University of North Carolina Athletics
A Look Back At The 2006 Diamond Heels
June 28, 2006 | Baseball
June 28, 2006
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Two days removed from the Diamond Heels' run through the College World Series to a national runner-up finish, TarHeelBlue.com takes a look back at the news, notes, records and awards that made 2006 the finest season in Carolina Baseball history.
TEN GAMES TO REMEMBER
TEAM WIN MARKS
With a final record of 54-15, the Tar Heels set a school record for single-season victories, surpassing the 51 wins of the 1990 squad. Carolina also set marks for regular season wins with 45, home wins with 35 and Atlantic Coast Conference victories with 22. The Tar Heels finished first in the ACC's Coastal Division in the league's first season of divisional play.
RECORD-SETTING POSTSEASON RUN
Carolina went 9-2 in the NCAA tournament and matched a season-best winning streak with nine consecutive victories in the postseason. The Tar Heels swept through the Chapel Hill Regional, Tuscaloosa Super Regional and their side of the College World Series bracket before dropping two of three to Oregon State in the CWS championship series. Carolina hosted its first regional since 1983 at Boshamer Stadium.
POLL WATCHING
The Tar Heels finished the season ranked No. 2 by Collegiate Baseball and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association for the highest final ranking in school history. Carolina was ranked No. 1 in one of the four major polls for five straight weeks earlier in the season.
ALL-TOURNAMENT HONORS
Jay Cox, Tim Federowicz and Josh Horton were catalysts for Carolina's NCAA run and earned spots on both the all-tournament teams for both the Chapel Hill Regional and the College World Series. Cox was named Most Outstanding Player at the regional, and Daniel Bard and Seth Williams also were named the all-tournament team for the regional.
SHUTOUT RECORD FALLS
Robert Woodard's three-hit gem against Clemson in the College World Series was the Tar Heels' ninth shutout of the season, which is a UNC record. The previous record of seven was set in 1978 and matched in 2000, 2004 and 2005. The Tar Heels have posted 23 shutouts over the last three seasons.
MILLER'S SEASON FOR THE AGES
Junior left-hander Andrew Miller was named Baseball America's National Player of the Year and earned first-team All-America honors from Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball, the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and Rivals.com. The No. 6 pick by the Detroit Tigers in the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft, Miller was also named ACC Pitcher of the Year and earned All-ACC honors for the third time in his career.
Miller, who was 13-2 with a 2.48 ERA, enjoyed one of the finest seasons on the mound in program history. He set the single-season strikeout record with 133 and also finished second in wins (13) and innings pitched (123.1).
Miller also set the UNC career strikeout record with 325 in just three seasons and is third all-time with 27 wins and fourth with 309 innings.
HOVIS WINS ERA TITLE
Senior reliever Jonathan Hovis claimed the NCAA earned run average title with a 1.17 mark in 69.1 innings. The 1.17 mark is the fifth-best in UNC history and the lowest qualifying ERA since 1970. The Gastonia product appeared in 38 games this season, which is the second-best mark in UNC history, and his 106 career appearances are fourth all-time. Hovis wraps up his career with an 18-7 record, seven saves and a 2.58 ERA.
FLACK SETS UNC HIT MARK
Sophomore first baseman Chad Flack set the school single-season hit record with 111 on the year. He batted .384 with 13 home runs and 68 RBI, which stands as the eighth-best total in program history. Flack owns a .364 career average after two season for the fourth-best mark at Carolina.
HORTON NETS ACC BATTING CROWN
Sophomore shortstop Josh Horton finished the season with a .395 batting average to earn just the second ACC batting title by a Tar Heel since 1979. His 107 hits were the second most in program history, and his .375 career batting average is the third-best mark at Carolina.
Horton picked up first-team All-America honors from Rivals.com, second-team accolades from Baseball America and earned a spot on Collegiate Baseball's third team. He also earned All-ACC honors for the second straight season.
CARIGNAN CLOSES STRONG
Sophomore Andrew Carignan nailed down the closer's job early in the season and finished the year with 15 saves to rank second on the Tar Heels' single-season list. He posted a 2-3 record and a 3.21 ERA in 33.2 innings and struck out 44 against just 15 walks.
FOX JOINS EXCLUSIVE GROUP
A member of Carolina's 1978 College World Series squad, head coach Mike Fox is now one of just 10 men to have played in and coached in the CWS. A part of all six of the Tar Heels' CWS wins, Fox is also one of just six men to have played in Omaha and coached their alma mater's back to the CWS.
FEDEROWICZ NAMED FRESHMAN ALL-AMERICA
Catcher Tim Federowicz was named to Collegiate Baseball's Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America team after a fine rookie year. He batted .320 with 12 home runs and 62 RBI and also posted a .991 fielding percentage behind the plate. His 12 home runs are the third-most by a UNC rookie, trailing only teammates Chad Flack and Seth Williams, who hit 15 and 13, as freshmen in 2005. Federowicz will begin tryouts for the USA National Team soon.
FOUR PLAYERS DRAFTED
Andrew Miller (6th, Detroit) and Daniel Bard (28th, Boston) were each chosen in the first round of the 2006 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, giving the Tar Heels a pair of first rounders for the first time since 1985. Jay Cox went in the 22nd round to Colorado, while Robert Woodard was chosen in the 46th round by St. Louis.
BIG YEAR FOR COX
Jay Cox enjoyed a career year and picked up first-team All-ACC honors in the process. The Smithfield native hit .375 with a team-best 15 home runs and a career-high 65 RBI, which was second on the team. Cox also led the team with a .634 slugging percentage and a .462 on-base mark.
BIG THREE AMONG UNC'S BEST
In Andrew Miller, Daniel Bard and Robert Woodard, Carolina finished the season with three of the nine winningest pitchers in program history on its staff. Miller is third with 27 wins, while Bard is fifth with 24 and Woodard tied for eighth with 23. Over the last three seasons, the trio has posted a 74-25 record for 53.6 percent of the Tar Heels' wins over this period.
Bard also stands in a tie for ninth on the career strikeout list with 239 and is tied for sixth with 286 innings, while Woodard is second with a .885 (23-3) career winning percentage. Bard went 9-4 on the year with a 3.64 ERA and 94 strikeouts in 101.1 innings, while Woodard was 7-1 with a 3.43 ERA in 107.2 innings.
JOHNSON MAKES JUMP
One year after batting just .130 with eight RBI, sophomore catcher Benji Johnson slugged 14 home runs and tallied 44 RBI to make the move to the Tar Heels' everyday lineup in 2006. He hit .273 and also was outstanding behind the plate with a .982 fielding percentage. Johnson and fellow catcher Tim Federowicz allowed just 45 stolen bases in 69 games.
