University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heels Open ACC Slate At Virginia Tech
March 15, 2012 | Softball
March 15, 2012
Follow UNC Softball Via Twitter | 2012 Softball Yearbook
CHAPEL HILL, N.C.--No. 23 North Carolina opens its Atlantic Coast Conference schedule with a series in Blacksburg, Va., against Virginia Tech (17-10). The Tar Heels are 19-7 after two midweek victories over East Carolina and Elon. UNC will face the Hokies in a doubleheader at Tech Softball park Saturday, March 17, at noon and 2 p.m. and then close with a series' finale at 1p.m. Sunday.
AT A GLANCE
Records: Carolina 19-7, Virginia Tech, 17-10.
Rankings: Carolina is receiving votes in both the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll and the USA Today/NFCA Coaches' poll. Virginia Tech is unranked.
TV/Radio/Live Stats: Follow the action live on GameTracker.
SERIES RECORDS
• Carolina and Virginia Tech have faced each other 26 times, with the Tar Heels owning a 16-10 advantage in the all-time series.
• The Tar Heels have won seven of the last nine meetings with Virginia Tech.
• UNC took two of three against the Hokies in Chapel Hill last season. The Tar Heels blanked VT, 8-0 and 1-0, April 24, 2011, in back-to-back games before dropping the series' finale, 4-0, April 25.
NOTING THE TAR HEELS
• North Carolina is off to its best start since 2000, opening the season with a 19-7 ledger.
• Four Tar Heels are batting over .300 on the season: Amy Nece (.382), Logan Foulks (.351) Ally Blake (.328) and Kelli Wheeler (.316).
•Also showing power at the plate, six Tar Heels have notched double-digit home runs in 2012: Kelli Wheeler (5), Foulks (5), Blake (3), Jenna Kelly (3), Haleigh Dickey (2) and Constance Orr (2).
• UNC is ranked in the top-50 in the country (46th) in home runs per game at a 0.83 clip.
• The Tar Heels boast a potent offense: ranking in 46th in the country in home runs per game at a 0.83 clip and are 75th in runs per game with a 5.04 average.
• Carolina is also stout defensively, ranking 21st nationally in fielding percentage (0.974). • Dickey leads the team and the Atlantic Coast Conference in doubles with seven two-baggers thus far.
• Lori Spingola tossed a no-hitter against UNLV Friday, March 9, in the Long Beach Invitational. The sophomore pitcher from Atlanta, Ga., threw seven shutout innings, walked only one Rebel batter and struck out 13 of the 24 batters she faced. It was her third career no-hitter. She previously threw a perfect game against Penn State Feb, 27, 2011, and no-hit ACC foe Boston College May, 5, 2011.
• Spingola is fourth in the nation in strikeouts with 146, 21st in strikeouts per seven innings (9.4), 11th in shutouts (6) and 12th in total victories (13).
• Amy Nece had a standout weekend in Long Beach, Calif., going 10-16 at the plate in the Long Beach Invitational. The Redlands, Calif, native also tallied three RBI and swiped two bases in her homecoming. The sophomore outfielder only struck out once in 16 plate appearances over the weekend.
