University of North Carolina Athletics
No. 4 Tar Heels Hit The Road To Meet Hokies
March 22, 2007 | Baseball
March 22, 2007
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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Fourth-ranked North Carolina returns to Atlantic Coast Conference action when it travels to Virginia Tech for a three-game set beginning Friday at English Field. After two weekends of league play, the Tar Heels (20-3, 4-2) hold a one-game lead over the Hokies (14-8, 3-3 ACC), Virginia and Georgia Tech in the ACC's Coastal Division. Game times for this weekend are 3 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday, and a webcast of all three games will be available through ACC Select.
GAMES 24-26: AT VIRGINIA TECH, MARCH 23-25
#4 NORTH CAROLINA (20-3, 4-2 ACC) AT
VIRGINIA TECH (14-8, 3-3 ACC)
• FRIDAY 3 P.M., SATURDAY 2 P.M., SUNDAY 1 P.M.
• ALL-TIME SERIES: Carolina leads, 43-22-2
• LAST MEETING: Carolina 12, Virginia Tech 4, April 16, 2006
|
Date |
Time | UNC Starter | UVA Starter | TV/Radio |
| March 23 | 3 p.m. | Robert Woodard (Sr., RHP) 4-0, 2.30 |
Greg Fryman (Sr., RHP) 2-2, 6.37 |
ACC Select |
| March 24 | 2 p.m. | Alex White (Fr., RHP) 3-0, 1.69 |
Andrew Wells (Sr., LHP) 1-1, 5.27 |
ACC Select |
| March 25 | 1 p.m. | Luke Putkonen (So., RHP) 4-0, 4.10 |
Adam Redd (Sr., RHP) 2-0, 0.96 |
ACC Select |
NATIONAL RANKINGS: North Carolina is ranked in the top seven of all four major polls, with a high ranking of No. 4 by Collegiate Baseball. Virginia Tech is unranked.
VIRGINIA TECH SERIES: Carolina leads its all-time series with Virginia Tech, 43-22-2. The Tar Heels have won all four meetings with the Hokies since they joined the ACC, including a 17-3 win in Blacksburg in 2005 before the final two games of the series were cancelled due to bad weather.
TAR HEELS AT A GLANCE: After opening 10-0 for the first time since 2000, Carolina is 20-3 and has won three straight heading into this weekend ... UNC leads the ACC in staff ERA at 2.52 despite losing two first-round picks and the NCAA ERA leader from last year's team ... Paced by a weekend rotation that sports a 40-3 combined career record, the Tar Heels have allowed more than four earned runs just four times and own a pair of shutouts ... Opponents are batting just .216 vs. UNC ... Carolina has six players with 13 or more RBI and four players with 26 or more hits through 23 games ... Dustin Ackley is riding a 15-game hitting streak and has 43 hits and 31 RBI on the year ... Reid Fronk has scored 25 runs in just 23 games ... Carolina has drawn 103 walks and struck out just 79 times over 192 2/3 innings ... RHP Robert Woodard goes for career win No. 28 Friday at Virginia Tech... RHP Alex White leads the ACC in innings per start and owns the third-best ERA in the league ... Closer Andrew Carignan has earned a save in five of his last six appearances ... UNC relievers have allowed only 18 of 82 inherited base runners to score.
SCOUTING THE HOKIES: Virginia Tech brings a 14-8 record and a 3-3 mark in the ACC into this weekend's series. The Hokies took two of three at Georgia Tech and dropped two of three at NC State. Junior Sean O'Brien is batting a team-best .341, senior Nate Parks has swiped 21 bases and senior Bryan Thomas has a team-high 23 RBI. Virginia Tech owns a staff ERA of 5.38, and reliever Rhett Ballard (2.93 ERA) has a team-best four wins out of the bullpen. Seniors Greg Fryman, Andrew Wells and Adam Redd will start this weekend for the Hokies.
LAST TIME OUT: After spotting visiting Towson four early runs, No. 4 North Carolina rallied and scored what proved to the game-winner on a bases-loaded walk to pinch hitter Kyle Shelton in the eighth inning in a 6-4 victory over the Tigers Wednesday at Boshamer Stadium. The Tar Heels got two hits each from Dustin Ackley and Josh Horton and wrapped up their 19-game home stand with a 16-3 record. Ackley went 2-for-4 with an RBI for his sixth straight multi-hit game and extended his hitting streak to 15 games, which matches the longest such streak by a Tar Heel since Chris Iannetta hit safely in 23 straight games in 2004. Horton, who was 2-for-3 with two RBI Wednesday, also had a 15-game hitting streak in 2006. Sophomore left-hander Matt Cox picked up his first career win after getting the final out in the eighth, and closer Andrew Carignan struck out the side in the ninth for his sixth save.
HISTORY VS. THE HOKIES: Eight Tar Heels are batting .300 or better in their career against Virginia Tech ... Chad Flack is hitting .563 (9-16) with four RBI and Benji Johnson is batting .417 (5-13) with five runs scored and four RBI in four games played ... Tim Federowicz drove in five runs over three games a year ago ... Closer Andrew Carignan has fanned nine batters in just four career innings against the Hokies ... Robert Woodard is 1-0 with a 1.29 ERA in one start vs. Virginia Tech.
ACKLEY STAYS HOT: Freshman Dustin Ackley brings a 15-game hitting streak into this weekend's series at Virginia Tech, matching the longest such streak by a Tar Heel since Chris Iannetta hit in 23 straight games in 2004. Ackley is batting .533 (32-60) with 22 RBI over his streak and is second in the ACC with a .489 average on the season. He has 15 multi-hit games in just 23 career starts and has hit safely in 21 of 23 games on the year. He also leads the league in RBI per game with 31 in 23 games.
ACKLEY HONORED: North Carolina freshman first baseman Dustin Ackley was named Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Week and Rivals.com National Freshman of the Week Monday after batting .667 over five games last week, including a 10-for-13 effort in the Tar Heels' series with No. 7 Virginia. A freshman from Walnut Cove, N.C., Ackley was 14-for-21 with four runs scored and four RBI for the Tar Heels last week. He hit .769 Virginia series and at one point had 11 hits in 12 trips to the plate over a three-game span. After going 3-for-4 against UNC Greensboro last Wednesday, the first baseman posted back-to-back four-hit games against the Cavaliers. He also reached base in 12 consecutive official at-bats and posted a .652 on-base percentage for the week.
CARIGNAN CLIMBS SAVES CHART: With six saves on the season, including five in his last six outings, junior closer Andrew Carignan is moving up the career saves list at UNC and in the Atlantic Coast Conference. His 21 career saves, which have all come over the last two seasons, are tied for third at Carolina and ninth all-time in the ACC. Carolina's Thad Chrismon holds both records with 41 career saves.
GORE STEPPING UP: With Kyle Seager battling a shoulder injury, sophomore Garrett Gore has filled in admirably at second base. He has started seven of the last nine games and has matched a career best with his current five-game hitting streak. Gore, who started at second throughout the Tar Heels' postseason run a year ago, is batting .303 (10-33) over 19 games this season.
ALL THEY DO IS WIN: Carolina's weekend rotation of Robert Woodard, Alex White and Luke Putkonen is 11-0 this season, but that should be no surprise since this trio is a combined 40-3 in Carolina Blue. Woodard has done the bulk of the work with a 27-3 career mark, but Putkonen is 10-0 over the last two seasons, and White is off to a 3-0 start in his freshman season.
UNC POSTS TOP START SINCE 2000: Currently 20-3 on the year, UNC won its first 10 games of the season for the first time since 2000 and the third time under ninth-year head coach Mike Fox. His 2000 Tar Heels opened 21-0 for the best start in school history, and Fox's first team started 16-0 in 1999. The Tar Heels were also 20-3 through 23 games a year ago but dropped two straight at Georgia Tech. With wins Friday and Saturday in Blacksburg, Carolina can post its best-ever record through 25 games. The Tar Heels opened 21-4 in 1983, 1990 and 2000.
TAR HEELS THRIVE WITH TWO OUT: The Tar Heels have scored many of their runs with two out lately, continuing a trend of hot hitting in pressure situations. As a team, Carolina is batting .324 (84-259) with two out and it has combined for 54 two-out RBI (36 percent of its season total). RBI leader Dustin Ackley has driven in 16 runs with two out and is batting .645 (20-31).
FOX REACHES 900: Head coach Mike Fox won his 900th career game this week with Tuesday's 10-2 victory over Towson. Fox is 901-304-5 in his 24-year career, which includes 15 seasons at North Carolina Wesleyan. In Chapel Hill, Fox is 361-163-1 over nine seasons, and his .744 career winning percentage entering this season is second nationally among active coaches. The Tar Heels' quick start this season has pushed his career winning percentage to .747.
PATIENCE PAYING OFF: With juniors Josh Horton and Reid Fronk leading the way, the Tar Heels have drawn a total of 103 walks and struck out just 79 times through 23 games. A year ago, Carolina punched out 385 times, while drawing just 271 walks. This season, Fronk has walked 19 times and stuck out only seven times, while Horton has walked 18 times and fanned just four times. The Tar Heels have a .393 on-base percentage on the season.
DEPTH ON THE MOUND: After reaching the finals of the College World Series with just 13 pitchers a year ago, the Tar Heels have already used a total of 18 hurlers in 2007. Carolina displayed its bullpen depth in the March 11 win over Miami by using nine different hurlers. Seven different relievers have made eight or more appearances on the season, including Rob Wooten, who leads the way with 15 appearances, and Andrew Carignan, who has pitched in 12 games. The UNC bullpen has combined to make 97 appearances through 23 games this season after making just 170 appearances in 69 games a year ago.
FED-EX DOES IT ALL: Sophomore Tim Federowicz has pitched six times this season and has figured into both sides of Carolina victories on three occasions. Most recently, Federowicz homered and drove in three runs and also pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings in the March 13 win over Miami. In the Feb. 17 win over Seton Hall, Federowicz drove in what proved to be the game-winning run and picked up his first career save. And in the Feb. 28 win over No. 22 Coastal Carolina, the Apex native retired the Chanticleers in order in the top of the 10th and then started the game-winning rally with a single. He is batting .329 on the year with 19 RBI and is 1-1 with a save in six appearances.
CAROLINA'S IRONMAN: Junior Reid Fronk has played in 94 straight games dating to the end of the 2005 season, and he has constantly done the little things to help the Tar Heels to 74 victories over this stretch. The Feb. 28 win over Coastal Carolina was a prime example when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to drive in the winning run. He has been hit by a pitch 27 times over the last two seasons and sports a .468 on-base percentage on the year. He leads the Tar Heels with 25 runs scored and 19 walks and is fourth with a career-high .321 average.
HOME SWEET HOME: Carolina hopes to send the current Boshamer Stadium out in style in its final season of existence in 2007, and the Tar Heels are off to a fine start. UNC has won 26 of its last 29 games at home and saw the nation's second longest home win streak snapped at 16 games with the March 10 loss to Penn State. The Tar Heels are 19-3 at home this season.
WOOTEN SOLID IN RELIEF: UNC knew it would have a large void to fill with the loss of NCAA ERA leader Jonathan Hovis, and junior righty Rob Wooten has stepped up in the early season. He has allowed just one earned run over 15 innings in a team-best 15 appearances. Wooten has struck out 15, including a career-high five Ks against UNC Greensboro March 14. He is holding opponents to a .212 average.
FRESHMEN FITTING IN: Carolina's rookie class have impressed in the early season, as Dustin Ackley, Drew Poulk, Kyle Seager and Tim Fedroff (the four freshmen with at least 30 at-bats) have combined to hit .374 (91-243) through 23 games. Led by Ackley's team-best 31 RBI, this quartet has accounted for 37.5 percent (57 of 152 RBI) of the Tar Heels' run production.
FAST START FOR FEDROFF: Freshman outfielder Tim Fedroff had just one at-bat on the season prior to the Feb. 24 doubleheader with Stony Brook, but he delivered in his first career starts. The Flagtown, N.J., native went 4-for-6 on the day with a home run, a triple and two RBI. He followed with a solo shot against Coastal Carolina Feb. 28 and went 3-for-3 with four runs scored against Towson March 20. One of the Tar Heels' fastest runners, Fedroff has started the last two games in right field and in the leadoff spot.
TAR HEELS WINNING OFF THE FIELD, TOO: North Carolina's baseball team is in its fourth week as the No. 1 team in the nation according Baseball America and also picked up another top billing Feb. 28 when it earned the No. 1 spot when USA Today re-ranked its preseason top 25 based on the NCAA's Academic Progress Rate (APR). The APR of the Tar Heel baseball team of 988 topped the charts, 14 points ahead of No. 2 Georgia Tech. To determine APR, "points are awarded player by player for whether an athlete remains in school and stays academically eligible and ultimately graduates," according to USA Today.
HEELS PICKED TO REPEAT: North Carolina was picked as the preseason favorite to defend its Atlantic Coast Conference Coastal Division baseball title, the league office announced Jan. 19. The Tar Heels, who were 54-15 and 22-8 in ACC action a year ago, received 60 points and four first-place votes in the Coastal Division. The preseason poll is determined by vote of the league's 12 head coaches. Clemson was picked to win the Atlantic Division for the second straight season and was picked as the overall league favorite. The Tar Heels and Tigers, who met at the College World Series, are not scheduled to play this season.
PROGRAM HONORED BY BA: The UNC baseball program was recently honored by Baseball America when the magazine ranked its top 64 teams of the 64-team field era (1999-2006). The Tar Heels were rated 14th overall and fifth among teams currently in the ACC. Winning percentage, postseason success, All-Americas, draft choices and number of alumni in the majors all played into the rankings.
WATCH OUT: Preseason All-Americas Andrew Carignan, Chad Flack and Josh Horton find themselves in exclusive company on the preseason watch lists for some of college baseball's top honors. Carignan, a junior closer, is a candidate for the Roger Clemens Award and the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award, while Flack and Horton, junior infielders, are up for the Brooks Wallace Player of the Year Award.
HEELS PROJECTED TO IMPACT DRAFT: One year after having a pair of pitchers selected in the first round of the Major League Baseball Draft, North Carolina is again projected to have an impact in June with four players on Baseball America's Top 100 College Prospects list for 2007. All-America shortstop Josh Horton (22), pitchers Luke Putkonen (69) and Andrew Carignan (86) and outfielder Reid Fronk (92) were each honored. The Tar Heels are one of just three teams with at least four players rated in the top 100 prospects. Top-ranked Rice leads the way with six, while Carolina and Clemson are tied for second with four each.
RATED ROOKIES: Collegiate Baseball newspaper rated North Carolina's 16-man freshman class sixth nationally in its annual recruiting rankings. The Tar Heels, who brought in five prep All-America selections, have now posted top-six classes twice in the last four years and top-20 groups in three of the last four seasons. The only class ranked in the top 18 comprised solely of high school talent, Carolina's newcomers rated as the No. 2 class in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Baseball America ranked the class eighth and projected RHP/1B Alex White as the league's top newcomer with second baseman Kyle Seager rated as the ACC's No. 4 newcomer.
