University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heels Sweep ACC Weekly Honors
February 25, 2008 | Softball
Feb. 25, 2008
GREENSBORO, N.C. - Danielle Spaulding and Jennifer Jacobs fueled the North Carolina softball team to a 4-1 week, including a conference series victory at Florida State over the weekend, en route to earning Atlantic Coast Conference Pitcher and Player of the Week. Spaulding struck out 31 in 18.1 innings of work during the week as she went 3-0 with her first-ever no-hitter against Campbell on Feb. 20. Jacobs was 5 for 12 (.417) at the plate with four long balls and nine RBIs as the Tar Heels improved to 12-3 on the year and 2-1 in the ACC.
Spaulding, a sophomore from Fontana, Calif., was a perfect 3-0 in three starts last week. Against Campbell on Feb. 20, the Tar Heel hurler threw her first-ever no-hitter, striking out nine of 16 batters in a 9-0 win. In two weekend starts at league-foe Florida State, Spaulding continued her impressive play, allowing just seven hits and striking out 22 in two North Carolina wins. For the week, opposing batters managed just three earned runs in the 18.1 innings in which Spaulding was on the mound.
Jacobs, a first baseman for the Heels, was the main driving force behind an offense that scored 33 runs in four wins last week. In UNC's 9-0 win over Campbell, the Tampa, Fla., senior was 3-for-3 at the plate, blasting two home runs and driving in four. Jacobs again came up big in the two wins over FSU on Sunday, picking up two more homers and four more RBIs, as the UNC offense outscored the Seminoles by a combined score of 12-5. In four wins, the slugger recorded nine total RBIs, and averaged one home run for every three at-bats. She currently is one of only three players in school history to have hit 25 career home runs.
Spaulding, Jacobs, and the rest of the Tar Heel squad host a mid-week double-header against Elon this Wednesday, before traveling to Columbus, Ga., for the NFCA Leadoff Classic this weekend. UNC will open the weekend tournament against No. 20/16 Louisiana-Lafayette this Friday at 11:00 a.m.
