University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heels Open NCAA Play Friday Vs. Maine
June 1, 2011 | Baseball
June 1, 2011
NCAA Regional Game Notes (PDF)
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -
• The Tar Heels (45-14) will meet the No. 4 seed Maine Black Bears (32-22), the America East tournament champions, at 6 p.m. Friday at Boshamer Stadium. The tournament opener will take place at 1 p.m. with No. 2 seed FIU (40-18-1) meeting No. 3 seed James Madison (40-17).
• The Chapel Hill Regional champion will advance to face the winner of the Cal State Fullerton Regional in the Super Regional round for the right to advance to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.
• A top-eight national seed for the fourth time in the last five seasons, Carolina is making its 26th NCAA appearance. The Tar Heels are 44-24 in NCAA play under Mike Fox and are 12-0 at home in regional play since 2006.
• Carolina is 5-2 all-time against Maine, including a 15-7 tournament-opening win the 2006 NCAA Chapel Hill Regional. The Tar Heels claimed a 2-1 series win a year ago when the Black Bears traveled to Chapel Hill.
• The Tar Heels are 5-0 against FIU and 5-2 all-time against James Madison. Carolina owns an identical 2-0 record in postseason play against both squads.
Carolina A Constant Success In Postseason Play
• Thanks to four consecutive appearances in the College World Series from 2006-09 North Carolina is the winningest program in the country during NCAA play since 2006.
• The Tar Heels have racked up 32 wins over the last five seasons, six more than second place Cal State Fullerton.
• Carolina won nine games during the postseason in both the 2006 and 2007 seasons before picking up six wins in 2008 and 2009. The Tar Heels won a pair of games in the Norman Regional a year ago.
Most NCAA Wins Since 2006
32 - North Carolina
26 - Cal State Fullerton
25 - Oregon State
24 - Rice
23 - Arizona State, South Carolina
20 - Clemson
National Rankings
• Carolina is ranked as high as No. 7 this week in the USA Today/Coaches Poll, while receiving a first place vote.
• The Tar Heels are also ranked in the top 10 in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and NCBWA polls where they rank No. 10.
• Baseball America has Carolina ranked No. 13.
• FIU is ranked No. 20 in the latest Baseball America poll and is receiving votes in both the Coaches Poll and the NCBWA poll.
• James Madison checks in at No. 28 in the Collegiate Baseball poll and is receiving votes in the Coaches Poll and NCBWA poll as well.
• Maine is unranked.
No. 4 Seed Maine
• Conference: America East
• 2011 record: 32-22, 18-6 in the conference
• RPI: 161
• Common opponents: Maine lost a two-game set at Florida State in March, falling 10-2 and 9-3. They lost two out of three to Stony Brook, a conference opponent and a Tar Heel weekend foe early this season.
• History: Carolina is 5-2 all-time against Maine, including taking two out of three last year in a weekend series at Boshamer Stadium. The Black Bears are in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 2006, when they were also assigned to the Chapel Hill Regional. Prior to 2006--when the Tar Heels claimed 15-7 and 14-4 wins in the Chapel Hill Regional--the two squads hadn't met since 1987. That 15-7 win was closer than the score indicated. In what was the first regional play in Chapel Hill since 1983, the Tar Heels trailed 6-4 in the sixth inning before scoring 10 runs over the next two innings to earn the victory. The starting pitcher in that game against Maine was Robert Woodard, a current Tar Heel assistant coach.
• How they got here: Maine won three straight games in the America East Tournament, besting Binghamton, Stony Brook and Albany. The Black Bears have won 17 of their past 18 games.
No. 2 Seed FIU
• Conference: Sun Belt
• 2011 record: 40-18-1 overall, 20-9-1 in the conference
• RPI: 24
• Common opponents: The Golden Panthers swept a three-game series from Seton Hall in early March.
• History: FIU and Carolina have not met on the diamond in the Mike Fox era. They have met twice in NCAA Tournament play--1998 (an 8-2 Tar Heel win) and 1995 (a 6-5 Carolina win). The Tar Heels have won all of the previous five meetings overall.
• How they got here: In the most recent NCAA statistics, Florida International ranks in the top 15 in America in batting average (.315) and home runs (52). Their team ERA ranks 48th in the country.
No. 3 Seed James Madison
• Conference: CAA
• 2011 record: 40-17, 21-9 in the conference
• RPI: 60
• Common opponents: JMU lost a 7-3 midweek decision to Virginia in March, but went 2-0 against Maryland and 1-1 against Virginia Tech. James Madison swept a three-game series from UNC-Wilmington.
• History: Carolina and James Madison have met in NCAA Tournament play during the Mike Fox era, with the Tar Heels winning 5-0 and 9-7 decisions in the 2002 Columbia regional. The only other meetings during the Fox era were the first two games of the 2001 season, when the Tar Heels won a pair of games, 23-9 and 7-6, at Boshamer Stadium.
• How they got here: James Madison was a powerful offensive team throughout the 2011 season, and led the nation in five different offensive categories, including scoring (9.2 runs/game), in the latest NCAA figures. The Dukes got much improved pitching during the final weeks of the regular season and conference tournament. The squad's team ERA went down by over half a run over the final two weeks of the season.
Emanuel Getting The Nod
• Freshman southpaw Kent Emanuel will open the NCAA Tournament for the Tar Heels as he becomes the first freshman since Matt Harvey in 2008 to get the opening start.
• Harvey and Emanuel are the only freshmen to open the NCAA Tournament for the Tar Heels under head coach Mike Fox.
• Prior to Harvey, Ryan Snare was the last freshman to open NCAA play on the mound in 1998.
National Seed Once Again
• The Tar Heels earned the No. 3 national seed after their 45-14 regular season, marking the fourth time in the last five seasons that the Tar Heels were a top eight national seed.
• The four times that Carolina has been named a national seed the Tar Heels have never been lower than a 4 seed.
• The 2008 squad was the No. 2 seed, the 2009 group was a No. 4 seed and the 2007 and 2011 teams are No. 3 seeds.
Johnson Looking To Extend No-Hit Streak
• Senior Patrick Johnson is on a remarkable run atop the bump as he has not allowed a hit over the last 10 innings.
• Johnson has not allowed a run over the last 15 innings, throwing a complete game shutout against No. 1 Virginia in the final Thursday of the regular season and then throwing six no-hit innings before a rain delay ended his outing against Wake Forest in the ACC Tournament.
• Johnson has claimed wins in his last five appearances after winnings six of seven to open the year.
• Johnson has also been racking up the strikeouts this season as he has punched out 102 batters, two shy of the single season top 10.
• In addition to his season totals, Johnson has sat down 288 batters in his career to rank fourth in school history.
Johnson In The Month Of May:
4-0, 0.63 ERA, 35 K, 8 BB, .163 Opponent Average
Nearly 60 Games In
• North Carolina will play its 60th game of the season on Friday against Maine and after accumulating 45 wins through the first 59 games are already in good company but with a win could post the fifth best 60-game mark in school history.
• The 1990 group owns the best 60-game mark in school history when they went 49-11, while the 2007 and 2008 squads both posted 48-12 records.
• The 2006 team was 47-13 in its first 60 games and the 2011 squad has a chance at 46-14 with a win Friday.
Walk This Way
• Entering the week Carolina had drawn 315 walks on the year which ranks third in the country and has helped the Tar Heels to nearly 7 runs per game on the year, ranking 32nd in the country.
• Carolina is averaging 5.34 walks per contest.
• The 315 walks is tied for the second-most in school history and 10 shy of setting a new mark.
Most Walks In A Single Season
1990 - 324
2009 - 315
2011 - 315
• Levi Michael and Colin Moran both rank among the top 25 in the country in total walks on the season as Michael ranks 17th with 46 and Moran 24th with 44.
• The patience of the Tar Heels could come in handy this weekend as all three potential opponents for the Tar Heels rank above 190 in the country in walks allowed per game.
• Maine ranks No. 270 in the country allowing 4.83 free passes a contest.
• James Madison is just behind the Black Bears at No. 272 allowing 4.86 walks per game and FIU ranks No. 191 issuing 4.04 walks per contest.
Johnson Going For A Dozen
• Senior right-hander Patrick Johnson is looking to become just the seventh pitcher in school history to reach 12 wins in a season and the first since Alex White in 2008.
• The Conover, N.C., native had won 12 games during his first three seasons as a Tar Heel but could equal that mark.
• Johnson moved into the top 10 in school history with his 23rd career win against Wake Forest last weekend and has a chance to move into a tie for seventh with 24 career wins, equaling the mark of Daniel Bard (2004-06), Roger Williams (1983-85) and Scott Bankhead (1982-84).
• Johnson became just the sixth pitcher in school history to reach 10 wins during the regular season joining: Tom Buskey (1969), Greg Norris (1978), John Thoden (1989), Andrew Miller (2006) and Adam Warren (2007).
Moran The RBI Machine
• Freshman Colin Moran has made quite a first impression for the Tar Heels this year as he has tallied 68 RBI an average of 1.15 per contest.
• Moran drove in a run in every game against No. 1 Virginia, including a pair in the finale.
• Moran tallied six RBI in the weekend sweep of Maryland and became just the fourth freshman in school history to reach the 60-RBI plateau.
UNC Freshmen With 65 RBI In A Season
73 - Dustin Ackley, 2007
67 - Colin Moran, 2011
• Moran is leading the ACC in RBI and would become the first freshman since Jamie D'Antona of Wake Forest in 2001 to lead the conference in RBI outright. Dustin Ackley tied Miami's Yonder Alonso for the ACC RBI lead during his freshman campaign in 2007.
• Moran could become the first ACC freshman since Ackley in 2007 to record 70 RBI in a season with two.
Carolina Closing Strong After Exam Break
• North Carolina is one of the few teams in the country with a break scheduled in the season due to the UNC exam schedule that runs through the weekend.
• The Tar Heels have taken full advantage of the small break late in the year and have posted strong results following the break to close out the regular season.
• Since the 2006 season Carolina is 48-16 after the traditional exam break posting at least six wins every season and have won 12 games already this season after the break.
Record After Exam Break Since 2006
2006 - 6-3 - NCAA CWS
2007 - 8-1 - NCAA CWS
2008 - 7-2 - NCAA CWS
2009 - 6-3 - NCAA CWS
2010 - 9-3 - NCAA Regional
2011 - 12-4
40 Wins In Record Time
• The Tar Heels went into the May 13-15 weekend with a 39-10 record through its first 49 games and with their win on Friday against Georgia Tech they became the 18th team in school history to reach the 40-win mark and the 10th team under head coach Mike Fox.
• With the win this group of Heels became the fourth-fastest team to reach 40 wins in UNC history.
Fastest to 40 wins:
1983 - 47 games, finished 42-10
2008 - 48 games, finished 54-14
1984 - 49 games, finished 44-13
1990 - 50 games, finished 51-14
2011 - 50 games
Freshman Of The Year Moran Leads Four All-ACC Picks
• North Carolina freshman third baseman Colin Moran was named the 2011 Atlantic Coast Conference Freshman of the Year for his first campaign as a Tar Heel as voted on by the league coaches. Moran was also named to the All-ACC First Team, while the trio of Tommy Coyle, Levi Michael and Patrick Johnson were named to the second team.
• Moran becomes the fifth Tar Heel to be named the ACC Freshman of the Year and first since Dustin Ackley in 2007. Moran currently leads the ACC with 67 RBI during the regular season, 10 more than his next closest competitor. The Rye, N.Y., native leads the Tar Heels with a .355 average on the year and owns a team-best .464 on base percentage.
ACC Freshmen Of The Year At UNC
2011 - Colin Moran
2007 - Dustin Ackley
2004 - Daniel Bard
2000 - Adam Greenberg
1997 - Brian Roberts
• In addition to the Freshman of the Year award, Moran was also named First Team All-ACC becoming the first freshman to be named to the squad since Virginia's Danny Hultzen in 2009.
• Also earning All-ACC honors were infielders Tommy Coyle and Levi Michael as Carolina is the only team in the conference with three infielders on the two teams.
• Coyle finished the regular season with an even 50 runs scored to lead the team, while hitting .307 to rank third on the team. The Chalfont, Pa., native also leads the Tar Heels in stolen bases as he has swiped 16 bases in 18 attempts.
• Michael came in to the season as a preseason All-America candidate and went on to hit .311 during the regular season scoring 47 runs, while driving in 46 more. The Welcome, N.C., native also became just the third player in school history to record 40 runs, 40 RBI and 40 walks in back-to-back seasons.
• Coming into the season the Tar Heels were in search of a Friday night starter with several options available but senior Patrick Johnson quickly gained hold of the spot starting the season on a six-game unbeaten streak. Johnson would finish the regular season with a dominating four-hit shutout of No. 1 Virginia en route to All-ACC Second Team honors.
Don't Even Think About It
• Jacob Stallings has put a fear into potential base stealers all year long but opponents continue to test the junior backstop.
• Stallings has thrown out 30 base runners this season and currently ranks in first place among the single season annals.
• The Brentwood, Tenn., native broke Colorado Rockie Chris Iannetta's single season mark of 24 set in 2004 with a caught stealing against Georgia Tech (5/13).
• Stallings currently ranks in a tie for fourth in the nation with 30 on the season and has the chance to go head-to-head with Jake Lowery, second in the country.
Most Caught Stealings In The Country
33 - Ronnie Shaeffer, UC Irvine
32 - Jake Lowery, James Madison
31 - Jimmy Best, George Washington
30 - Jacob Stallings, UNC
30 - Kevin Roundtree, USC
Most Career Caught Stealings Since 1990 at UNC
64 - Dan Moylan (1998-00)
51 - Chris Iannetta (2002-04)
50 - Don Leshnock (1990-92)
45 - Jacob Stallings (2009-11)
39 - Tim Federowicz (2006-08)
Shutting The Door
• With Michael Morin's back-to-back saves against No. 1 Virginia in the season finale series the sophomore right-hander became the first Tar Heel since Andrew Carignan in 2007 to register at least eight saves in a season.
• Morin moved into the top 10 in career saves with his final punch out against Virginia making number 11.
• The save also marks the first time since 2005 that the Tar Heels had two relievers record at least five saves in the same season.
• The pair of Morin and Cody Penny become just the fifth tandem in school history to record at least five saves apiece joining the 1984, 1990, 1998 and 2005 squads.
• Morin's eight saves on the year and is one save shy of tying for ninth in single season history.
Moran & Michael's Streaks Come To An End
• Junior shortstop Levi Michael has had a bit of an up and down year hitting nearly .500 in his first dozen games before slipping to .167 over his next 13 games.
• Once the calendar turned to April, Michael elevated his game to another level and finished the month hitting .386 (22-57).
• Michael reached base safely in 22 straight games, every game in the month of April and the first five games in the month of May.
• The Welcome, N.C., native drew 19 walks during the month of April to post a .560 on base percentage.
• Colin Moran has been on a tear this season and owns the longest on-base streak of any Tar Heel as he had reached safely in 37 contests, every game since the Friday night win at Wake Forest (3/11).
• Moran's streak came to an end in UNC's midweek win over Appalchian State but Moran's streak will go down in the UNC record books as the longest under head coach Mike Fox.
40-40-40 Man
• Levi Michael accomplished a feat that only two other Tar Heels in school history had reached during their time at Carolina.
• Michael drew his 40th walk of the season at UNC Wilmington and became the third player in school history to score 40 runs, drive in 40 runs and draw 40 walks in back-to-back seasons.
• He joined Chris Madonna (1993-94) and Dustin Ackley (2008-09) as the only other players to reach the 40 mark in R, RBI and BB in back-to-back years.
At least 40 R, RBI & BB in back-to-back years
Levi Michael:
2011 - 45 R, 41 RBI, 41 BB
2010 - 76 R, 54 RBI, 44 BB
Dustin Ackley:
2009 - 75 R, 73 RBI, 50 BB
2008 - 82 R, 51 RBI, 53 BB
Chris Madonna:
1994 - 56 R, 44 RBI, 45 BB
1993 - 43 R, 47 RBI, 44 BB
Get To The Seventh
• Carolina is a remarkable 42-6 when either tied or leading a ball game after the sixth inning this season.
• The Tar Heels are 38-3 in games they lead after the sixth inning and 4-3 in games that are tied.
• The bullpen has been the key cog to the late inning success allowing just 54 runs over the final three frames this season.
• The offense has done its part scoring 118 runs over the final three innings, including the ninth that the Tar Heels have not had to bat in 28 times.
• Carolina is 39-1 when leading after the seventh inning this season, the fewest losses when leading after the seventh since the 2007 team went 49-1.
• Since 2006 Carolina is 256-18 when leading after the seventh and 272-11 when leading after the eighth.
