University of North Carolina Athletics
No. 23 UNC Continues ACC Play At Virginia
April 5, 2012 | Softball
April 5, 2012
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CHAPEL HILL, N.C.-- No. 23 North Carolina (24-10, 3-3 ACC) travels to Charlottesville, Va., to clash with Virginia (19-14, 5-4 ACC) in a three-game set April 6-7 at The Park. The Tar Heels and Cavaliers will meet Friday evening at 6 p.m. before squaring off in a doubleheader Saturday, beginning at 12 p.m.
AT A GLANCE
Records: Carolina 24-10, 3-3 ACC. Virginia 19-14, 5-4 ACC.
Rankings: Carolina held steady at No. 23 in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches' poll this week and moved back into the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll at No. 24. Virginia is unranked.
TV/Radio/Live Stats: You can follow the action live on GameTracker.
SCOUTING THE TEAMS: North Carolina is coming off a 2-2 week, highlighted by a 9-0 midweek victory against Campbell and a 4-2 win at Florida State. Constance Orr and Logan Foulks each tallied two-run home runs in the win over Campbell and Lori Spingola tossed a one-hit shutout. The Tar Heels also handed Florida State it's first loss at home this season and it's first loss in ACC play.
Virginia is coming off a doubleheader against Longwood in Farmville, Va. The Cavaliers won the first game, 2-0, before falling in game two, 3-0. Virginia recorded seven hits in game one, led by two singles from their senior Giannina Cipolloni and sophomore Marcy Bowdren. Junior pitcher Melanie Mitchell threw a two-hitter to pick up her 13th win of the season in game one. She struck out eight and did not walk a batter in the complete game outing.
SERIES RECORDS: Carolina and Virginia have faced each other 99 times, with the Tar Heels owning a 71-27-1 advantage in the all-time series. UNC has won five of the last six matchups with the Cavaliers and took two of three against UVa last season in Chapel Hill, April 2-3, 2011.
CLIMBING THE POLLS: The NCAA released the 2012 season's second Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) and the Tar Heels climbed four spots and hold the second-highest rating of any school in the Atlantic Coast Conference at No. 23, trailing only Florida State (No. 18). UNC also held steady in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches' poll at No. 23 and moved back into the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll at No. 24.
SPREADING THE WEALTH: Four Tar Heels are batting over .300 on the season: Amy Nece (.395), Kelli Wheeler (.333), Logan Foulks (.323) and Ally Blake (.317). Three Tar Heels also rank in the top-10 of the ACC in batting average: Nece is second in the league with a .395 average, followed by Wheeler (seventh/.333) and Foulks (ninth/.323).p>
POTENT TAR HEEL OFFENSE: Carolina boasts a potent offense, ranking 23rd in the country in home runs per game at 1.00 clip and is 53rd in runs per game with a 5.06 average. UNC also leads the ACC in doubles (43), slugging percentage (.447) and the Tar Heels are second in batting average (.274), home runs (33) and third in RBI (151).
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 (4), Blake (3), Jenna Kelly (3) and Jordan Scarboro (3).
PLAYING THE FIELD: Carolina is also stout defensively, ranking third in the conference and 34th nationally in fielding percentage (0.970). Moreover, UNC owns the second-lowest ERA in the ACC (2.21), which also ranks 45th 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 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 (18), is 10th in the nation in strikeouts with 183, is tied for third nationally with nine shutouts and is 21st 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 (23), is third in home runs (4) 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 scored (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 (.433). Nece also leads the Tar Heels in multiple-hit games (9) and is sixth in the ACC in slugging percentage (.446).
