University of North Carolina Athletics
Heels, Hoos Open ACC Play With Top-10 Showdown
March 9, 2017 | Baseball
CHAPEL HILL --- No. 10 North Carolina begins its 64th season of Atlantic Coast Conference baseball Friday at 3:30 p.m. when the Tar Heels host No. 7 Virginia for the first of three games at Boshamer Stadium. Carolina is 10-3 on the year after an 8-2 win over VCU on Tuesday. Virginia is off to a 12-1 start that includes a 7-1 victory at George Washington on Tuesday. Due to expected freezing temperatures and possible winter weather on Sunday, the series will conclude with a doubleheader starting Saturday at noon.
| UNC Probable Starters | Virginia Probable Starters | |
| Friday | RHP J.B. Bukauskas (1-0, 0.45 ERA) | LHP Daniel Lynch (3-0, 3.06 ERA) |
| Saturday | RHP Luca Dalatri (2-1, 3.43 ERA) | RHP Evan Sperling (3-0, 2.84 ERA) |
| Saturday | RHP Jason Morgan (2-0, 2.87 ERA) | LHP Adam Haseley (2-0, 2.65 ERA) |
AT A GLANCE
Records: North Carolina 10-3, Virginia 12-1
Rankings: North Carolina is ranked in all of the national polls, with a high of No. 10 in the USA Today coaches' poll. Virginia is ranked as high as No. 7 in the Collegiate Baseball poll.
Video: Friday | Saturday G1 | Saturday G2
On The Web: GoHeels.com • Twitter: @DiamondHeels
NORTH CAROLINA-VIRGINIA SERIES HISTORY
• North Carolina is 180-111-4 all-time against Virginia, including a 31-29 record under head coach Mike Fox.
• Carolina and Virginia have met 295 times in baseball, making the Cavaliers the most common opponent all-time for UNC. The Tar Heels have played four schools more than any others - Virginia, North Carolina State (293), Wake Forest (289) and Duke (288).
• Virginia has had the upper hand in recent seasons, winning 10 of the last 13 meetings over the last four seasons, including a sweep in Chapel Hill in 2015. The Cavaliers won two of three last season in Charlottesville.
• UNC's last series win against UVA came in Charlottesville in 2012. Carolina swept a three-game series that year, snapping a nine-year streak of not being swept at home for the Wahoos. It was the first road sweep by the Tar Heels in the series since 1994.
BUKAUSKAS REACHES STRIKEOUT MILESTONE
• With a first-inning strikeout in his most recent start against Long Beach State, junior J.B. Bukauskas reached 200 strikeouts for his UNC career.
• Bukauskas ranked third nationally in strikeouts per nine innings as a sophomore and entered the season as the top returner in the category. Through three starts in 2017, he has fanned 30 in 20.0 innings (13.50 K/9) with just three walks.
• The Ashburn, Virginia, right-hander tallied 111 strikeouts as a sophomore, the 10th-most strikeouts in a single season in Carolina history. He was just the fourth Tar Heel in the last 20 years to finish with at least 111 Ks in a season, joining Andrew Miller (133 in 2006), Patrick Johnson (125 in 2011) and Alex White (121 in 2009 and 113 in 2008).
• With 208 career Ks, Bukauskas is 61 shy of Ryan Snare for 10th in UNC career history.
