University of North Carolina Athletics
No. 22 UNC Heads South To Challenge No. 5 Florida
February 17, 2011 | Softball
Feb. 17, 2011
CHAPEL HILL --- Winners of their last four contests, No. 22 North Carolina travels to No. 5 Florida for a three-game series beginning Saturday at 1 p.m. from Pressly Stadium in Gainesville, Fla. The Tar Heels will play two games Saturday and one Sunday at 1 p.m. Saturday's doubleheader can be viewed by GatorVison, the official video portal of Florida athletics, and each game of the series will be broadcasted live on WYGC/Yahoo radio. For more information visit gatorzone.com.
AT A GLANCE
Records: UNC 4-1, Florida 6-0
Rankings: UNC is ranked No. 22 in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches' poll and is receiving votes in the ESPN/USA Softball poll. Florida is rated No. 5 in both the UA Today/NFCA Coaches' Poll and the ESPN/USA Softball poll.
TV/Radio: WYGC/Yahoo Radio.
On the web: TarHeelBlue.com (UNC), Gatorzone.com (Florida)
FLORIDA SERIES NOTES
• North Carolina and Florida have met nine times on the diamond, dating to 1981. br /> • The Gators own an 8-1 advantage in the all-time series.
• The last meeting between the two schools was in February of 2008, with then No. 10 Florida claiming a 1-0 extra inning victory.
• North Carolina and Florida met once in the NCAA Tournament, the 2006 Gainesville Regional. Florida claimed a 1-0 eight-inning victory in that contest. Two of the last three meetings between the Tar Heels and the Gators, have been decided in extra innings.
NOTING THE TAR HEELS
•Carolina features a balanced attack with a .328 team batting average, 2.00 staff ERA and a .953 fielding percentage. Offensively Kelli Wheeler leads North Carolina with a .471 batting average (8-for-17) and four RBI. Ally Blake adds two home runs, a .417 batting average and a team-best 12 total bases. Haleigh Dickey leads UNC with six RBI in her first five games. Brittany McKinney sports a .579 on-base percentage to anchor the Tar Heels.
• Carolina's pitching staff features three freshmen- Lori Spingola, Sara Buchholz and Ashley Bone. Spingola (4-1) anchors the staff after striking out 28 batters and holding opponents to a .128 average. The Atlanta, Ga., native has allowed just six runs over 21.2 innings of work.
• Carolina will play their first eight games of 2011 in the state of Florida. In fact, the Tar Heels will play 14 of their first 21 games in the Sunshine State. No. 22 UNC will host the Carolina Classic for their home opener Feb. 25.
NOTING THE FLORIDA GATORS
• 2010 WCWS runner-up Florida is 6-0 after a midweek win over Jacksonville 7-0 Wednesday. The Tar Heels defeated the Dolphins 2-1 last weekend.
• The Gator pitching staff has tossed three straight shutouts and four in their first six games in 2011. Senior Stephanie Brombacher, reigning SEC Pitcher of the Week, anchors the staff with a perfect 4-0 record and 27 strikeouts in 19 innings. The Pembroke Pines, Fla., native hurled a perfect game in a 9-0 win over familiar ACC foe NC State last weekend.
• Offensively, No. 5 Florida boasts a .380 team batting average outscoring their opponents 60-3 in their first six contests. Aja Paculba's .478 batting average, three home runs and nine RBI lead the Gators.
