University of North Carolina Athletics
Road Trip Continues To Blacksburg For ACC Series
March 16, 2017 | Softball
| Virginia Tech (10-11, 2-4 ACC) |
| Game 1: March 17 | 3 PM | Watch | Stats |
| Game 2: March 18 | 1 PM | Watch | Stats |
| Game 3: March 19 | 1 PM | Stats |
| Where: Tech Softball Park |
| Series: UNC leads, 25-14; Streak: Won 4 |
BLACKSBURG, VA. - North Carolina (22-5, 3-0 ACC) continues its 11-game road trip with a trip to Blacksburg, Virginia, for its first away series of Atlantic Coast Conference play. The Heels swept No. 21 Pittsburgh to open the season, sitting in a tie for first place at 3-0 in the conference standings. UNC enters the weekend riding a six-game winning streak, having won 22 of the last 24 games.
History with the Hokies
North Carolina is 25-14 all time against the Hokies, including 12-5 in Blacksburg. Virginia Tech was the only ACC team that UNC did not face in 2016. The Heels went 3-0 against the Hokies in 2015, sweeping a home doubleheader on March 2 during the regular season then knocking VT out of the ACC Tournament in Blacksburg on May 7.
UNC is 21-10 against VT in ACC play. The Heels have met the Hokies in the ACC Tournament four times and are just 1-3 against VT in the postseason. The Hokies won the first three meetings in the conference tournament, but Carolina won the most recent meeting, 3-2, in the 2015 ACC Tournament on VT's home field. The pair faced four times before Virginia Tech joined the ACC with their first meeting and 18-1 UNC victory back in 1996.
Tar Heels Off To Best Start In History
North Carolina captured its 20th victory of the season on March 11, doing so it just the 25th game of the year to match the fastest UNC has ever reached the 20-win plateau. The Tar Heels opened the season 20-5 in six previous seasons, most recently doing so in 2015.
Currently sitting at 22-5 on the year, the 2017 Tar Heels are one of just three Carolina teams to win 22 of their first 27 games, having also started 22-5 in 1987 and 1991. The most wins UNC has ever earned before its sixth loss came in 1987, Papa's second season, when the Heels began the year 23-5.
Heels Earn Four ACC Weekly Honors
Tar Heel catcher Katie Bailiff was named ACC Player of the Week on Feb. 21, 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.
Senior pitcher/designated player Kendra Lynch earned the honor the following week on Feb. 28, after hitting .588 with a 1.118 slugging percentage over a 5-0 week at home. Lynch totaled 10 hits, three doubles, two home runs, five runs scored and 11 RBIs over five starts, while going 2-0 with a 1.43 ERA over 14.2 innings in the circle. In her best performance of the week, Lynch went 3-for-3 with three RBIs and scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth while throwing 7.2 shutout innings against Towson in an extra-innings victory.
Lynch won her second Player of the Week award on March 14, when Brittany Pickett became the first of the year to earn ACC Pitcher of the Week. Lynch slugged 1.182 over seven games, with seven of her nine hits going for extra bases including five home runs. Pickett went 2-0 with two saves on the week, recording a perfect 0.00 ERA with 12 strikeouts and just two walks over 16.0 innings pitched.
NCAA Leaders
Carolina is among the best in the nation statistically, ranking in the top 20 as a team in five per-game stat categories. UNC ranks 10th in the nation in doubles per game (1.81), 15th in slugging percentage (.523), 18th in home runs per game (1.15), 12th in stolen bases per game (2.31) and 12th in double plays turned (0.62/g). Additionally, the Heels are in the top 10 in four of those stat totals, recording the most doubles in the nation (49) and second-most double plays (16).
Individually, Kendra Lynch ranks in the top 10 in the nation in four offensive categories. She leads the NCAA in total bases (79), ranks third in home runs (11), fifth in RBIs (34) and eighth in doubles (10). She also ranks in the top 50 in six additional categories. Additionally, with 42 career home runs, she ranks 10th among active NCAA players and third all time in UNC history.
Berlynne Delamora's patience at the plate has paid off, ranking second in the nation with 29 walks, while Brittany Pickett is second in the NCAA with five saves this season—a UNC record.
Back in the Rankings
UNC received votes in both the NFCA and ESPN.com preseason polls, but a rough opening weekend dropped the Tar Heels out of the limelight. However, a double-digit winning streak in late February-early March sent UNC back into the national conversation, as the Tar Heels returned to the polls on March 7, receiving votes in both major polls to come in at 28th.
A perfect weekend at the Holy City Showdown helped the Heels further state their case, as UNC entered the top 25 for the first time in the new DISoftballNews poll on March 13 at No. 24. UNC remains just outside the top 25 in the main two polls, including coming a vote shy of the top 25 in ESPN.com's rankings.
Saving The Day
North Carolina's pitching staff has had each other's backs all season, teaming up in nearly every game. A pitcher threw a complete game in just five of the first 27 competitions of the season, with Kendra Lynch and Brittany Pickett the only individuals so far to go the distance.
UNC has recorded four shutout victories this season; Brittany Pickett has pitched in all four of them. The rookie recorded Carolina's only complete-game shutout on Feb. 18, a 5-0 decision over Purdue. Pickett started UNC's next two shutouts, going six innings at ECU before Hannah Nommensen came in for the seventh and the first five innings against Chattanooga followed by perfect sixth and seventh innings by Nommensen and Kellyn Daly. Sydney Matzko went the first four innings at Campbell, before Pickett came in to secure the final three.
The continued use of relief has helped keep the staff fresh through the grind of the NCAA softball season. Additionally, it has allowed for an increase in save situations. Brittany Pickett has started just six games (three of which turned into shutouts), while making 14 relief appearances. Eight of Nommensen's 11 appearances came off the bench, while Sydney Matzko only started four of her eight opportunities and Daly has made a single start in four outings. Lynch is the sole Carolina pitcher not to have a relief appearance.
Pickett's speed has helped her be extremely effective in relief, as the Tar Heel rookie broke UNC's record on March 14 with her fifth save of the season and ranks second in the NCAA.Matzko has come in for two saves and Nommensen picked up the save against UMass Lowell on Feb. 11.
UNC now has eight saves as a team, which ties the program record set in 2005. Three different Tar Heels have posted at least one save for the fourth time in program history, a feat matched in 2006, 2005 and 2000.
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 streak bested by just eight players in NCAA history.
She then walked in six consecutive trips to the plate from March 8-10, which ties the 14th-longest streak in softball history.
Through the first 27 games of the season, Delamora has a total of 29 walks, which leads the ACC and ranks second in the nation. Her mark of 1.07 walks per game ranks sixth in the NCAA and is well above the UNC record of 0.79 set by teammate Taylor Wike in 2015. The third baseman is well on pace to break UNC's single-season total walks record, set last season by Kristen Brown at 43.
Delamora has reached base in 25 of 27 games this season, including an active streak of 20 straight.
