Heels Continue Homestand Vs. Wright State

February 23, 2012 | Baseball

By: UNC Athletic Communications

Feb. 23, 2012

Tar Heels Continue Homestand
• No. 6 North Carolina will continue its season-opening 11 game homestand this weekend when Wright State comes to Boshamer Stadium for a three-game series.
• Carolina opened the year with a 2-1 series win over Xavier as the teams split a Friday twinbill before Carolina scored 16 runs in a 16-10 series-clinching win.
• Sophomore ace Kent Emanuel will be going for his ninth straight win on Friday after opening the season by tossing six innings of two-run ball.
• The Tar Heels scored 30 runs on the weekend but allowed 22 in the same stretch and will look to reduce that number this weekend against Wright State.

National Rankings
• The Tar Heels were pegged in the top 10 of every preseason poll after being excluded from several preseason rankings a year ago.
• Carolina slipped a few spots in this week's rankings after the loss to Xavier but still rank among the top 10 in the country.
• The Tar Heels top out at No. 6 as Collegiate Baseball, NCBWA and Perfect Game all have UNC ranked No. 6 this week.
• Carolina dropped from No. 9 to No. 10 this week in the Baseball America poll.
• Wright State is unranked.

North Carolina-Wright State Series
• The Tar Heels and Raiders will meet for the first time on Friday.

Scouting The Raiders
• Wright State will make its second trip to the Triangle in as many weeks this weekend when the Raiders head to Chapel Hill.
• The Raiders played a pair of games in Cary last weekend against Monmouth (L, 10-2) and Bryant (L, 2-0) before closing with a 5-4 extra-inning win at NC State on Saturday.
• Wright State was outscored 16-7 on the weekend and hit .241.
• Leading the way was Ryan Ashe and Justin Kopale who hit .500 and .385, while Ashe slugged .750 and reached base at a .538 clip to lead the team.
• Entering the season Wright State was tabbed as the favorite in the Horizon League after claiming the league title a year ago.

Non-Conference Domination
• Carolina has not lost a non-conference series during the regular season since the 2003 season, a span of 20 straight series.
• A year ago the Tar Heels went 31-6 in non-conference action and have won at least 24 non-conference games in the last 10 seasons.
• Not including tournament play the Tar Heels have won 9 of their last 10 non-conference tilts.

Emanuel Takes Over Friday Night Role
• Sophomore left-hander Kent Emanuel is coming off a stellar freshman season that saw him post a 9-1 record with a 2.33 ERA.
• Emanuel will make the move to Friday night after being the Saturday starter a year ago and becomes the latest in the long line of talented sophomores to take over the Friday night spot.
• Emanuel has come out victorious in his last eight decisions, a streak that is tied for sixth longest in the country after notching another win last week vs. Xavier.
• The Woodstock, Ga., native has been recognized for his talents entering 2012 and has been named a preseason All-America by the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.

Coyle Looks To Keep Consistency Going
• Junior Tommy Coyle makes the move to shortstop for the 2012 season after starting the first two years at second base.
• Coyle has been one of the most consistent players both offensively and defensively since stepping on the field as a freshman.
• The Chalfont, Pa., native was second on the team in hitting a year ago and was a big factor in the offense all season long.
• Coyle capped off the season by reaching base safely in 29 straight games to end the year and reached safely in the first three games of 2012.
• Coyle's streak is only five shy of Colin Moran's epic streak from 2011 where he reached safely in 37 straight games.
• Coyle became the 13th Tar Heel since 2000 to register a 30-game steak of reaching safely and currently ranks tied for seventh longest since 2000.

Streaks Reaching Safely Since 2000

1. Dustin Ackley, 59 2009 2. Colin Moran, 37 2011 3. Russ Adams, 34 2002 T4. Jay Cox, 33 2006 T4. Josh Horton, 33 2006 T4. Sean Farrell, 33 2003 T7. Tommy Coyle, 32 2012 T7. Greg Mangum, 32 2005 T7. Chad Prosser, 32 2003

Newcomers Make Debuts
• Carolina saw seven players take the field for the first time against Xavier and a trio of field players made an impressive debut.
• Freshman outfielder Michael Russell showed off a consistent bat throughout the weekend as he notched a hit in each game and drove in four runs in the series win.
• Junior college transfer Cody Stubbs had a rude awakening in his first at bat as a Tar Heel as he took a pitch to the back of his helmet but responded with a pair of doubles later in the game.
• Freshman second baseman Mike Zolk turned in the best run-producing game of any Tar Heel Saturday against Xavier when the Philadelphia, native was responsible for four runs scoring thanks to a pair of sacrifice flies.
• Three hurlers took the mound for the first time as well when freshmen starters Chris O'Brien and Benton Moss started games two and three and fireballer Mason McCullough came on in relief twice.

Munnelly Returns To Rotation
• Junior right-hander Chris Munnelly has started 22 of his 46 appearances as a Tar Heel, including a career-high 14 games a year ago.
• Munnelly made a pair of showings against Xavier last weekend out of the bullpen but will move into the Saturday role for the Tar Heels this weekend against Wright State.
• The Winston-Salem, N.C., native turned in a career-low 4.09 ERA last year working primarily as UNC's Sunday starter and should provide a veteran presence on the mound for Carolina after the Tar Heels trotted out the youngest opening starting rotation since 2001.

Emanuel, Moran Named To Golden Spikes List
• USA Baseball released its 2012 Preseason Golden Spikes Award Watch List last week and it included a pair of Tar Heels as sophomores Kent Emanuel and Colin Moran were named to the initial list. Emanuel and Moran both earned Freshman All-America honors a year ago in helping Carolina to the College World Series for the fifth time in six years.
• The watch list features 50 of the nation's top amateur players, and it will be a "rolling" list to ensure that athletes can play themselves into consideration for the award. The Golden Spikes Award trophy will be awarded live at MLB Network's studios for the second year in a row, with a presentation scheduled for Major League Baseball's All-Star Week, July 9-13.

Coaches Tap Tar Heels ACC Favorite
• North Carolina was selected as the 2012 Atlantic Coast Conference preseason favorite in a vote of the league's 12 head coaches the conference office announced.
• The Tar Heels have been named the preseason favorite four times in the last six years.
• The Tar Heels were named by seven coaches as this year's ACC team to beat, while Georgia Tech received four first place votes and Florida State one.
• North Carolina received 63 points to lead the Coastal Division with seven first place votes. Georgia Tech finished second followed by Miami and Virginia with both receiving 47 total points. Virginia Tech and Duke rounded out the Coastal Division.
• Clemson and Florida State were the runaway favorites in the Atlantic Division with 67 and 64 points, while NC State was tabbed third in the division. Wake Forest, Maryland and Boston College finished out the Atlantic Division.

Moran Earns Preseason All-America Honors
• Sophomore third baseman Colin Moran will enter the 2012 season looking to improve on his stellar freshman campaign.
• Moran paced the Tar Heels a year ago en route to the College World Series, hitting .335 on the year with a league-high 71 RBI to go along with 20 doubles and nine home runs.
• Several publications have recognized Moran as a preseason All-America thanks to an All-America freshman year.
• Moran has been named a preseason All-America by the following publications:
• Louisville Slugger Preseason All-America
• Baseball America Preseason All-America
• Perfect Game Preseason All-America
• NCBWA Preseason All-America

Morin On Stopper Of The Year List
• Junior right-handed pitcher Michael Morin was named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year Watch List.
• Morin is one of 45 named to the list after making 32 appearances a year ago for the Tar Heels and picking up 10 saves to lead the team.
• The NCBWA Stopper of the Year award is given annually to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I baseball.
• Morin was 4-2 in his sophomore campaign as he threw 64 innings and struck out 66 batters.
• The Leawood, Kan., native became the first Tar Heel since Andrew Carignan in 2007 to record at least 10 saves in a season. Carignan set the single season school mark with 18 saves in 2007.
• Morin was also tabbed a preseason All-America by the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.