University of North Carolina Athletics
Softball To Host Annual Carolina Classic This Weekend
February 23, 2017 | Softball
North Carolina will host the annual Carolina Classic round robin tournament this weekend, as Hampton, Marshall, Miami (Ohio) and Towson will all square off at Anderson Stadium on Feb. 24-26. The tournament begins at Noon on Friday with a neutral-site matchup between Marshall and Miami. Carolina hits the field for the first time at 5 p.m. on Friday against Towson. Live stats for every game can be found at UNCLiveStats.com, while each of North Carolina's games will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra on WatchESPN.
| Participating Teams | |||
| Hampton (1-7) | Marshall (6-3) | Miami Ohio (5-4) | Towson (4-5) |
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| Team Website | Team Website | Team Website | Team Website |
| Tournament Schedule | |||
| Friday, Feb. 24 | |||
| 12 p.m. | Miami (OH) vs. Marshall | Live Stats | |
| 5 p.m. | Towson vs. North Carolina | Live Stats | Video | |
| 7:30 p.m. | Towson vs. Hampton | Live Stats | |
| Saturday, Feb. 25 | |||
| 10:30 a.m. | Marshall vs. Hampton | Live Stats | |
| 1 p.m. | Marshall vs. Towson | Live Stats | |
| 3:30 p.m. | Miami (OH) vs. North Carolina | Live Stats | Video | |
| 6 p.m. | Hampton vs. Miami (OH) | Live Stats | |
| Sunday, Feb. 26 | |||
| 10:30 a.m. | Towson vs. Miami (OH) | Live Stats | |
| 1 p.m. | Marshall vs. North Carolina | Live Stats | Video | |
| 3:30 p.m. | Hampton vs. North Carolina | Live Stats | Video | |
Against the Field
Carolina has had tremendous success against this weekend's opponents, holding a 14-2 all time record against the Carolina Classic field. UNC is most familiar with Marshall, going 7-1 against the Thundering Herd, while the Tar Heels are 3-1 against Miami (Ohio) and 3-0 against Hampton. Coach Papa will face Towson for the first time in her career, as UNC's only meeting with the Tigers came back in 1984, a 15-0 Carolina victory. Miami and Towson will make their first-ever trips to Chapel Hill, having only faced the Tar Heels in neutral territory prior to this weekend.
Tar Heels Win Border Battle With SC
UNC used consistent hitting and composure in the circle to defeat South Carolina, 7-3, on Feb. 22. In the annual “Battle of the Carolinas,” pitchers Brittany Pickett and Sydney Matzko held the Gamecocks without an RBI win 10 opportunities with runners in scoring position, while UNC scored in four different innings to defeat USC. Reigning ACC Player of the Week Katie Bailiff drove in the first three runs of the game with an RBI double and a two-run single, and Katelyn Shifflett belted her first career home run in the fifth—on her 21st birthday—to seal the win for the Tar Heels.
Walk This Way
Third baseman Berlynne Delamora, who ranked fifth all time in UNC history last season in on-base percentage, proved to be the hardest out at the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, reaching base safely in 12 consecutive plate appearances from Feb 18-22. The streak, which featured 10 walks and two singles, was the sixth-longest in NCAA history.
Delamora walked in all seven of her plate appearances on Saturday, Feb. 18, against Purdue and Ohio State, a feat bested by just eight players in NCAA history.
Florida State's Maddie O'Brien holds the NCAA record at 18 consecutive plate appearances reaching base (April 16-20, 2014), which included eight straight walks. She is the only other ACC player ever to reach base in 10 or more consecutive plate appearances.
Katie Bailiff Named ACC Player of the Week
Tar Heel catcher Katie Bailiff was named ACC Player of the Week on Tuesday, after a fantastic week at the plate on Feb. 15-19. The sophomore hit .615 (8-13) with four doubles, two home runs and 10 RBIs, slugging an impressive 1.385 over four starts. The Trinity, N.C., native came through when it mattered, hitting .875 (7-8) with runners in scoring position and .800 (4-5) with two outs, including a walk-off RBI double on Friday against Ohio State.
