University of North Carolina Athletics
No. 3 Tar Heels Head To Wake Forest For ACC Opener
March 9, 2006 | Baseball
March 9, 2006
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Off to its best start since the 2000 season, third-ranked North Carolina (11-1) opens Atlantic Coast Conference action at No. 30 Wake Forest (12-3) this weekend with a three-game series at Gene Hooks Stadium. Game times are 2:30 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Both teams have excelled in the young season, as Wake Forest is off to its best start since 2002. The hot-hitting Tar Heels are batting .363 as a team with seven starters hitting .340 or better. On the mound, Carolina sports a 3.44 earned run average, and its three weekend starters have allowed just 14 runs in 61.2 innings.
Series Breakdown Game Time UNC Starter/WFU Starter Fri., 2:30 p.m. Robert Woodard (2-0, 2.29)/Justin Keadle (2-1, 3.86) Sat., 1 p.m. Daniel Bard (2-0, 2.45)/Brad Kledzik (2-0, 3.24) Sun., 1 p.m. Andrew Miller (3-0, 0.90)/Charlie Mellies (3-0, 2.92)
All-Time Series Record: North Carolina leads, 143-116-3
Last Meeting: Wake Forest 2, North Carolina 1, May 26, 2005, Jacksonville, Fla.
Series Streak: The Tar Heels have won eight of the last nine meetings dating to 2003.
Fast Fact: Carolina has swept back-to-back regular season series against the Demon Deacons for the first time since the ACC went to three-game sets in 1990.
CAROLINA-WAKE FOREST SERIES
In a series that began in 1891, Carolina holds a 143-116-3 record in 262 all-time meetings with Wake Forest. The Tar Heels have played more games against the Demon Deacons than any other opponent. UNC has won eight of the last nine games with Wake Forest, including eight straight in the regular season. Carolina's sweep of the Deacs at Gene Hooks Stadium in 2004 was its first since the league went to three-game weekend series in 1990. The Tar Heels have won just three three-game sets in Winston-Salem since 1990: 1990, 1996 and 2004. Head coach Mike Fox is 11-14 in his career against Wake Forest.
SCOUTING THE DEMON DEACONS
Winners of 10 straight, Wake Forest is 12-3 on the young season with wins over then-No. 1 Florida and then-No. 10 Missouri under its belt. The Deacons own a .297 team average, led by freshman infielder Dustin Hood, who is batting .393. Preseason All-America third baseman Matt Antonelli is batting .322 with a team-best five homers and 11 RBI.
The Deacs are slated to start senior right-hander Justin Keadle (2-1, 3.86) Saturday, followed in the rotation by freshman righty Brad Kledzik (2-0, 3.24) and junior righty Charlie Mellies (3-0, 2.92). Mellies tossed a complete-game shutout against Florida earlier this season. Wake Forest closer Ben Hunter (four saves) has now allowed an earned run in 12.1 innings.
NOTING THE CAROLINA STARTERS
FRIDAY: Robert Woodard (Jr., RHP): A winner of his last 13 decisions, Woodard looks to get back in the win column after matching a career high with eight hits allowed and a no-decision against Purdue March 3. He is 2-0 on the season with a 2.29 ERA and 11 strikeouts and 18-2 in his collegiate career. Woodard is 1-0 in his career against the Deacs after allowing just two runs over six innings March 26, 2005.
SATURDAY: Daniel Bard (Jr., RHP): Coming off a career-best 13 strikeout complete game, five-hitter, Bard looks to improve to 3-0 in his career against Wake Forest. Last season, he allowed just one run on five hits in seven innings March 26. As a freshman against the Deacs, Bard gave up four earned runs on nine hits in 6.2 innings but still came away with the win. He is 2-0 on the year with a 2.45 ERA and 27 strikeouts against just two walks.
SUNDAY: Andrew Miller (Jr., LHP): Miller has allowed just two earned runs and 11 hits in 20 innings this season. He is 3-0 with a 0.90 ERA. Miller owns 30 strikeouts against just four walks on the season. Miller is 2-1 in his career against Wake Forest. Last season, he allowed just four earned runs in 13.1 innings against the Deacs, fanning 14 batters. He tossed a complete game in the ACC tourney but was a tough-luck loser as WFU eliminated the Tar Heels.
LAST TIME OUT: CAROLINA 6, APP. STATE 4
Shortstop Josh Horton drove in a season-high three runs as No. 3 North Carolina closed out its season-opening 12-game home stand with a 6-4 win over Appalachian State Wednesday at Boshamer Stadium. Kyle Shelton, Reid Fronk and Jay Cox each had three hits for the Tar Heels.
Shelton, who has five hits over the last two games, posted a career-best 3-for-4 effort against ASU to push his career-long hitting streak to seven games. Fronk's three hits and two runs scored equaled career highs, while Cox was 3-for-4 with one run batted in. Horton had just one hit but pushed his current streak to 11 games. He also drove in a run with a sacrifice fly and a bases loaded walk. All 12 of the Tar Heels' hits were singles.
Carolina starter Luke Putkonen (2-0) went five innings and allowed three runs on three hits. He walked just one and struck out two in his third career start. Freshman Adam Warren, junior Matt Danford, sophomore Andrew Carignan and senior Jonathan Hovis allowed one unearned run over the final four innings to close out the victory. Hovis worked the final 1.1 innings to pick up his second save of the season.
HEELS HAVE SUCCESS VS. DEACS
The left side of the Tar Heels' infield enjoyed success against the Deacons in last year's regular season series, as third baseman Reid Fronk and shortstop Josh Horton hit safely in all three games. Fronk was 5-for-13 with five runs scored and four RBI in the series, while Horton was 4-for-11. Outfielder Matt Spencer hit his second career home run in last year's series.
HORTON STILL STREAKIN'
Sophomore shortstop Josh Horton brings a career-long 11-game hitting streak into the weekend set at Wake Forest. Three Tar Heels had streaks of 10 or more games entering Wednesday's win, but Horton's run is the only one left standing. He has hit safely in all 11 games he has played in this season and sports a .447 average. Over his streak, Horton has seven multi-hit games, including six straight from Feb. 19 to March 1. The Hillsborough product drove in a season-high three runs Wednesday.
WILLIAMS BACK TO FORM
Outfielder Seth Williams has returned to form quickly after missing the first eight games of the season with a hamstring injury. In four starts since, he is batting .429 with one home run and six RBI. Williams has a hit safely in all four games since his return and has six-game hit streak dating to last season.
KKKKKKKKKK
With 30 strikeouts over his first three starts, junior lefty Andrew Miller is averaging 10 strikeouts per start. After fanning nine in his first start of the season, Miller struck out 11 and 10, respectively, in his next two starts for the first back-to-back double-digit strikeout games in his career. Miller now has six games with 10-plus Ks and shoots for No. 7 Sunday.
BARD CLAIMS ACC HONORS
After striking out a career-best 13 batters over a complete game five-hitter March 4, North Carolina junior right-hander Daniel Bard was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Pitcher of the Week Monday. The honor is the first of Bard's career and the first for a Tar Heel this season.
Bard, who walked just one en route to this third complete game, 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 were the most by a Tar Heel since Garry Bakker also fanned 13 in a five-hit shutout at Virginia March 30, 2002.
BEST START SINCE 2000 FOR UNC
At 11-1 through 12 games, Carolina is off to its best start since the 2000 squad opened a school-record 21-0. The Tar Heels opened 8-0 for the second straight season and have followed their lone loss of the season to Purdue March 3 with three straight victories.
COX TOPS CAROLINA CHARTS
Junior outfielder Jay Cox leads the Tar Heels with a .488 average through 12 games and he has hit safely in 11 of the 12 outings, including five straight. Cox has also driven in runs in five straight and has already matched a career-best with three home runs. He is slugging a whopping .767 and also leads the team with a .577 on-base percentage.
FAST START FOR SPENCER
Sophomore outfielder Matt Spencer has shown a rare combination of power and speed in the early season, leading the Tar Heels in both home runs with three and stolen bases with seven. Spencer also shares the team lead with 15 RBI, which is more than he had all of last season. He is hitting .391 after starting all 12 games in right field and also leads the club in run scored with 15. Spencer, who is also slugging .674, had a career-best 10-game hitting streak snapped Wednesday.
ALL-AMERICAS LIVE UP TO BILLING
Junior starters Daniel Bard, Andrew Miller and Robert Woodard are living up to their preseason hype in the early stages of 2006. The trio of preseason All-Americas is a combined 7-0 with a 1.90 earned run average. They have struck out 68 batters in 61.2 innings and have walked just 11.
FRONK STEPS UP
Sophomore third baseman Reid Fronk has been outstanding over the first 12 games of the season, starting each contest at third base. The Charlotte product is batting a career-best .341 and has five hits and four runs scored over the last two games. His three hits Wednesday matched a career best. Fronk has hit in the leadoff spot in each of the last three games in place of the injured Mike Cavasinni and is 5-for-12 with four runs scored at the top of the order. His 15 RBI share the team lead with Matt Spencer and already match last season's total.
Defensively, Fronk has been just as impressive, going without an error in 36 chances this season.
THE RUNNIN' HEELS
UNC head coach Mike Fox said he wanted to run more this season, and so far so good. The Tar Heels have swiped 26 bases in 31 attempts through eight games, led by Matt Spencer, who is 7-for-8 on the base paths. Carolina is already a more than a third of the way to its 2005 stolen base total of 61 in 81 attempts.
SOPHOMORE STREAKS
Three of Carolina's sophomore standouts have posted hitting streaks of 10 or more games this season, including shortstop Josh Horton, who is on an 11-game streak entering the weekend in Winston-Salem. First baseman Chad Flack posted a 12-game streak dating to last season's NCAA Gainesville Regional, where he hit safely in all three games. Classmate Matt Spencer notched a 10-game run as well. Both streaks ended in the Tar Heels' win over Appalachian State Wednesday.
CAREER STRIKEOUT WATCH
With 30 strikeouts in his three starts of the season, junior lefty Andrew Miller has 222 for his career. With 67 more strikeouts this season, Miller can tie Michael Hoog's school record of 289 set between 1987-90. Mike Bynum, a 1999 first-round draft choice, owns the mark for strikeouts in a three-year career with 276 from 1997-99.
HOVIS ANCHORS HEELS' PEN
Senior closer Jonathan Hovis has been savior in the bullpen, as Carolina's relievers have struggled at times this season. He is 2-1 with two saves and has allowed just one run in 12 innings or work. With two wins and one save in his last five appearances, Hovis went 3.2 hitless innings and fanned five in the 11-inning win over George Washington Feb. 25 and followed with 2.1 scoreless innings in the March 1 win over Gardner-Webb. He is now 12-6 in his career with seven saves.
BALANCED ATTACK FOR HEELS
With a .363 average, the Tar Heels are off to a strong start at the plate and are hitting 69 points higher than their team average a year ago.
Seven starters are hitting over .340, led by outfielder Jay Cox and his .488 average. Shortstop Josh Horton (.447) and first baseman Chad Flack (.425) are also batting above .400. Outfielder Matt Spencer is not far behind at .391, while second baseman Bryan Steed (.367), catcher/DH Tim Federowicz (.357) and third baseman Reid Fronk (.341) also check in above .340.
SHELTON STRONG OFF THE BENCH
Reserve infielder Kyle Shelton has made the most of his opportunities this season with a .500 average in eight games. He is 8-for-16 on the year with five hits in the last two games for his first career multi-hit games. Shelton, who has a seven-game hit streak dating to 2005, started at designated hitter for the first time in his career Wednesday.
STEED ADDS PUNCH FROM 9 HOLE
Junior second baseman Bryan Steed's return as a regular starter as been solid to say the least. He is batting .367 (11-30) with 11 runs scored and a .457 on-base percentage. Steed had a career-best four hits in the second game of the Feb. 19 doubleheader with Seton Hall and combined for six hits in the two games.
WOODARD'S A WINNER
After an 8-0 season in 2005, junior righty Robert Woodard is on quite a winning streak. The Charlotte native has not dropped a decision since a May 11, 2004 start against South Carolina at Knights Castle in Ft. Mill, S.C., and he owns a 13-0 record over this stretch.
Woodard brings a 18-2 collegiate record into Friday's start against Wake Forest, good for an .900 winning percentage, the best in program history. He is also a perfect 11-0 at Boshamer Stadium over the last three seasons.
YOUNGSTERS A YEAR OLDER
A year ago, Carolina regularly started as many as five freshman in its lineup - infielders Chad Flack, Reid Fronk and Josh Horton, outfielder Seth Williams and catcher Benji Johnson. All five started at least 22 games with Horton and Flack starting 53 and 56, respectively. Two-way player Matt Spencer also made an impact with three homers and 10 RBI in 28 games (nine starts).
Thus far in 2006, this group has carried the Tar Heels with 62 of their 102 RBI. Spencer and Fronk have combined for 30 RBI this season after driving in just 25 runs all last season. Add classmates Matt Iannetta, who had just two at-bats a year ago, and Kyle Shelton and the sophomore class has tallied 70 of Carolina's 102 RBI this season.
