University of North Carolina Athletics
Softball Opens 2016 At The Texas Classic
February 9, 2016 | Softball
Carolina softball opens the 2016 season at the Texas Classic on Feb. 12-14, 2016. Hosted by the University of Texas at Red & Charline McCombs Field in Austin, Texas, the Tar Heels will face North Dakota State and Texas twice each and conclude the weekend against Arkansas. All five games will air live on the Longhorn Network.
Schedule
Feb. 12 - North Dakota State - 3 PM CT - Watch
Feb. 12 - Texas - 6 PM CT - Watch
Feb. 13 - Texas - 1 PM CT - Watch
Feb. 13 - North Dakota State - 6 PM CT - Watch
Feb. 14 - Arkansas - 9AM CT - Watch
Coverage
Television: Longhorn Network
Video: WatchESPN.com
Live Stats: http://bit.ly/TexSBstats
Tournament Information
Location: Red & Charline McCombs Field | 2001 Comal St., Austin, TX 78722
All Session Passes: $20
Day Passes (certain days may vary): $12 reserved/$10 stands/$6 GA
Ticket Office: (512) 471-3333 | Purchase Online
Against the Field
The Tar Heels do not have an abundance of history against this weekend's competition, having faced the three opponents a total of just 11 times. UNC has seen Texas the most often, going 2-4-1 all time against the Longhorns, while Carolina is 2-0 against both Arkansas and North Dakota State.
Carolina squared off with Arkansas in a tournament just once before, taking on the Razorbacks twice at the FIU Diamond Fun & Sun Classic in Miami in 2006. The Tar Heels defeated Arkansas, 5-0, in the 2006 season opener, then topped the Razorbacks again, 8-4, in the weekend finale.
The Tar Heels will meet North Dakota State in neutral territory for the first time this weekend after previously hosting the Bison in 2006 and 2013. Then-No. 24 Carolina topped NDSU, 5-1, on March 4, 2006, in the pair's first meeting, then won 4-0 at the 2013 Carolina Classic on Feb. 21.
Big 12 powerhouse Texas owns the all-time series with Carolina at 2-4-1, including winning all three matchups in Austin. UNC topped Texas, 8-3, last season at the Carolina Classic, marking its first win over UT since defeating the Longhorns, 2-1, in Honolulu on March. 12, 2008.
A Look at the Longhorns
Texas had a solid season in 2015, going 38-17 and finishing in a tie for second in the Big 12 at 12-6. The Longhorns qualified for NCAA Regionals and were sent to Los Angeles, where they went 1-2 to conclude the year. UT was picked to finish third in the Big 12 by the conference coaches this season, marking the sixth straight season that Texas has been predicted for a top-three finish.
The Longhorns return eight of their nine position starters from 2015, including five NFCA All-Region players. Additionally, Texas brings back its leading pitcher from last season, Erica Wright, who won 18 games as a freshman.
Breaking Down the Bison
North Dakota State had one of its strongest seasons in program history in 2015, going 45-11 overall, tying for first in the Summit League with a 16-2 record and punching its ticket to the NCAA Tournament by winning its sixth Summit League Championship in seven seasons. In and out of the rankings throughout the season, NDSU finished ranked No. 25 in the NFCA poll and No. 24 in the ESPN.com poll, as well as #33 in the final RPI.
The Bison were strong in nearly every area in 2015, ranking sixth in the nation in both doubles and stolen bases, 22nd in batting average and fielding percentage, 24th in runs scored, 26th in earned run average and 30th in slugging percentage.
NDSU returns senior middle infielders Cheyenne Garcia and Logan Moreland, who led the Bison at the plate by hitting .423 and .421, respectively, with a combined 39 stolen bases, 91 RBIs and 54 extra-base hits. However, the Bison have a large hole to fill in the circle after graduating senior pitcher Krista Menke, who finished the year ranked second in the NCAA in strikeouts, wins and shutouts.
Ready for the Razorbacks
Arkansas struggled immensely last season, going 16-27 overall and winning just one if its 24 SEC contests to finish in last place in the conference. However, the Razorbacks are under new management, having hired Courtney Deifel as its new head coach. Deifel has a history of making swift changes to a program, having led the Terrapins to a 16-game improvement in her first and only season at the helm of Maryland's squad in 2015.
Season Openers
Carolina seeks to open the season with a win for the first time since 2012, when the Tar Heels won nine straight to start the year. UNC is 20-19 all time in season openers and 33-19 on opening weekend since 2005.
Tar Heels in Texas
Carolina heads to the Lone Star State for the first time since 2013, when the Tar Heels participated in the Aggie Classic in College Station, Texas. UNC returns to Austin for the fourth season in program history and first time since 2010.
The Tar Heels opened the 2010 season at the Time Warner Invitational, where they went 2-3, including victories over No. 13 LSU and No. 21 DePaul at Red & Charline McCombs Field.
Carolina played in Austin for the first time in 1998, sweeping a doubleheader against Bowling Green but falling to No. 18 Texas. The Tar Heels returned to UT in 2003 for the Texas Invitational, where they picked up a win over No. 19 Michigan.
UNC is used to facing top competition in Austin, with eight of its 13 games at UT coming against top-25 opponents. Carolina is 5-8 all time in Austin, with three of those five victories coming over ranked opponents.
Brown Named to Player of the Year Watch List
Senior Kristen Brown was selected as one of 50 candidates for USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year. The talented shortstop earns consideration for the national award for the second year in a row, having been a Top-26 Finalist in 2015. Twenty-five finalists will be named on April 13.
2016 Schedule
The Tar Heels put together a challenging slate for 2016, featuring 28 games against 16 NCAA Tournament participants, facing four of the 16 Super Regional qualifiers including NCAA Runner-Up Michigan.
Carolina will face seven 2015 conference champions, six of whom also won their conference tournaments.
The Tar Heels have seven opponents that were ranked in the 2016 NFCA Preseason Poll, including No. 2 Michigan, No. 10 Florida State and No. 12 Georgia, with an additional five teams on the schedule that received votes in the first poll.
UNC will take on 13 teams that finished 2015 ranked in the top 50 in the RPI, facing eight of those teams on the road.
Brown Makes U.S. Women's Elite Team
Carolina senior Kristen Brown became the first Tar Heel in program history to earn a spot in the USA Softball program on January 8 when she was named to the 18-player U.S. Women's Elite Team. Brown was the second Carolina player invited to U.S. National Team Selection Camp, following Tiffany Tolleson (2002-03)'s invitation in 2003. Natalie Anter is the sole Tar Heel to ever compete in the Olympics, having represented Italy in Athens in 2004.
Elly Wagner Wins AD's Scholar-Athlete Award
Senior Elly Wagner was honored by the athletic department on Jan. 20 with the Athletic Director's Scholar-Athlete Award, acknowledging her outstanding academic performance throughout her Carolina career. One player from each Carolina team was given the title, for a total of 26 winners for the 2015-16 academic year.
College Sports Madness Preseason Honors
Carolina senior Kristen Brown, a 2015 NFCA Third-Team All-American, was named to the Preseason All-America First Team by CollegeSportsMadness.com. The national sports website bestowed the honor of Preseason ACC Field Player of the Year on the Tar Heel shortstop as well and placed Brown among four Tar Heels on the Preseason All-ACC Team. Taylor Wike joined Brown on the Preseason All-ACC First Team, while Sydney Matzko and Aquilla Mateen both earned places on the Second Team.
Records Fall in 2015
The Tar Heel offense dominated in 2015, breaking five team season records, six team single-game marks, three individual game marks, four individual season records and two career records.
As a team, the 2015 Tar Heels had the highest batting average (.327), slugging percentage (.588) and stolen base percentage (.879) as well as the most runs (366) and home runs (92) in program history, while also tying the record set in 2012 for double plays turned (24).
Individually, Kristen Brown slashed the program single-season records for runs scored, home runs and RBIs, while Taylor Wike tied the existing records for runs and walks. Brown and Amber Parrish posted the second- and third-best slugging percentages all time, while Wike ranked third all time with a .418 batting average. As just a junior, “Downtown Kristen Brown” shattered the career home run record with her 44th long ball and enters her final season with the best career slugging percentage (.688) all time, holding a sizable lead over Kelli Wheeler's (2009-12) mark of .614. Brown is also on pace to break the career records for runs, RBIs and total bases during the 2016 season.
The Tar Heels exploded against Virginia on March 28, 2015, breaking eight single-game records by scoring 24 runs on 22 hits, including seven home runs, led by Parrish, who went 4-for-4 with 11 total bases, having hit a single, a double and two home runs. To top it all off, they did it all in just four-and-a-half innings, having put up 17 runs over the first two frames.
