University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heels Clash With Gamecocks
March 20, 2012 | Softball
March 20, 2012
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CHAPEL HILL, N.C.--No. 24 North Carolina (21-8) welcomes South Carolina (19-12) Wednesday, for a 5 p.m. midweek matchup at Anderson Stadium. The Tar Heels are coming off a 4-1 week, featuring wins over ECU, Elon and two victories at Virginia Tech. Former Tar Heel women's soccer star, Mia Hamm, will be throwing out the first pitch at 5 p.m. Wednesday.
AT A GLANCE
Records: Carolina 21-8, South Carolina 19-12.
Rankings: Carolina moved back into the USA Today/NFCA Coaches' poll this week, appearing at No. 24 and is No. 25 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll. South Carolina is unranked.
TV/Radio/Live Stats: Follow the action live on GameTracker.
SERIES RECORDS
• Carolina and South Carolina have faced each other 60 times, with the Gamecocks owning a 48-12 advantage in the all-time series.
• USC has won eight of the last ten meetings with North Carolina.
• South Carolina shutout the Tar Heels, 1-0, in Columbia, S.C., on April 6, 2011.
NOTING THE TAR HEELS
• North Carolina is off to its best start since 2009, opening the season with a 21-8 ledger.
• Four Tar Heels are batting over .300 on the season: Amy Nece (.397), Logan Foulks (.333) Ally Blake (.333) and Kelli Wheeler (.310).
•Also showing power at the plate, six Tar Heels have notched double-digit home runs in 2012: Foulks (6), Wheeler (5), Blake (3), Jenna Kelly (3), Haleigh Dickey (3) and Constance Orr (2).
• The Tar Heels boast a potent offense: ranking 46th in the country in home runs per game at a 0.90 clip and are 70th in runs per game with a 4.93 average.
• UNC also leads the Atlantic Coast Conference in RBI (128), doubles (37) and is second in batting average (.272), slugging (.433) and home runs (26).
• Carolina is also stout defensively, ranking 13th nationally in fielding percentage (0.976).
• Dickey leads the team and the Atlantic Coast Conference in doubles with seven two-baggers thus far.
• Lori Spingola is coming off a 4-0 week, highlighted by complete-game shutouts against Elon Wednesday, March 14, and at Virginia Tech Sunday, March 18. The sophomore from Atlanta, Ga., is tied for third nationally in shutouts with seven thus far.
• Spingola is tied for second in the country in total victories (15), fifth in the nation in strikeouts with 159, and 23rd in strikeouts per seven innings (9.0).
