University of North Carolina Athletics
Monday Baseball Notebook
March 31, 2008 | Baseball
March 31, 2008
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - After weather shortened its weekend series with NC State, third-ranked North Carolina is back in action this week with a pair of midweek games against in-state opponents UNC Greensboro and Appalachian State. The Tar Heels (21-5) will host the Spartans (18-7) at 6 p.m. Tuesday, followed by a 6 p.m. Wednesday meeting with the Mountaineers (14-13).
After missing his scheduled start Sunday against the Wolfpack, freshman right-hander Matt Harvey (3-1, 1.19) will take the mound Tuesday against UNCG, and classmate Patrick Johnson (2-0, 2.50) is slated to start Wednesday versus ASU.
Carolina is 11-4 in 15 all-time meetings with the Spartans and owns an 18-3 mark in 21 games versus the Mountaineers.
Each Monday, TarHeelBlue.com will take a look back at the previous week's on the diamond before moving on to another week of baseball action.
NORTH CAROLINA WEEKLY RESULTS:
Record: 21-5, 8-3 ACC
March 25: #3 North Carolina 12, Davidson 6
March 26: #3 North Carolina 13, Gardner-Webb 2
March 28: #3 North Carolina 5, NC State 2
March 29: NC State 8, #3 North Carolina 6
March 30: NC State at #3 North Carolina - Canceled due to inclement weather
NOTING THE WEEK OF MARCH 24-30:
• Carolina continued its offensive surge last week with a .364 average and 10-plus hits in all four games to run its streak of double-digit hit efforts to eight. The Tar Heels outscored their opponents 36-18 in a 3-1 week.
• UNC committed three errors in Saturday's loss to NC State to drop to 2-4 on the year with two or more fielding miscues. Conversely, the Tar Heels are 19-1 when making one or fewer errors.
• Third baseman Chad Flack continued to swing a hot bat with a .412 average (7-17) over four games last week. The Forest City, N.C., native drove in a team-high eight runs and five of his seven hits went for extra bases (three doubles, one triple and one home run). Flack lifted UNC to a 5-2 win over NC State Friday with a three-run home run - his fourth of the season and fourth against the Wolfpack - in the fifth inning. Flack has hit safely in his last nine games to raise his season average to .305 with four homers, 12 doubles and 25 RBI.
• With 32 hits on the season, Flack has moved into a tie for third on the UNC career list with Jarrett Shearin at 284. He needs just eight more to surpass Chad Prosser's record of 291 established from 2000-03. Flack's 25 RBI - eight of which came last week - have pushed his career total to 188, which is good for fourth on the career list. He needs 27 more to break that school record.
Flack also collected his 98th and 99th career extra-base hits in the State series and needs just one more to become just the fourth Tar Heel to reach the 100 extra-base hit mark. His three-run home run Friday was the 39th of his career, and he needs just one more to become the seventh player with 40-plus homers at Carolina.
• Flack was one of four Tar Heels to hit over .400 for the week. Right fielder Tim Fedroff, who had three hits Friday against State, led Carolina with a .467 mark (7-15) for the week. Left fielder Kyle Shelton (.417) and shortstop Garrett Gore (.412) also hit above .400 last week.
• Fedroff went 5-for-8 in the State series to raise his average in ACC play to a league-high .490 (25-51) with three home runs and 12 RBI. The Flagtown, N.J., native also raised his season average to .402, which ranks fourth in the league, to take over the team lead. He is first in the ACC with 45 hits, fourth with seven home runs and fourth with 34 runs scored.
• Shortstop Garrett Gore matched his career home run total with homers Tuesday and Wednesday and a combined six RBI in the two wins. He finished with a .412 average (7-17) for the week with the two homers and seven of his 15 RBI on the season.
• Second baseman Kyle Seager needed a ninth-inning single Saturday to extend his career-best hitting streak to 22 games, which is three games shy of the top five streaks in school history. He is batting .383 on the year with team-highs of 33 RBI and 16 doubles. Seager is third in the league in RBI and first in doubles.
• Center fielder Seth Williams saw his career-best 16-game hitting streak snapped Saturday with an 0-for-2 game with two walks.
• Sophomore Dustin Ackley went 0-for-9 in the NC State series to go hitless in back-to-back games for just the fourth time in his career. He is .396 with four home runs, 21 RBI and 11 stolen bases this season.
• Sophomore right-hander Alex White matched his career high with 11 strikeouts Friday against NC State. He also fanned 11 against the Wolfpack a year ago, and Friday's effort marked his third career double-digit strikeout game. White held State to just two runs on four hits, but also issued a season-high five walks. White is 4-2 with a 2.37 ERA, which is eighth in the ACC, in seven games. His 11 Ks Friday give him a team-high 35 on the season.
• Senior right-hander Rob Wooten pitched in all four games last week and figured into the decision in three contests. He picked up a win against Davidson Tuesday, earned his third save against NC State Friday and suffered a tough-luck loss Saturday. In 4 2/3 innings last week, Wooten struck out eight and walked just one. On the season, he is 1-1 with three saves and a 0.92 ERA in 19 2/3 innings. Over a team-high 13 appearances, Wooten has 26 strikeouts to just four walks.
• Sophomore left-hander Brian Moran was charged with his first run of the season in Saturday's loss but was huge in Friday's win, striking out all four batters he faced over the sixth and seventh innings to equal a career high. He pitched in three games last week and is tied for second on the staff with 12 appearances. The Rye, N.Y., native sports a 0.63 ERA and has 22 strikeouts to just four walks 14 1/3 innings.
