University of North Carolina Athletics
No. 2 Tar Heels Face No. 24 Virginia In Key ACC Weekend
May 8, 2008 | Baseball
May 8, 2008
North Carolina-Virginia Notes in PDF Format 
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - No. 2 North Carolina plays its second straight ACC weekend series against a nationally-ranked opponent when it travels to No. 24 Virginia for a three-game set beginning Friday. The Tar Heels (40-8, 18-5 ACC) and Cavaliers (33-15, 13-11 ACC) are slated to play at 6 p.m. Friday, 6 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday at Davenport Field.
Jones Angell and Adam Lucas will have the call of all three games for the Tar Heel Sports Network. TarHeelBlue.com, AM-1360 WCHL (Chapel Hill), 850 The Buzz (Raleigh) and AM-1150 WBAG (Burlington) will carry all three games. A webcast of the series will be available live and on-demand through ACC Select.
| Date | Time | UNC Starter | UVA Starter | Media Coverage |
| May 9 | 6 p.m. | Alex White, RHP (So., 7-2, 2.13) |
Jacob Thompson, RHP (Jr., 5-2, 3.88) |
THSN/ ACC Select |
| May 10 | 6 p.m. | Adam Warren, RHP (Jr., 7-1, 4.70) |
Pat McAnaney (Sr., 4-2, 2.05) |
THSN/ ACC Select |
| May 11 | 1 p.m. | Matt Harvey, RHP (Fr., 6-2, 2039) |
Andrew Carraway, RHP (Jr., 3-3, 3.42) |
THSN/ ACC Select |
NATIONAL RANKINGS: The Tar Heels are ranked No. 2 in all four major polls. Virginia is ranked No. 24 by Collegiate Baseball.
TAR HEEL TRENDS: Carolina is tied for second nationally with 40 wins, and its 151 wins over the last three seasons top the country ... Three of the four teams with 39-plus wins in 2008 hail from the ACC ... The Tar Heels have won 15 of their last 16 games, 29 of 35 games and 18 of 22 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 2.27 ERA also leads the nation and it tops the country with 483 strikeouts ... The Tar Heels have allowed three or more earned runs just eight times in the last 45 games ... Carolina's team average of .327 would rank as a school record ... Six UNC regulars are hitting .300 or better and eight Tar Heels own 30-plus RBI ... UNC has already stolen more bases (58) this season than it did in 73 games a year ago (47) ... 2B Kyle Seager leads the ACC with 64 RBI and 23 doubles ... Tim Fedroff (.396), Dustin Ackley (.393) and Seager (.385) rank among the top seven hitters in the ACC ... 12 of the 16 pitchers that UNC has used this season own an ERA of 2.31 or below ... Junior RHP Adam Warren is 20-1 in his collegiate career and holds ACC and UNC records with his .952 winning percentage ... Senior 3B Chad Flack has established school records for career hits, at-bats and games played over the last month and needs 14 RBI to set a fourth career mark ... Sophomore OF Tim Fedroff hit for the cycle April 15 at UNC Greensboro.
SERIES HISTORY: Carolina and Virginia have met 264 times on the diamond with the Tar Heels holding a 167-93-4 edge in the series. UNC has played more games against only Wake Forest (269) and NC State (268). Mike Fox is 18-11 against UVa, including a 6-6 mark in four trips to Charlottesville, where the Tar Heels last won a series in 2004. UNC is 8-5 against Virginia over the last four seasons but dropped two of the three to the Wahoos in Chapel Hill a year ago. The Tar Heels bounced back to post a 5-0 win in last year's ACC Tournament to even the 2007 series record at 2-2.
RECENT HISTORY VS. VIRGINIA: Dustin Ackley earned ACC Player of the Week honors after hitting .706 (12-17) in last year's series with Virginia ... Tim Federowicz is batting .207 (6-29) in seven games ... Tim Fedroff hit .333 (4-12) in last year's series ... Chad Flack is 12-for-46 with two homers and five RBI in 10 games ... Garrett Gore is a career .267 hitter (4-15) in six games ... Kyle Shelton owns a .400 average (6-15) in seven games ... Alex White went 1-0 with a 2.92 ERA in 12 1/3 innings a year ago ... Seth Williams is 11-for-37 with six RBI in 10 career games ... Rob Wooten has not allowed an earned run in three relief appearances.
SCOUTING THE CAVALIERS: Virginia will be well-rested entering this weekend's series, having not played a game since April 29. The Cavaliers are paced by their pitching staff and its 3.33 ERA. The Cavaliers' weekend rotation consists of RHP Jacob Thompson (5-2, 3.88), LHP Pat McAnaney (4-2, 2.05) and RHP Andrew Carraway (3-3, 3.42). Closer Michael Schwimmer owns 11 saves and a 0.92 ERA. At the plate, Virginia is batting .293 as a team with Dan Grovatt (.354-3-39) and Jeremy Farrell (.338-9-44) leading the way. The Cavaliers have hit only 22 home runs but have swiped 109 bases.
40 ONCE AGAIN: With Wednesday's win over North Florida, Carolina reached the 40-win mark for the seventh straight season, extending a school record. The Tar Heels, who have won 40 games in nine of the 10 seasons under Mike Fox, needed just 48 games to post 40 victories, matching the 2006 team as the second-quickest to 40 in school history. The 1983 team opened the year 40-7. UNC was the third team in the nation to reach 40 wins this year, joining Texas A&M and Florida State.
NEARING BEST 50-GAME START: At 40-8 through 48 games, the Tar Heels have matched the 1983 and 2006 teams for the best 48-game start in school history. With wins in the first two games of the UVa series, Carolina can keep pace with the 1983 team for the best record after 50 games in program history at 42-8.
UNC SPORTS NATION'S TOP STAFF: Pitching has been the backbone of this year's Carolina team, and the Tar Heels entered the week as the national leader in earned run average (2.21), strikeouts per nine innings (10.1) and fewest hits allowed per nine innings (7.37). This year's staff is extremely balanced with 12 pitchers having made 10 or more appearances and 12 hurlers with a sub-2.31 ERA.
HEELS TOP WALLACE WATCH: Carolina leads the revised Wallace Watch with five of the 100 candidates for the 2008 Brooks Wallace College Player of the Year Award, the College Baseball Foundation announced May 4. The standout sophomore trio of Dustin Ackley, Tim Fedroff and Kyle Seager was selected, as were starting pitchers Matt Harvey and Alex White.With the five honorees, the Tar Heels topped Arizona State and Miami, which each had four selections.
ACKLEY FUELS STREAK: Dustin Ackley has paced Carolina to its 15-1 record over the last 16 games with a .463 average (31-67) from the leadoff spot. He is reaching base at a .556 clip over this run to help set the stage for Kyle Shelton, who is hitting .371 over this hot streak, Tim Fedroff and Kyle Seager, who have combined for 59 of Carolina's 120 RBI in the last 16 games.
SOPH TRIO LEADING THE WAY: Offensively, Carolina has been carried by its sophomore trio of Dustin Ackley, Tim Fedroff and Kyle Seager, who are each being considered for various national player of the year honors. This group is batting a collective .392 on the season with 52 doubles, 24 home runs, 148 RBI and 32 stolen bases.
PITCHING BETTERING 2006 & 2007: Despite losing a pair of first-round picks, the program's all-time winningest pitcher and an All-America closer off the last two teams, Carolina's pitching staff has not missed a beat this season and leads the nation with a 2.27 earned run average and 483 strikeouts through 48 games. This ERA is nearly three-quarters of a run better than the 2.88 mark at this point in the season last year. The 2006 staff logged a 3.13 ERA through 48 games.
DOMINANT STRETCH ON THE MOUND: Since a loss to No. 20 Coastal Carolina March 11, Carolina has been dominant on the mound to the tune of a 2.00 staff ERA over a 35-game stretch. In 320 innings over this run, the Tar Heels have struck out 351 batters and issued only 144 walks. UNC has allowed more than three earned runs just eight times since the season-opening series at Florida Atlantic, which is a span of 45 games.
ANOTHER MILESTONE FOR FLACK: Senior Chad Flack became just the third Tar Heel to reach the 200-RBI mark in Tuesday's win over North Florida. He drove in three runs versus the Ospreys to give him 201 in his career. Already UNC's record holder in hits, at-bats and games played, Flack needs just 14 more RBI to set his fourth career record this season.
RECORD VS. THE RANKED: With a 7-3 mark against teams ranked in one of the four major polls this season, the Tar Heels have improved their record over the last three seasons to 48-25 against nationally ranked opponents. As Carolina has made a jump on the national scene over the past two years, its record versus the nation's best has vastly improved.
Carolina's Record Against Ranked Opponents Year Record NCAA Finish 2005 3-10 Regionals 2006 19-12 CWS Finalist 2007 22-10 CWS Finalist 2008 7-3 ???
CAROLINA THIRD IN THE RPI: The Tar Heels appear to be heading down the right path for hosting a third straight regional, as they were ranked No. 3 in Tuesday's release of the official NCAA Ratings Percentage Index. UNC was one of five teams from the Carolinas in the top 12. The RPI is used by the NCAA as one of the factors for determining seeding and host sites for the postseason.
TOPS IN THE NATION OVER 2006-08: While UNC's NCAA-best 36 wins this season are certainly impressive, its 151 victories over the last three years also lead the country. Carolina and Rice are the only teams in the country to win at least 50 games in each of the last two seasons.
Total Wins 2006-08 Team 2006 2007 2008 Total North Carolina 54 57 40 151 Rice 57 56 36 149 Wichita State 46 53 35 135 Florida State 44 49 40 133 Virginia 47 45 33 125
BULLPEN SPELLS RELIEF: What was a question mark entering the season has quickly become a strength, as Carolina's bullpen sports a 1.43 ERA, a 14-2 record and seven saves through 48 games. Of the 15 hurlers to work in relief, only two part-time relievers own ERAs over 2.31 out of the bullpen. All seven relievers with 10 or more appearances sport ERAs of 2.31 or less. Additionally, the UNC bullpen has walked just 89 batters to 252 strikeouts in 214 2/3 innings. The pen has been extremely effective over the Tar Heels' streak of 15 wins in 16 games with just nine earned runs allowed over 76 2/3 innings for a miniscule 1.06 ERA.
SEAGER CLEANING UP: With classmates Tim Fedroff (.464 OBP) and Dustin Ackley (.490 OBP) usually on base in front of him, sophomore second baseman Kyle Seager has made the most of his RBI opportunities. After driving in 30 runs all last season, Seager has doubled his RBI output this season with an ACC-leading 64 runs driven in. This total also ranks sixth in the nation.
FRIDAY NIGHT WHITE: Second in the ACC with a 2.13 ERA, sophomore right-hander Alex White has been dominant since returning to the Friday spot in the rotation seven weeks ago at Maryland. After his brief stint in the bullpen due to an injury to Rob Wooten, White is 4-1 with a 2.00 ERA over his last 36 innings. The Greenville native has 39 strikeouts over this six-start stretch, and he has held the opposition to just one hit in two of his last three starts - at Clemson and vs. then-No. 2 Florida State.
DOUBLE TROUBLE: The Tar Heels lead the ACC with 127 doubles, which is already the 11th most in school history. Carolina needs 27 more two-baggers to break the school record of 153 set in 2002. Kyle Seager leads the ACC with 23 doubles and is one of seven Tar Heels with at least 12 doubles on the year.
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 seventh straight week. Fedroff is second in the league 80, while Ackley is third with 77 and Seager ranks fourth with 74. Florida State's Buster Posey (83) is the only non-Tar Heel with more than 71 hits this season. Fedroff is third in average (.396), Ackley is fourth (.393) and Seager is seventh (.385). Carolina is the only team with three hitters among the top seven in the league.
