University of North Carolina Athletics
No. 3 Tar Heels Set For State Series In Cary
March 27, 2008 | Baseball
March 27, 2008
Carolina-NC State Notes in PDF Format 
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Third-ranked North Carolina will look for its third straight series win over NC State when it hosts a three-game set beginning Friday at Cary's USA Baseball National Training Complex. The Tar Heels (20-4, 7-2 ACC) and Wolfpack (14-8, 4-5 ACC) will square off at 7 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 1:30 p.m. Sunday. Runs should be at a premium this weekend with the ACC's top two pitching staffs in terms of ERA on display. A webcast of the Friday and Sunday game will be available live and on-demand through ACC Select.
| Date | Time | UNC Starter | MD Starter | Media Coverage |
| March 28 | 7 p.m. | Alex White, RHP (So., 3-2, 2.19) |
Clayton Shunick, RHP (Jr., 2-2, 1.55) |
ACC Select |
| March 22 | 4 p.m. | Adam Warren, RHP (Jr., 4-0, 4.56) |
Eric Surkamp, RHP (Jr., 1-2, 4.50) |
None |
| March 23 | 1 p.m. | Matt Harvey, RHP (Fr., 3-1, 1.19) |
Eryk McConnell, RHP (Sr., 2-1, 4.62) |
ACC Select |
NATIONAL RANKINGS: North Carolina is ranked No. 3 in two of the four major polls - the Baseball America and the NCBWA rankings - and is in the top seven of all four. NC State is unranked.
TAR HEEL TRENDS: Carolina became the seventh team in the nation to reach the 20-win mark Wednesday ... Friday will mark the 600th game for Mike Fox at his alma mater ... The Tar Heels have won 10 of their last 11 games and seven of their last eight in ACC play ... Carolina is the only team in the ACC to rank among the league's top three in batting and ERA ... Carolina's 2.24 ERA ranks second nationally behind only UC Irvine ... The Tar Heels are also third nationally with 237 Ks ... UNC's balanced offense features eight regulars hitting over .300 and five players with 20-plus RBI ... 2B Kyle Seager leads the nation with 16 doubles ... 13 of the 16 pitchers that UNC has used this season own an ERA of 2.50 or below ... Junior RHP Adam Warren won his fourth straight start last week and is 17-0 in his collegiate career ... Senior 3B Chad Flack needs just 11 hits to set the school record for career base hits.
SERIES HISTORY: North Carolina leads its all-time series with NC State, 147-118-1 and holds an 84-75 lead in games played since ACC play began in 1954. The Tar Heels' 266 meetings with the Wolfpack are their second most against any opponent. Carolina has only played more games - 269 - against Wake Forest. UNC went 3-1 against State a year ago and 6-2 in eight meetings over the last two seasons. Tenth-year head coach Mike Fox is 17-13 against the Pack, including a 9-3 mark in home games. The Tar Heels have won three of their four home series against State under Fox and two straight overall.
RECENT HISTORY VS. NC STATE: Dustin Ackley hit .368 (7-19) against NC State last year ... Tim Federowicz is a career .303 hitter (10-33) in eight games ... Tim Fedroff had eight hits in four games last year vs. the Pack ... Chad Flack has three home runs and 13 RBI in 11 career games against State and owns a .294 average (15-51) ... Seth Williams is a .306 hitter (11-36) in 11 career games in the series ... Rob Wooten worked a scoreless inning over two appearances last season against NCSU.
SCOUTING THE WOLFPACK: NC State carries a 14-8 record and a 4-5 mark in ACC play into this weekend's series. Paced by Friday starter RHP Clayton Shunick (2-2, 1.55), the Wolfpack owns a 2.97 staff ERA. RHP Eric Surkamp (1-2, 4.50) and RHP Eryk McConnell (2-1, 4.62) will start Saturday and Sunday, respectively. At the plate, State is batting .270 as a team with 16 home runs and 29 stolen bases in 22 games. Outfielders Matt Payne (.373-1-17) and Marcus Jones (.329-2-15) lead the offense.
LINE-UP SHAKE-UP PAYS OFF: After a 4-2 loss at Maryland last Friday, the Tar Heels reshuffled their line-up with impressive results. With Dustin Ackley jump-starting things from the leadoff spot, Carolina has scored 58 runs and is batting .426 as a team over the last four games. Ackley and Tim Federowicz each have 10 hits over this stretch, while Tim Fedroff and Chad Flack and combined to drive in 22 runs.
PITCHING POWERS STREAK: Since a loss to No. 20 Coastal Carolina March 11, the Tar Heels have been dominant on the mound to the tune of a 1.35 ERA and have allowed just 24 total runs over this 11-game stretch. In 100 total innings, UNC tallied 105 strikeouts to just 32 walks. On the season, the Tar Heels lead the ACC with a 2.24 staff ERA and own 237 strikeouts to just 84 walks in 217 innings.
SOPHOMORE HIT PARADE: UNC sophomores Dustin Ackley, Tim Fedroff and Kyle Seager own three of the top four hit totals in the ACC. Ackley shares the lead with Duke's Alex Hassan at 42, while Fedroff is third with 40, and Seager fourth with 39. All three rank among the league's top 14 in batting.
ACKLEY TOPS ACC: With four hits Wednesday, sophomore Dustin Ackley grabbed the ACC batting lead with a .433 mark through 24 games. He is now eight points ahead of Miami's Jemile Weeks, who owns a .425 average.
FLACK ATTACK IS BACK: Senior Chad Flack has been on a tear of late and is batting .556 (15-27) over a seven-game hitting streak. He has five multi-hit games, including a trio of three-hit games, over this stretch. Flack has 12 RBI and eight doubles over this stretch to continue his move up several of the Tar Heels' career record charts.
Chad Flack On UNC's Career Lists Category Rank Total Needs for Record Hits 4th 281 11 Runs 7th 178 42 Doubles 3rd 54 20 HR 9th 38 20 RBI 6th 184 31 XB Hits 4th 97 27 At-Bats 4th 880 56 Total Bases 3rd 459 57
FEDROFF TAKING OFF: After batting just .143 in February, sophomore right fielder Tim Fedroff has been on a role since the calendar turned to March. Over the last 18 games, the Flagtown, N.J., native has posted two or more hits 11 times and owns a .474 average (36-76) this month. Fedroff has already belted a career-high seven home runs, which is third in the ACC, and is batting .385 with 26 RBI, which is tied for sixth in the league.
SEAGER CLEANING UP: With classmates Tim Fedroff (.451 on-base percentage) and Dustin Ackley (.524) usually on base, sophomore second baseman Kyle Seager, Carolina's No. 3 hitter, has made the most of his RBI opportunities. After driving in 30 runs all last season, Seager leads the Tar Heels and the ACC with 32 RBI in just 24 games. He has equaled a career high with three RBI six times this season.
STREAKS STILL ALIVE: Sophomore Kyle Seager and senior Seth Williams both bring career-best hitting streaks into this weekend's series. Seager owns a .427 average over his 20-game streak, while Williams is batting .375 over a 15-game run. Dustin Ackley had an 18-game streak earlier this season to give UNC three streaks of 15-plus games in 2008.
THE RUNNIN' HEELS: After stealing just 47 bases in 73 games a year ago, Carolina has swiped 28 bags through 24 games in 2008. Dustin Ackley leads the way with 11 steals in 11 tries to match his total of a year ago. Carolina's opponents have stolen just seven bases in 17 attempts.
DEFENSE DICTATES SUCCESS: In each of their four losses this season, sloppy defensive play has doomed the Tar Heels. Carolina committed at least three errors in three of the four losses and has allowed a combined 23 unearned runs in these four games. On the season, UNC has allowed 34 unearned runs. When committing one error or less, Carolina is 18-1. The Tar Heels have made just three errors over their last eight outings.
HARVEY SHINES IN WEEKEND ROTATION: Freshman Matt Harvey is 2-0 in a pair of weekend starts and leads the ACC with a 0.73 ERA in conference action. Over 12 1/3 innings, Harvey has given up only one run and has 10 strikeouts against just two walks. On the year, Harvey owns a 1.19 ERA, which would rank second in the league with enough innings to qualify.
WARREN BACK TO FORM: Saturday's starter Adam Warren has been brilliant over his last four outings after allowing eight earned runs in just 1 1/3 innings at Florida Atlantic. In starts against Winthrop, Duke, Virginia Tech and Maryland, the New Bern native has a 1.85 ERA over 24 1/3 innings and has 17 strikeouts to just seven walks. Warren is 4-0 this season and 17-0 in his career.
SHELTON STEPPING UP: Senior Kyle Shelton has been a valuable utility man this season and is batting a career-high .362 with six RBI. He has a pair of four-hit games in the last 10 outings and has already started games at first base, left field and designated hitter.
BATES BACK IN A BIG WAY: Redshirt freshman right-hander Colin Bates is a fixture in the bullpen this season after missing all of last year. The Naperville, Ill., native had thoracic outlet decompression surgery due to a blood clot in his right shoulder in November 2006 and spent last season rehabbing. Bates has been one of the top options out of the bullpen with a 3-0 record and a 1.27 ERA in 21 1/3 innings. He has 23 strikeouts against just five walks.
ROOKIES SHINE ON THE MOUND: Carolina's young bullpen has been very reliable thus far with 45 of its 83 appearances made by freshmen or redshirt freshmen. The Tar Heels' seven top relievers - four of which are freshmen or redshirt freshmen - all own an ERA of 2.16 or better.
A FIXTURE IN THE RANKINGS: Carolina's ascent to the top of the college baseball world is evidenced by a number of facts and figures but one of note is the 91 consecutive weeks that the Tar Heels have been ranked in the top 25 of one of the four major college baseball polls. Carolina was last left on the outside of the national rankings on May 26, 2003, but entered the polls following the regional win at Mississippi State. The Tar Heels have been included in the top 10 of at least one poll for the last 48 weeks and in the top five in each of the last 30 weeks.
