University of North Carolina Athletics
No. 11 Tar Heels To Open ACC Play With Duke
March 5, 2015 | Baseball
CHAPEL HILL --- Carolina kicks off its 2015 Atlantic Coast Conference schedule with a three-game series against rival Duke beginning Friday at 3 p.m. at Boshamer Stadium. The series will continue Saturday at 2 p.m. and conclude Sunday at 2. The Tar Heels went 4-3 on an impromptu seven-game road trip - a series vs. UCLA in Orlando, a series vs. Rhode Island in Florence, South Carolina, and an added game at Liberty - before returning home to beat VCU on Wednesday. Duke enters the weekend winners of nine straight, with its lone loss coming in a series win at Cal.
AT A GLANCE
Records: North Carolina 8-3 (0-0 ACC), Duke 10-1 (0-0 ACC)
Rankings: North Carolina is ranked No. 11 by D1Baseball, No. 16 by the NCBWA, No. 17 by Perfect Game, No. 18 by the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll, No. 20 by Baseball America and No. 21 by Collegiate Baseball. Duke is unranked.
TV: All three games will be streamed live on GoHeelsTV.
On The Web: GoHeels.com • Twitter: @DiamondHeels, @CoachFox30 | @Duke_Base
PROMOTIONS
Friday
- 1,000 ACC Schedule Magnets
Signature Saturday
- First pitch by former Tar Heel and current Detroit Lions Tight End Eric Ebron
- 500 Signed Trading Card Sets (table by front gate)
- Drawing for 2 tickets to Carolina Men's Basketball vs Duke
- Kids take the field for the national anthem
Sunday Family Funday
- Rams Club Day #1
- Interactive inflatable behind the 3rd base grandstand and kids run the bases after the game
| Carolina Probable Starters | Duke Probable Starters | |
| Friday | RHP Zac Gallen (0-1, 2.00 ERA, 0.77 WHIP) | RHP Andrew Istler (1-0, 1.53 ERA, 1.13 WHIP) |
| Saturday | RHP J.B. Bukauskas (1-1, 4.30 ERA, 1.43 WHIP) | RHP Michael Matuella (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1.29 WHIP) |
| Sunday | RHP Benton Moss (2-0, 2.30 ERA, 1.09 WHIP) | RHP Bailey Clark (1-0, 1.35 ERA, 0.75 WHIP) |
North Carolina-Duke Series History
• North Carolina is 181-99-2 all-time against Duke, including a 39-12 record against the Blue Devils under Mike Fox.
• Carolina has won nine of 12 in the series, including a three-game sweep in Chapel Hill in 2013, but the Blue Devils swept the season series in Durham last season.
• Prior to 2014, Duke's last series win came in 2010 in Durham. The Blue Devils won two of three in Chapel Hill in 2009 and two of three at Durham Bulls Athletic Park in 2010 before Carolina swept nine straight games from 2011-13.
• The all-time series dates back to 1891 when Carolina beat Trinity College 8-3.
Carolina In ACC Openers
• UNC has won its first ACC series three straight years, and the Tar Heels have started 1-0 in league play in each of the last five campaigns.
• Carolina is 8-1 in opening series games the last three seasons, with sweeps at Clemson (2012) and Wake Forest (2013) as well as a 2-1 series win over Pitt in Chapel Hill last season.
• The Tar Heels last lost their first ACC game of the year in 2009, when they dropped the opener to Clemson before rallying to win the series.
• UNC's last series loss to open conference play came in 2011, when the Tar Heels dropped 2 of 3 at Wake Forest.
