University of North Carolina Athletics
No. 22 Carolina Hosts NC State This Weekend
April 9, 2015 | Baseball
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. --- North Carolina continues its seven-game homestand Friday when the Tar Heels host longtime rival NC State in the first of a three-game series at Boshamer Stadium at 7:30 p.m. Carolina is 20-13 on the year after midweek wins over No. 18 Coastal Carolina and Liberty. The Wolfpack enters the weekend 19-12 after dropping a midweek contest at Elon on Tuesday. Both teams are coming off tough series losses - UNC dropped two of three at Clemson while NC State lost two of three at home to Florida State. Friday's game, which is sold out, will be broadcast on ESPNU. Saturday, which is also a sellout, and Sunday will be streamed live on ESPN3 and WatchESPN.com. Limited tickets are still available for Sunday's game, which is set for a 2 p.m. start.
AT A GLANCE
Records: North Carolina 20-13 (7-8 ACC), NC State 19-12 (7-7 ACC)
Rankings: North Carolina is ranked No. 22 by Perfect Game. NC State is unranked.
TV: ESPNU/ESPN3. Friday's game will be broadcast live on ESPNU. Saturday and Sunday games will be streamed live on ESPN3..
Audio: All three games will be streamed live on GoHeels.com and are scheduled to be carried by WCHL in the Chapel Hill area.
On The Web: GoHeels.com • Twitter: @DiamondHeels, @CoachFox30
PROMOTIONS
Friday - 7:30 p.m.
• Retro baseball jersey t-shirts sponsored by UNC Summer School for the first 400 students (distributed after 7th inning stretch)
• Name tThat Tune contest for a $100 gift card to The Loop Pizza Grill
• Postgame fireworks show presented by Crown Honda of Southpoint
Saturday - 6 p.m.
• Continental Tire koozies for the first 1,000 fans
• Pre-signed Trading Card Set No. 3 for the first 500 fans
• National anthem by the UNC Clef Hangers
• Kids take the field for the anthem presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors
Sunday - 2 p.m.
• Gigi's Cupcakes vouchers for first 200 fans
• Interactive inflatable behind the 3rd base grandstand
• Kids run the bases after the game presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors
| Carolina Probable Starters | NC State Probable Starters | |
| Friday | RHP Zac Gallen (1-2, 3.57 ERA, 1.12 WHIP) | RHP Cory Wilder (2-4, 3.19 ERA, 1.28 WHIP) |
| Saturday | RHP J.B. Bukauskas (3-1, 2.66 ERA, 1.12 WHIP) | LHP Brian Brown (3-2, 2.88 ERA, 1.25 WHIP) |
| Sunday | RHP Benton Moss (5-0, 3.21 ERA, 1.34 WHIP) | RHPJohnny Piedmonte (1-1, 1.96 ERA, 1.26 WHIP) |
CAROLINA-NC STATE SERIES HISTORY
• North Carolina is 158-128-1 all-time against NC State, including a 27-22 record under head coach Mike Fox.
• Friday will mark the 288th meeting in the series. That total will match Virginia as Carolina's most common opponent.
• Last season with the first since the formation of the ACC in 1953 that did not feature a Carolina-NC State conference series. The two teams met just once, in the ACC tournament in Greensboro, and the Tar Heels were 4-3 winners in an elimination game.
• UNC and NC State were scheduled to meet on April 15 of last year at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, but the Duel At The DBAP was canceled due to rain.
• The Tar Heels won three of five meetings in 2013, including two of three postseason showdowns. Carolina and NC State split a pair of regular season games in Raleigh before staging an 18-inning epic in Durham in the ACC tournament. UNC won that game, which was played in front of a state college record 11,392 fans, 2-1 en route to an ACC title.
• The two teams met again in the College World Series, with the Wolfpack taking the opening game 8-1. But the Tar Heels won the season series and eliminated NC State later in the event with a 7-0 victory powered by Hobbs Johnson's 8.1 innings of shutout ball.
• Carolina won two of three against the Wolfpack in 2012, the last time the two teams met in Chapel Hill.
• NC State's last series win came in 2011 when the 'Pack swept UNC in Raleigh.
