University of North Carolina Athletics
No. 24 UNC Travels To Greensboro For Midweek Doubleheader
April 10, 2012 | Softball
April 10, 2012
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CHAPEL HILL, N.C.-- No. 24 North Carolina (27-10, 6-3 ACC) will wrap up an eight-game road swing as it travels to Greensboro, N.C., for a midweek doubleheader at UNC Greensboro (16-25, 6-9 Southern Conference). The Tar Heels and Spartans will meet at 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 11.
AT A GLANCE
Records: Carolina 27-10, 6-3 ACC. UNC Greensboro 16-25, 6-9 SoCon.
Rankings: Carolina moved down a notch to No. 24 in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches' poll this week and held steady at No. 24 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll. UNC Greensboro is unranked.
TV/Radio/Live Stats:
• You can follow the action from Game One live on GameTracker.
• You can follow the action from Game Two live on GameTracker.
SCOUTING THE TEAMS: North Carolina is coming off a series sweep at Virginia. The Tar Heels edged the Cavaliers, 3-2, in the first game of the series and Ally Blake hit a solo home run and Constance Orr notched a two-RBI double in the series' opening win. Carolina then blanked Virginia 2-0 on Saturday, before hanging on for a 7-6 victory in game two of the doubleheader. Blake batted .364 in the series and tallied three RBI, while Lori Spingola went 2-0 with a 0.98 ERA and also picked up her first save of the season in the series' finale.
UNC Greensboro was swept by Southern Conference leader Georgia Southern over the holiday weekend, falling 4-2 and 9-3 on Friday and 10-2 on Saturday. Aisha Figueroa hit .444 for the weekend, while Alex Emeterio had her first career multi-home run effort with a pair of solo blasts in the game-one loss. Heather Robb has a two-run homer for UNCG's only runs Saturday.
SERIES RECORDS: Carolina and UNC Greensboro have faced each other 49 times, with the Tar Heels owning a 41-8 advantage in the all-time series. UNC has won four of the last five matchups with the Spartans. In their last meeting, the Tar Heels defeated UNC Greensboro, 4-1, before falling 5-2 to the Spartans in game two of the doubleheader in Chapel Hill, N.C., last season April 13, 2011. The win by UNCG broke a 16-game winning streak for the Tar Heels over the Spartans, dating back to 2002.
CLIMBING THE POLLS: The NCAA released the 2012 season's third Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) and the Tar Heels remained at No. 23 which marks the second-highest rating of any school in the Atlantic Coast Conference, trailing only Florida State (No. 15). UNC moved down one spot in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches' poll to No. 24 and remained at No. 24 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll.
LIFE ON THE ROAD: Carolina has posted a 7-3 ledger on the road to date, and is preparing to wrap up an eight-game road swing at UNC Greensboro. The Tar Heels also own a 6-3 road record in ACC play.
SPREADING THE WEALTH: Five Tar Heels are batting over .300 on the season: Amy Nece (.373), Kelli Wheeler (.324), Ally Blake (.323), Constance Orr (.321) and Logan Foulks (.314). Three Tar Heels also rank in the top-10 of the ACC in batting average: Nece is second in the league with a .373 average, followed by Wheeler (seventh/.324) and Blake (ninth/.323).p>
POTENT TAR HEEL OFFENSE: Carolina boasts a potent offense, ranking 32nd in the country in home runs per game at 0.94 clip and is 65th in runs per game with a 4.81 average. UNC also leads the ACC in doubles (44), slugging percentage (.437) and the Tar Heels are second in batting average (.272), home runs (35) and third in RBI (161).
TAR HEELS DIG THE LONG BALL: Displaying power at the plate, seven Tar Heels have notched double-digit home runs in 2012: Foulks (7), Wheeler (6), Orr (5), Haleigh Dickey (5), Blake (4), Jenna Kelly (3) and Jordan Scarboro (3).
PLAYING THE FIELD: Carolina is also stout defensively, ranking third in the conference and 50th nationally in fielding percentage (0.968). Moreover, UNC owns the second-lowest ERA in the ACC (2.28), which also ranks 41st in the nation.
IN THE ZONE: Lori Spingola was just named ACC Pitcher of the Week for the second time in 2012--sixth time in her career--following a 4-0 week. The sophomore from Atlanta, Ga., was brilliant in the circle against South Carolina Wednesday, March 21, tossing her fourth career no-hitter, as the Tar Heels blanked the Gamecocks, 8-0. Spingola is tied for fifth in the country in total victories (20), ninth in the nation in strikeouts with 209, is tied for second nationally with 10 shutouts and is 17th in strikeouts per seven innings (9.0).
DICKEY STEPPING UP: Haleigh Dickey recorded her first career grand slam in the win over South Carolina March 21, en route to garnering Player of the Week honors. The sophomore infielder from Woodstock, Ga., is second on the team in RBI (27), is third in home runs (5) and is tied for the team-lead in doubles (7).
CLOSING IN ON GREATNESS: Kelli Wheeler belted her sixth home run of 2012 in the win over South Carolina March 21, leaving her just two shy of tying the school record for career home runs (34), set by Natalie Anter between 1999-2002. The Marietta, Ga., native is turning in a stellar senior season, as she ranks second on the team in batting average (.333), slugging (.618) and on-base percentage (.438). Wheeler also leads the team in runs score (26), total hits (34), total bases (63) and walks (16).
BREAKING OUT: Amy Nece is having a breakout sophomore campaign for Carolina. The centerfielder from Redlands, Calif., leads the Tar Heels and is second in the league in batting average (.373). Nece also leads the Tar Heels in multiple-hit games (9) and is sixth in the ACC in slugging percentage (.422).
