University of North Carolina Athletics
No. 3 Tar Heels Host No. 14 Yellow Jackets In Key ACC Series
April 3, 2008 | Baseball
April 3, 2008
Complete North Carolina-Georgia Tech Notes in PDF Format 
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - No. 3 North Carolina plays its first weekend series against a nationally-ranked opponent when No. 14 Georgia Tech comes to Cary's USA Baseball National Training Complex for a three-game set beginning Friday. The Tar Heels (23-5, 8-3 ACC) and Yellow Jackets (24-5, 8-4 ACC) will meet at 7 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. Admission to all three games will be free of charge, and a webcast of Sunday's game will be available live and on-demand through ACC Select.
| Date | Time | UNC Starter | MD Starter | Media Coverage |
| April 4 | 7 p.m. | Alex White, RHP (So., 4-2, 2.37) |
David Duncan, LHP (Jr., 4-0, 3.38) |
None |
| April 5 | 2 p.m. | Adam Warren, RHP (Jr., 4-0, 4.40) |
Eddie Burns, RHP (Jr., 4-1, 2.02) |
None |
| April 6 | 1 p.m. | Matt Harvey, RHP (Fr., 4-1, 1.01) |
Zach Von Tersch, RHP (So., 3-1, 2.78) |
ACC Select |
NATIONAL RANKINGS: North Carolina is ranked No. 3 by Baseball America and is in the top five of all four major polls. Georgia Tech is ranked in three of the four polls with a high rank of No. 14 by Collegiate Baseball.
TAR HEEL TRENDS: Carolina is tied for fifth nationally with 23 victories ... Five of the eight teams with 23-plus wins are from the ACC ... The Tar Heels have won 13 of their last 15 games and eight of 10 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 2.21 ERA ranks second nationally behind only UC Irvine ... The Tar Heels are also second nationally with 292 Ks ... UNC's balanced offense features eight regulars hitting over .300 and four players with 25-plus RBI ... 2B Kyle Seager leads the nation with 17 doubles ... 13 of the 16 pitchers that UNC has used this season own an ERA of 2.37 or below ... Junior RHP Adam Warren is unbeaten in 17 collegiate decisions and will go for win No. 18 Saturday ... Senior 3B Chad Flack needs just four hits to set the school record for career base hits ... Sophomore 2B Kyle Seager is on a career-best 24-game hitting streak, which is the sixth-longest in school history.
SERIES HISTORY: North Carolina trails its all-time series with Georgia Tech, 49-59, and the teams split two games a year ago. The Tar Heels have captured the last four home series, taking two of three in both 2005 and 2007. Mike Fox is 11-20 in 31 all-time meetings with the Yellow Jackets but owns an 8-7 record in home games.
RECENT HISTORY VS. GEORGIA TECH: Dustin Ackley hit .353 (6-17) with four RBI in four games against Georgia Tech a year ago ... Tim Federowicz is batting .200 (5-25) in seven career games ... Chad Flack owns a .270 career average (10-37) with two home runs and nine RBI in 10 career games ... Garrett Gore is batting .294 (5-17) in four games ... Kyle Seager hit .537 (4-7) in three games in 2007 ... Tyler Trice has pitched in three career games vs. Georgia Tech ... Rob Wooten allowed five runs in 2 2/3 innings vs. Tech in 2007.
SCOUTING THE YELLOW JACKETS: Georgia Tech brings a seven-game winning streak into this weekend's series in Cary. At 8-4 in ACC play, the Jackets are a half-game behind UNC in the Coastal Division standings. Tech owns a .293 team average with Jeff Rowland (.364-2-12) and Derek Dietrich (.359-10-33) leading the way. On the mound, the Jackets sport a 3.27 staff ERA paced by Saturday starter RHP Eddie Burns (4-1, 2.02). LHP David Duncan (4-0, 3.38) will start Friday with RHP Zach Von Tersch (3-1, 2.78) slated for Sunday. RHP Chris Hicks anchors the bullpen with seven saves.
FLACK HUNTING HISTORY: Senior third baseman Chad Flack needs just four base hits this weekend to eclipse Chad Prosser's school record of 291 set between 2000-03. Flack currently has 288, which is good for a second-place tie and also ranks second among all active players in college baseball. The Forest City, N.C., native ranks in the top six in eight offensive categories at Carolina.
Chad Flack On UNC's Career Lists Category Rank Total Needs for Record Hits 2nd 288 4 Runs 6th 182 38 Doubles 3rd 54 20 HR 3rd 40 18 RBI 4th 190 25 XB Hits 3rd 100 24 At-Bats 3rd 898 38 Total Bases 3rd 474 42
FLACK ATTACK IS BACK: Chad Flack's chase of several school records has picked up of late thanks to a .488 average (21-32) over an 11-game hitting streak. Flack has driven in 18 runs and owns 13 extra-base hits over this stretch. He is batting .316 with five homers and 27 RBI after starting the season with a .203 average through 17 games.
SEAGER STILL STREAKIN': Sophomore Kyle Seager's career-best hitting streak has reached 24 games, and he can match Mike Stoner for the fifth-longest streak in school history with a base hit Friday. Seager, who is batting .423 with 15 multi-hit games over his streak, is within seven games of Ron Maurer's 31-game school record hitting streak established in 1990.
FEDROFF TAKING OFF: After batting just .143 in February, sophomore right fielder Tim Fedroff has been on a roll since the calendar turned to March. Over the last 20 games, the Flagtown, N.J., native has posted two or more hits 15 times and owns a .494 average (43-87) over this stretch. Fedroff's .405 average for the season stands third in the ACC.
DOUBLE TROUBLE: The Tar Heels lead the ACC with 81 doubles - an average of 2.9 per game - and have the league's top three individuals in terms of two-baggers. Kyle Seager leads the ACC and the nation with 17, while Chad Flack and Seth Williams each have 12 to rank second in the league.
STRIKEOUTS SPELL SUCCESS: With 30 strikeouts over the two midweek wins this week, Carolina has fanned 292 batters and walked just 100 in 253 innings this season. The Tar Heels own 15 games with 10 or more Ks this season and entered the week fifth nationally in strikeouts per game with just over 10. Carolina is on pace to smash its school record of 543 strikeouts in 69 games in 2006.
PITCHING PROWESS: Since a loss to No. 20 Coastal Carolina March 11, the Tar Heels have been dominant on the mound to the tune of a 1.52 ERA and have allowed just 35 runs over this 15-game stretch. In 136 total innings, UNC has tallied 160 strikeouts to just 48 walks. On the season, the Tar Heels lead the ACC with a 2.21 staff ERA and they have allowed more than three earned runs just twice since the season-opening series at Florida Atlantic.
BULLPEN SPELLS RELIEF: Carolina's top four relievers in terms of innings - Colin Bates, Rob Wooten, Brian Moran and Nate Striz - have been nothing short of dominant this season. Over a combined 51 appearances and 77 1/3 innings, this quartet has allowed just 10 earned runs for a 1.16 ERA. This group also has struck out 103 batters, while walking just 17.
SOPHOMORE HIT PARADE: UNC sophomores Dustin Ackley, Tim Fedroff and Kyle Seager own three of the top four hit totals in the ACC for the second straight week. Fedroff leads the league with 49, while Seager is third with 45 and Ackley ranks fourth with 43. Florida State's Buster Posey is the only non-Tar Heel with more than 43 hits this season. Fedroff is third in average (.405), Seager is seventh (.381) and Ackley is 10th (.381).
SEAGER CLEANING UP: With classmates Tim Fedroff (.468 on-base percentage) and Dustin Ackley (.475) usually on base, sophomore second baseman Kyle Seager has made the most of his RBI opportunities. After driving in 30 runs all last season, Seager leads the Tar Heels and is second in the ACC with 36 RBI in just 24 games. He has equaled a career high with three RBI six times this season.
THE RUNNIN' HEELS: After stealing just 47 bases in 73 games a year ago, Carolina has swiped 36 bags through 28 games, including six Wednesday against Appalachian State. Dustin Ackley leads the way with 12 steals in 12 tries to already eclipse his 2007 total. Conversely, Carolina has shut down its opponents' running game, allowing just eight steals in 23 attempts in 28 games.
DEFENSE DICTATES SUCCESS: In each of their five losses this season, sloppy defensive play has doomed the Tar Heels. Carolina committed at least three errors in four of the five losses and has allowed a combined 26 unearned runs in these five games. On the season, UNC has allowed 37 unearned runs. When committing one error or less, Carolina is 21-1. The Tar Heels have committed more than one error just once in the last 12 games.
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 1.01 ERA in 26 2/3 innings, which would lead the league if he had enough innings to qualify (28).
WARREN BACK TO FORM: Saturday's starter Adam Warren has been brilliant over his last five outings after allowing eight earned runs in just 1 1/3 innings at Florida Atlantic. In his last five starts, four of which have come against the ACC, the New Bern native has a 2.15 ERA over 29 1/3 innings and has 18 strikeouts to just eight walks. Warren is 4-0 this season and 17-0 in his career.
MORAN MOWS `EM DOWN: Sophomore lefty Brian Moran has developed into a key reliever for the Tar Heels thanks to his exceptional control. The Rye, N.Y., product has struck out eight of the last 10 batters he has faced to run his strikeout-to-walk ratio to 26-to-4 on the season. Moran has stranded all 14 runners he has inherited and has allowed just one run in 16 innings this season.
OLD RELIABLE: Senior Rob Wooten is back in the groove after missing some time with a back injury. Before getting the night off Wednesday, Wooten had pitched in five straight games for the Tar Heels and did not allow an earned run over 6 2/3 innings while striking out 13. Wooten has pitched in a team-high 14 games with 31 strikeouts and four walks in 21 2/3 innings.
