University of North Carolina Athletics
Pitcher Of The Year Miller Headlines ACC Honors For Tar Heels
May 22, 2006 | Baseball
May 22, 2006
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - North Carolina junior left-hander Andrew Miller was named Atlantic Coast Conference Pitcher of the Year and was one of four Tar Heels to earn all-conference honors when the league handed out its annual postseason awards Monday. Joining Miller on the All-ACC first team were outfielder Jay Cox and shortstop Josh Horton, while right-hander Robert Woodard received second-team accolades.
The Tar Heels, who won the league's Coastal Division title, were one of five teams with four selections. NC State led the way with six.
At 11-1 with a 1.71 ERA in a team-high 89.2 innings, Miller has enjoyed one of the finest seasons on the mound in Carolina history. He has 98 strikeouts and fanned 11 in his last outing to become the Tar Heels' all-time leader with 290 in just three seasons. The Gainesville, Fla., native is 8-1 with a 1.94 ERA in 10 conference starts and has two games with 10-plus strikeouts in league play, including a career-high 13 at Georgia Tech March 24. On the season, Miller has allowed just four extra-base hits in 374 batters faced. Miller is a three-time All-ACC choice after earning second-team honors in 2004 and 2005.
Horton leads the ACC with a .405 average and his bidding to become just the second Tar Heel to win the league batting crown since 1979. He has three hitting streaks of 12 or more games and has hit safely in 48 of 55 games played. Also the league leader in hits, Horton has 14 doubles, five home runs and has driven in 47 runs. Horton was a second-team selection as a freshman.
Cox earns all-league honors for the first time in his career thanks to a .379 average, which is third in the ACC. He has added career highs of nine home runs and 44 RBI and leads the squad with a .593 slugging percentage. A Louisville Slugger National Hitter of the Week earlier this season, Cox is third on the team with 67 hits.
A first-team selection a year ago, Woodard is 6-1 with a 2.83 ERA in 86 innings this season. One of the most consistent starters in the league, he has gone six or more innings in 10 of 13 starts and tossed a complete game shutout at Virginia May 13. Woodard has 39 strikeouts and has issued only 16 walks, including just two in his last 21 innings. He has a 1.29 ERA in his last five starts.
UNC will be back in action on day one of the 2006 ACC Championship Wednesday at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. As the tourney's No. 2 seed, the Tar Heels will play at 1 p.m. against No. 7 seed NC State.
