University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heels Open NCAA Play Friday Vs. Cornell
May 30, 2012 | Baseball
May 30, 2012
Complete NCAA Chapel Hill Regional Notes (pdf)
Carolina Opens NCAA Regional Against Cornell Friday
• No. 6 national seed North Carolina will open the 2012 NCAA Tournament Friday at 6 p.m. when the Tar Heels host Cornell at Boshamer Stadium.
• UNC enters with the third-most wins in the country (44) and have won 15 of its last 16 contests.
Postseason Success
• The Tar Heels have enjoyed tremendous success over the last seven years with five trips to the College World Series.
• Carolina has racked up the most NCAA wins of any team in the country since 2006.
Most NCAA Wins Since 2006
40 - North Carolina (`06:9-2; `07:9-4; `08:8-2; `09:6-2; `10:2-2, `11: 6-2)
33 - South Carolina
28 - Oregon State
27 - Arizona State, Cal State Fullerton
A May For The Record Books
• UNC closed the regular season in impressive fashion as the Tar Heels won 13 straight games before a 2-1 mark in the ACC Tournament.
• The Tar Heels posted a 14-1 mark in the month of May which will go down as the most wins in school history in the month of May.
• The 14-1 mark is the best record for a Tar Heel squad in May since the 1981 team went 4-0.
Pitching Staff Approaching Record Numbers
• Carolina posted a pair of shutouts in the ACC Tournament, including the first extra-inning shutout in ACC Tournament history against NC State Saturday night.
• In the process the Tar Heels lowered their team ERA to 2.54 on the year, the third-lowest mark in the country.
• If the Tar Heels keep the ERA under 3.00 it would be just the third time since 1980 the Tar Heels have accomplished the feat.
• Carolina's 2.54 team ERA ranks the fourth-lowest in school history since 1960 entering regional play and the lowest mark since the 1972 team posted a 2.23 mark.
• The Tar Heels have allowed 20 earned runs over the last 16 games for an ERA of 1.22 during the stretch.
Lowest Single-Season Team ERAs Since 1960
1967 1.66
1972 2.23
1968 2.47
2012 2.54
1970 2.59
1963 2.61
Starting At The Top
• Junior lead off man Chaz Frank has been a rally starter all year long for the Tar Heels and has been key to UNC's 15-1 stretch over the last 16 games.
• Frank is hitting a team-high .403 over the last 16 games with 12 runs scored, eight doubles and three triples.
• The speedster has been on base in 10 of his last 17 first-inning at bats
• The Lexington, N.C., native has been doing more than just getting on base as he has led the Tar Heels with 18 RBIs over the last 16 games.
Stallings' Time To Shine
• For the fourth straight year, senior catcher Jacob Stallings is starting to heat up down the stretch.
• Over his last nine games, Stallings is 13-for-34 (.342) with 8 runs scored, 6 RBIs, and a team-high 6 doubles.
• Stallings has a history of stepping his game to a new level in postseason play as he owns a career average of .385 (25-for-65) in the NCAA Tournament.
• The Brentwood, Tenn., native has appeared in 20 career NCAA Tournament games with 18 starts for the Tar Heels in his four years.
• The doubles machine has five doubles in postseason play and has driven in 14 runs.
• Stallings enters the weekend ranked sixth on the UNC single season doubles list with 23 and is seventh place on the career list with 55.
Tar Heels Impressive Against NCAA Tournament Teams
• Carolina went 14-7 against NCAA Tournament teams during the regular season which ranks third in the country in winning percentage among teams in the NCAA Tournament.
• Army holds the best mark at 3-1 and Purdue checks in at 7-3 but with teams that faced at least 15 NCAA Tournament teams the Tar Heels outdistanced top seed Florida .667-.658.
Emanuel Going To Another Level In The Postseason
• Sophomore ace Kent Emanuel will take the mound Saturday for the Tar Heels and few Tar Heel pitchers have made the impact Emanuel has in the postseason.
• Emanuel earned a win in all three of his starts in last year's CWS run and has posted a 3-0 record with a 0.39 ERA in 23 innings of work.
• The Woodstock, Ga., native has allowed just one earned run in the postseason and has posted a 15-3 strikeout to walk ratio.
Bullpen Continues To Shine
• North Carolina entered the season with one of the most hyped bullpens in the country but the group struggled out of the gate allowing 11 runs in the opening series against Xavier.
• The Tar Heels bounced back in a big way with back-to-back shutouts to close out the Wright State series.
• The bullpen has been even more dominant late in the year as the Tar Heels have posted 16 2/3 innings of scoreless ball from the bullpen arms.
• The UNC bullpen is 21-5 on the year with a 2.65 ERA this year.
• Carolina has eight regular relievers with a sub-4.00 ERA.
Morin Closing The Door
• Junior Michael Morin has been one of the top closers in the country this year and has positioned himself for a chance at claiming the NCBWA Stopper of the Year award.
• Morin enters the NCAA Tournament with a 0.83 ERA in 54 1/3 innings of work.
• The Leawood, Kan., native is 6-3 on the year and has racked up the third-most saves in a single season for a Tar Heel with 17.
• Morin is one save shy of tying Andrew Carignan (2007) and Thad Chrisman (1993) for the school single season record.
• Morin enters the tournament on a 15-inning scoreless streak, a span of 10 straight appearances.
UNC Single Season Saves List
1. Andrew Carignan (2007) 18
Thad Chrisman (1993) 18
3. Michael Morin (2012) 17
UNC Career Saves List
1. Thad Chrisman (1992-95) 41
2. Andrew Carignan (2005-07) 33
3. Michael Morin (2010-12) 30
Double-Barrelled Action
• Morin is not the only dominant arm out of the Tar Heel bullpen this year as left-hander R.C. Orlan has been one of the top relievers in the country this season.
• Orlan is tied for fourth in the ACC with 8 wins on the year and owns a 2.01 ERA in 53 2/3 innings of work.
• The Glen Allen, Va., junior threw 3 2/3 innings of scoreless baseball against Wake Forest in the ACC Tournament and struck out a career-high six batters in the UNC shutout.
Shoring Up The D
• A year after setting the school record for fielding percentage in a season with a .979 mark the Tar Heels have struggled to replicate that performance in 2012.
• Through the first 42 games of the year the Tar Heels had committed 56 errors for a .965 fielding percentage.
• Carolina then made the move of putting freshman Michael Russell at shortstop and moving Tommy Coyle to his more familiar second base position.
• Since the move of Russell to shorstop 16 games ago, the Tar Heels are 15-1 during the stretch and have posted a .978 fielding percentage.
• Carolina has been error-free in eight of the last 16 games to raise the season fielding percentage to .969 entering the weekend.
Fox Dominant In Postseason Play
• Head coach Mike Fox has led the Tar Heels to the College World Series in five of the last six years and has racked up an impressive postseason resume.
• Fox is 52-26 (.667) in NCAA Tournament action since taking over the Tar Heels in 1999.
• Prior to his return to Chapel Hill, Fox led North Carolina Wesleyan to a 49-30 postseason record over his 15 years, including the 1989 Division III National Championship.
• Fox enters the weekend with 101 postseason wins in his career and a .643 winning percentage.
Feeling A Draft
• The 2012 MLB First Year Player Draft is quickly approaching as action gets underway Monday, June 4 with the first round. Rounds 2-15 will occur Tuesday, June 5 and rounds 16-40 are on Wednesday, June 6.
• In Baseball America's latest Top 500 ranking for the 2012 MLB Draft a pair of current Tar Heels are among the rankings with R.C. Orlan ranked No. 425 and Michael Morin is ranked No. 447.
• Several signees for the 2013 season are among the top 500 in the country:
2013 Signees Among Baseball America's Top 500 Draft Prospects
No. 24 - LHP Matt Smoral - Solon, Ohio
No. 214 - OF Skye Bolt - Atlanta, Ga.
No. 258 - C Korey Dunbar - Nitro, W. Va.
No. 280 - RHP Taylore Cherry - Vandalia, Ohio
No. 449 - RHP/1B - Kayden Porter - Spanish Fork, Utah
40 Wins Once Again
• Carolina reached the 40-win plateau for the 19th time in school history in the weekend sweep of Virginia Tech and have 44 wins in 2012.
• The Tar Heels have now won at least 40 games 10 times in the last 11 years.
• The 44 wins on the year are tied for the third-most in the country in 2012 and one shy of the nation's top mark of 47 held by Utah Valley.
• Carolina has posted the most wins in the country since 2006, outdistancing second place Florida State by a 17 wins, 346-329.
Family Connection
• Carolina will open the 2012 NCAA Tournament Friday against Ivy League Champion Cornell who will be making its first NCAA appearance since 1977.
• The 1977 Big Red squad had a familiar name on it as Mike Fleury starred for Cornell in the NCAA season.
• The Fleury surname should be familiar to Tar Heel fans as Mike's son Mark appeared in three straight College World Series during his time in Chapel Hill from 2007-09.
Potential Rematch For Fox
• If Carolina takes on St. John's any time during the NCAA Chapel Hill Regional it will be the first time the teams have met in the postseason since the 1978 College World Series contest.
• UNC Head Coach Mike Fox was a member of the 1978 Tar Heel squad that downed the Red Storm, 9-5.
• Fox paced the Tar Heel attack from the lead off spot by going 3-for-5 with two runs scored, three RBIs, a triple and a home run.
Back After A Break
• North Carolina is one of the few teams in the country with a break scheduled in the season due to the UNC exam schedule that runs through the weekend.
• The Tar Heels have taken full advantage of the small break late in the year and have posted strong results following the break to close out the regular season.
• Since the 2006 season Carolina is 56-14 after the traditional exam break posting at least six wins every season.
Records After Exam Break Since 2006
2006 - 6-3 - NCAA CWS
2007 - 8-1 - NCAA CWS
2008 - 7-2 - NCAA CWS
2009 - 6-3 - NCAA CWS
2010 - 9-3 - NCAA Regional
2011 - 11-2 - NCAA CWS
2012 - 12-0
Keeping Runners In Their Place
• A year after catcher Jacob Stallings set a new school record with 32 runners caught stealing the opposition have learned their lesson in 2012.
• Opponents have attempted the fewest stolen bases against the Tar Heels in the country entering the weekend.
• Teams have attempted to steal just 30 times this season which is nine fewer than the second place team in the nation.
• The 21 stolen bases against are the second-fewest in the country entering NCAA Tournament action.
Stolen Base Attempts Against
North Carolina 30
Oral Roberts 39
Stanford 43
Purdue 44
Stony Brook 46
Stolen Bases Against
Stony Brook 20
North Carolina 21
Oral Roberts 23
Purdue 25
Stanford 27
Four Tar Heels Earn All-ACC Honors
• North Carolina placed four student-athletes on the 2012 All-Atlantic Coast Conference teams Monday as voted on by the league coaches. Pitchers Kent Emanuel and Michael Morin earned first team honors, while catcher Jacob Stallings and designated hitter Brian Holberton were named to the second team.
• Junior closer Michael Morin and sophomore starter Kent Emanuel both earned All-ACC First Team honors. The pair of All-ACC First Team pitchers marks the first time in school history that two Carolina pitchers were named to the first team.
• Morin has been one of the top closers in the country this season posting a 5-3 record with a 0.91 ERA in 49.1 innings pitched on the year. The junior right-hander has closed the door on a league-high 17 saves, which ranks fourth in the country. Morin becomes the first Tar Heel closer since Andrew Carignan in 2007 to earn All-ACC First Team honors.
• Emanuel has turned in a stellar sophomore campaign with an 8-3 record and the second-lowest ERA in the conference at 1.80. The Woodstock, Ga., native opened the year with five straight wins and closed it with three more victories. Emanuel has produced a quality start in 13 of his 14 starts this season and becomes the first Tar Heel sophomore pitcher since Alex White to earn All-ACC First Team honors.
• Carolina also had a pair of position players earn All-ACC Second Team honors with senior catcher Jacob Stallings and sophomore DH Brian Holberton being named to the squad.
• Stallings becomes the first Tar Heel catcher to earn an All-ACC mention since Tim Federowicz was named to the second team in 2008. The senior ranks third on the team with a .297 average for the year and owns the third-most doubles in the conference with 21. Stallings has been an anchor for the top pitching staff in the ACC this season and has held opponents to the fewest stolen base attempts in the country.
• Holberton owns a .301 average on the year with 19 runs scored and 14 RBIs but has done most of his damage in ACC play with a .344 average against conference opponents. The Charlotte, N.C., native paced the Tar Heels at the plate against ACC opponents with 11 runs scored and 10 RBIs.
