University of North Carolina Athletics
No. 1 Tar Heels Meet NC State In Raleigh
May 8, 2009 | Baseball
May 8, 2009
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Winners of 10 of its last 11 and five straight, No. 1 North Carolina travels across the Triangle to meet NC State for a three-game set beginning Friday at Doak Field. The Tar Heels (37-11, 16-7 ACC) and Wolfpack (22-27, 8-16 ACC) are slated to play at 6:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday.
All three games will be carried by the Tar Heels Sports Network with Jones Angell and Adam Lucas on the call on AM-1360 WCHL in Chapel Hill, Raleigh's 850 The Buzz, Burlington's WBAG (1150 AM) and TarHeelBlue.com. A webcast of all three games will also be carried online at ACCSelect.com.
Carolina is unbeaten in its last three series with NC State and is 8-3 over the past three seasons against the Wolfpack. The teams split two meetings last year in Cary, and the Tar Heels won two of three in Raleigh in 2007. State's last series win came at Doak Field in 2005. Mike Fox is 18-14 in his career against NC State, including a 7-8 mark in Raleigh. UNC owns a 148-119-1 all-time lead in the series.
Carolina features a balanced attack with a .305 team batting average, a 3.63 staff ERA and a .971 fielding percentage.
Four Tar Heel starters are batting better than .318 on the season, with Dustin Ackley (.398) and Kyle Seager (.382) and ranked among the top seven hitters in the ACC. Ackley (74) and Seager (73) own the top two hit totals in the league. UNC's balanced offensive attack features seven regulars with at least 29 RBI, including four players that have driven in at least 41 runs. Additionally, three Tar Heels - Ackley (15), Levi Michael (12) and Mark Fleury (11) have hit at least 10 home runs for the first time since 2006.
The Tar Heels' weekend rotation of Alex White, Adam Warren and Matt Harvey has combined to win 65 games in Carolina Blue. Both White and Warren rank among the top seven in school history in wins, and this duo has combined to allow just seven earned runs over 17 1/3 innings for a 3.63 ERA over the past two seasons versus State.
White is 1-0 with a 3.65 ERA in two career starts against the Pack. He has equalled a career high with 11 strikeouts in both outings for 22 total Ks in just 12 1/3 innings.
Since an April 14 loss to High Point gave Carolina three losses in a four-game stretch, the Tar Heels have bounced back with a 10-1 record over the last 11 outings. Pitching has led UNC over this run with a 2.82 ERA and 101 strikeouts over 102 innings. Opponents are hitting only .223 in the last 11 games.
Relievers Colin Bates and Brian Moran have allowed just two runs over a combined 25 1/3 innings for a 0.71 ERA over this stretch. During its current six-game ACC winning streak, UNC owns a 2.13 staff ERA and held Miami and Maryland to a .206 opponent average over back-to-back series sweeps.
NC State enters the weekend with a 22-27 record and an 8-16 mark in the ACC. The Wolfpack suffered a 5-1 loss at UNC Wilmington Wednesday.
State is batting .267 as a team with Devon Cartwright topping all regulars with a .288 mark. The Pack has hit 41 home runs and swiped 74 bases.
On the mound, NCSU sports a 5.02 ERA paced by Friday's starter Jimmy Gillheeney, who is 5-4 with a 3.54 ERA. Lefty John Lambert (1-3, 6.05 ERA) is slated to start Saturday, and Sunday's starter has not been named.
