University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: Ackley Ignites Offense From Leadoff
June 10, 2008 | Baseball, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas
June 10, 2008
By Adam Lucas
Mike Fox is usually quick to diffuse any questions about his batting order with one simple--and very true--point. "We only hit in that order one time, you know," he'll say, pointing out that the leadoff man is only guaranteed to hit leadoff in the first inning. Sure, he wants a hitter who can get on base, but he also wants a hitter who can produce runs when the lineup is jumbled in the late innings and the leadoff man comes to the plate with runners in scoring position and two out.
Following those guidelines, he's used very different leadoff men during his Tar Heel career. In today's game, the prototype leadoff hitter is a speedster who also is an on-base percentage machine--someone like Virginia's Greg Miclat or even Coastal Carolina's Scott Woodward, who ended his season in last weekend's super-regional with an on-base percentage of .540 due to his ability to take a walk (58 of them) or get hit by a pitch (30 times).
But Fox hasn't always put his best on-base threat in the leadoff spot. In 2007, the Tar Heels made it to Omaha with their leading home run hitter, Reid Fronk, hitting first. The 2006 team featured a more conventional leadoff man, the speedy Mike Cavasinni, but four of his teammates boasted higher on-base percentages than the freshman.
In 2008, however, the Tar Heels have found a leadoff man capable of kickstarting the offense while also putting considerable stress on opposing pitchers: Dustin Ackley, who leads the team in stolen bases while also leading the squad in on-base percentage and walks. He's been on base leading off five of Carolina's last six games and nine of the past 15.
"Coach told me my main job was getting on base," the talented sophomore says. "If our team can set the tone at the beginning of the game, I've done my job. I try to find any way on base. I'm aggressive but not too aggressive, because I want to see some pitches and make the pitchers work."
It's an unconventional move, because Ackley might be the team's best pure hitter. As a freshman, he led the team in RBI with 74, and moving a proven run-producer out of Ackley's former third spot in the order could have had severe consequences. After all, it doesn't do any good for the leadoff man to reach base if the hitters behind him can't drive in runs.
Enter Ackley's fellow sophomores, Tim Fedroff and Kyle Seager. The lefty duo has combined for 142 RBI this year.
"The way Tim and Kyle have played is what has allowed us to move Dusty to the leadoff spot," Fox says. "Tim is more suited for the three spot because he likes to swing. He's not as patient as Dusty. And I knew I didn't want to hit those three guys back-to-back-to-back."
Ackley took over the leadoff spot for good in the first game of the Georgia Tech series on April 4. He didn't thrive immediately, as he was just one for his next eight in the first inning. Since then, however, he's scored a first-inning run in over a third of Carolina's games, and has helped engineer a ten percent increase over last season's production of first-inning runs. In three of Carolina's five NCAA Tournament games, Ackley has crossed the plate in the first inning.
That's a change from 2007, when the Tar Heels scored just three first-inning runs in 13 NCAA Tournament games. This year, through just five NCAA games, they have already plated five first-inning runs.
Why does that matter? Check the statistics. The Tar Heels are 22-3 when scoring in the first inning and 35-4 when they score first.
"I like starting the game with him coming up for us offensively because we can make something happen right out of the gate," Fox says. "The other team knows he is patient and knows he will walk. If he mishits one, he can beat it out, so he's perfect in that spot. And we'd like to be able to get him up there a fifth time in a nine-inning game. I hate ending the game with him on-deck."
Once he reaches base, Ackley's speed turns into an equally important offensive asset. Because the Tar Heels are a good contact team--they struck out just eight times total in the two super-regional games--the hit-and-run has been an important weapon this year. It's an unenviable position for an opposing pitcher: do you pay more attention to the base-stealing threat on first base or to the powerful hitters who follow him to the plate?
Either way, Fox knows Ackley's value, even comparing the Walnut Cove native's knack for making contact and hitting the ball hard to that of B.J. Surhoff.
"Dusty is as good as I've ever coached," the head coach says. "From the first time I threw batting practice to him, I was amazed."
Adam Lucas is the publisher of Tar Heel Monthly. He is also the author or co-author of four books on Carolina basketball.
