University of North Carolina Athletics
Carolina Baseball Monday Notebook
March 6, 2006 | Baseball
March 6, 2006
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Second-ranked North Carolina closes out its 12-game season-opening home stand against Appalachian State Wednesday at 3 p.m. at Boshamer Stadium. The Tar Heels are coming off a 3-1 week and bring a 10-1 record in the their 21st all-time meeting with the Mountaineers, who are 5-4 on the season after being swept at Alabama last weekend. Carolina leads the all-time series 17-3 and posted a 7-0 win over ASU in the 2005 season opener.
Redshirt freshman Luke Putkonen will take the mound for the Tar Heels. He is 1-0 with a 4.00 earned run average in two starts this season. The Mountaineers are slated to start junior right-hander Jonathan Reeder (1-0, 5.87 ERA).
Wednesday's game is the Tar Heels' final tune-up before opening ACC play at Wake Forest Friday.
NOTING THE WEEK OF FEB. 27-MARCH 6:
• Preseason All-America Daniel Bard struck out a career-high 13 batters in a complete game five-hitter against Purdue Saturday. He also walked just one in his third career complete game. Bard (2-0) gave up two singles and hit a batter in the second but worked out of the bases loaded jam and then did not allow another hit until the seventh inning. The Charlotte native retired 13 of the next 14 batters he faced until Purdue right fielder Neal Gorka singled and second baseman Eric Osborn followed with a two-run home run for the Boilermakers' only runs of the game. After the homer, Bard settled back down to set down seven of the final nine batters he faced. His 13 strikeouts are the most by a Tar Heel since Garry Bakker also fanned 13 in a five-hit shutout at Virginia March 30, 2002. On the season, Bard now has a team-best 27 strikeouts against just two walks in 23 innings. He is 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA and ranks first in the ACC at 7.1 innings per start. Opponents are hitting just .179 against Bard, good for seventh in the league.
• Juniors Daniel Bard (13) and Andrew Miller (10) combined to strike out 23 Purdue batters in the Tar Heels' Saturday and Sunday wins. Bard established a career high and his first double-digit strikeout game, while Miller has fanned 10-plus batters in each of his last two starts and six times in his career. The tandem has combined for 57 strikeouts against just six walks in 42 innings this season. Miller and Bard are first and third, respectively, in the ACC in strikeouts per nine innings. Miller is first at 13.50, Bard second at 11.05.
• Junior outfielder Jay Cox homered in the first two games of the Purdue series and drove in five runs on the week. He is batting .462 with three home runs, which equals a career high, and 10 RBI. Cox is fifth in the ACC in batting, as three Tar Heels rank in the top 10 in the ACC. First baseman Chad Flack is fourth at .472, and shortstop Josh Horton is sixth at .455.
• Sophomore third baseman Reid Fronk hit his second home run of the season in the win over Purdue Sunday. The solo shot drove in Fronk's 15th run of the season, which matches his total of all of last year. Fronk is tied with teammate Matt Spencer for fifth in the ACC with 1.36 RBI per game.
• Three Tar Heels are currently on hitting streaks of 10 or more games: first baseman Chad Flack (12), shortstop Josh Horton (10) and outfielder Matt Spencer (10). All three streaks are career bests. Flack hit safely in all three games of the 2005 NCAA Gainesville Regional and all nine games he has played in this season. Horton has also hit safely in every game he has played in this year.
• Outfielder Seth Williams had an impressive season debut this week. After missing the first eight games due to a hamstring injury, Williams went 4-for-11 in the Purdue series with a key three-run home run Saturday and five RBI. He started at designated hitter Friday and played center field Saturday and Sunday.
• Sophomore infielder Kyle Shelton notched his first career two-hit game Sunday, as did classmate Matt Iannetta Friday. Shelton, who is batting .417, has hit safely in his last six games dating to last season. Iannetta is batting .222 this season with a homer and seven RBI.
