ellington has shown a knack for driving in runs in bunches, as he leads the team with six multi-RBI games. He has games of five, four and three RBI, as well as three two-RBI efforts. Ellington tallied career-high with four hits and add three RBI in the March 14 win over Princeton. Ellington also went 2-for-5 with a homer and four RBI in the March 9 win over College of Charleston. Earlier this season, he had a career game in the Tar Heels' 17-0 win over Seton Hall on February 19. Ellington was 3-for-5 with two home runs and five runs batted in. The five RBI were a career high and the two homers equalled his career total in just one game. He is batting .318 on the season.
RECORD-SETTING START FOR STAFF
Carolina opened the season with 32 consecutive scoreless innings and did not allow an earned run for the first 43.2 innings of the season. UNC tossed three consecutive shutouts for the first time since 1922 and opened with three consecutive shutouts for the first time in program history.
DOUBLE TROUBLE
Junior Mike Daniel had the Tar Heels' third multi-homer game of the season in the March 23 6-0 win over Towson. Matt Ellington homered twice and drove in five runs in the Feb. 18 win over Seton Hall, and Justin Webb hit a three-run shot and a grand slam in the 17-3 win at Virginia Tech March 11. Daniel hit two solo shots for his first career multi-homer game. Webb's and Ellington's efforts also marked their first-ever multi-home run performances.
SOPHOMORE STARTERS SHUTTING `EM DOWN
Sophomores Daniel Bard and Andrew Miller have lived up to their preseason All-America billing over the first month of the season. The duo is a combined 10-2 and has allowed just 10 earned runs and struck out 89 batters in 81.2 innings. Miller is 6-0 and tops league starters with a 0.60 ERA, while Bard is 4-2 and ranked fourth in the league with a 1.73 ERA as of March 28. Miller was also tied for the league lead in wins, strikeouts per nine innings (11.32) and was second in innings per start (6.48). Bard was second in opponent batting average (.183), while Miller was fifth (.196).
GALE ADDS TO DEPTH OF STARTING ROTATION
The pitching rich Tar Heels may have yet another quality starter on their hands in freshman right-hander Andy Gale, who has made three midweek starts over the last three weeks. Against Towson on March 23, he allowed one hit over seven innings and faced just one batter over the minimum. Gale struck out five and walked two. On the season, Gale is 1-0 with a 1.76 ERA in 15.1 innings.
DANFORD CONTINUES TO DOMINATE
Redshirt sophomore Matt Danford has been solid in the closer role, finishing 13 games and posting a 2-1 record with five saves. Danford, who missed all of the 2004 season following surgery on his right shoulder, struck out the side in the ninth versus Appalachian State February 16 in his first appearance since the 2003 Columbia Super Regional. On the season, Danford has allowed just one earned run in 17 innings for a 0.53 ERA. He has not allowed an earned run over his last six appearances and has 11 strikeouts over this stretch (7.2 innings). Danford's five saves rank third in the ACC.
CAREER DAY FOR WEBB VERSUS HOKIES
Senior catcher Justin Webb has been outstanding for much of the season but he enjoyed a career-best day against Virginia Tech March 11. Webb went 4-for-5 with two homers and seven RBI. The four hits, two home runs and seven RBI were all single-game career highs. He is fifth on the team with a .321 average and leads the team in runs (20), walks (17) and sports a .455 on-base percentage. Webb is second with four homers and third with 15 RBI. Webb has started 19 games at catcher but has made three starts at third and has also played first base and right field.
HOVIS HOLDS OPPONENTS AT BAY
Junior reliever Jonathan Hovis has been outstanding in middle relief and as a set-up man for closer Matt Danford. He sports a 1.71 ERA and is 2-0 in 12 appearances. He has earned two saves over his last four outings. Hovis is also holding opponents to a .183 batting average and right-handed batters are hitting just .138. Fellow relievers Bryan Phillips and Rob Wooten have also been sharp and have allowed just four earned runs in a combined 23.2 innings. Phillips is 2-1 and is tied for fourth on the team with eight appearances.
MANGUM'S IRONMAN STREAK
Senior second baseman Greg Mangum has quite an ironman streak in the works. The Charlotte native has played in 142 straight games for the Tar Heels, which is a team-best. Prior to starting all 64 games in the 2004 season, Mangum played in the final 52 games of the 2003 season. The last game he did not play in was against Ball State on March 10, 2003. Over the last four seasons, Mangum has started 171 games (118 at second, 53 at shortstop). He played 53 games at shortstop last season but has returned to second for 2005.
TAR HEELS ON NATIONAL TV
Carolina will have six regular-season games nationally televised by ESPN networks this season, as all three games of both the Miami and Georgia Tech series at Boshamer Stadium will be aired on either ESPN2 or ESPNU. These six games are part of a 44-game college baseball and softball package that will air on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU between April 8 and May 22. Carolina is a part of all six Atlantic Coast Conference games that will air as a part of this package.
ESPN ACC Baseball Telecast Schedule Miami at North Carolina *Fri., April 15, 4 p.m. - ESPNU *Sat., April 16, 7 p.m. - ESPN2 Sun., April 17, 1 p.m. - ESPNU (Will air tape-delayed at 4 p.m.)Georgia Tech at North Carolina *Thurs., May 19, 7 p.m. - ESPN2 Fri., May 20, 7 p.m. - ESPNU *Sat., May 21, 5 p.m. - ESPNU *Denotes changed game time from original schedule
