University of North Carolina Athletics
Cody Roberts
Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
GoHeels Exclusive: Roberts Thriving At Leadoff Spot, Olympic Sport Notes
March 27, 2018 | Baseball, Featured Writers
By Pat James, GoHeels.com
Never in Cody Roberts' baseball career had he batted leadoff.
But out of necessity, he's recently assumed that spot in the North Carolina baseball team's batting order. And both he and the Tar Heels are reaping the benefits.
Since moving to the top of the order for the series opener against Pittsburgh on March 16, Roberts is batting .393 (11-for-28) with a home run, six RBIs and 10 runs scored. Much of that damage came in UNC's 2-1 weekend series loss against Florida State, which he finished 6-for-13.
"I was kind of surprised when (coach Mike Fox) put me in there," Roberts said. "I've been having good at-bats. I think he just wanted me up there to see if I could continue to have good at-bats and maybe jump-start the team."
That's certainly been the case.
Roberts was penciled in as the leadoff hitter after the Tar Heels scored just one total run in a pair of midweek games against North Carolina A&T and Gardner-Webb. Those performances dropped the team's scoring average to 5.9 runs through the first 17 games of the season.
But in the seven games since then, UNC has averaged 9.7 runs with Roberts batting leadoff. The team is 5-2 in that span, and Roberts has raised his batting average from .309 to .337.
"He's seeing it like a beach ball," said Michael Busch of Roberts' hitting.
Another beneficiary of Roberts' ascent to the top of the batting order has been Brandon Riley, the team's primary leadoff hitter before the switch. Having excelled at hitting fifth or six in the order for most of his career, Riley has returned to that part of the lineup and batted .333 (9-for-27) with five extra-base hits, as many as he had in the first 17 games of the season.
Although Roberts doesn't walk at the same rate as Riley, Fox said he can still rely on Roberts to run some and bunt.
"We like the fact that he's coming back up there again," said Fox of Roberts. "He's experienced. He's a lot better hitter than he was his first two years here, so that's good to see. We need to continue to get some offense from him."
de Grasse competes at NCAAs
As one of 24 competitors in the women's epee at the NCAA Fencing Championships this weekend, Justine de Grasse placed 22nd nationally in the event, helping the Tar Heels finish 24th in the team standings.
After winning a bronze medal at the ACC Championships and taking 11th at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic/South Regionals, de Grasse reached the field via an at-large bid. She was UNC's lone competitor in the NCAA Championships.
With her appearance, the Tar Heels sent a competitor to the NCAA Championships for the 51st season in a row, the entirety of coach Ron Miller's tenure at the school.
Hislop earns EAGL Champion honors
After struggling through its first two events of the EAGL Championships on Saturday, the gymnastics team rebounded with a season-high-tying score of 49.475 on the floor exercise, led by a strong performance by Khazia Hislop.
Hislop tied her personal best score of 9.950 in the event. Behind the effort, she claimed the title of EAGL Champion on floor exercise. In the ensuing rotation, Madison Nettles joined Hislop as an EAGL Champion, setting a new career-high score of 9.900 to tie two other gymnasts for first on the vault.
The Tar Heels ultimately took sixth in the team competition with a final score of 194.775.
Cloutier sets school record
With his third-quarter goal in the men's lacrosse team's 11-7 loss against No. 2 Maryland on Saturday, Chris Cloutier scored for the 30th straight game, setting a new school record.
Marcus Holman held the previous school record, having gone 29 straight games with a goal during the 2012-13 seasons. Cloutier's current streak began on May 14, 2016, when he scored two goals in a first-round NCAA Tournament game against Marquette.
Cloutier added another goal during Saturday's game, helping UNC cut Maryland's lead to 9-7 with 5:12 left. But the Tar Heels couldn't pull any closer.
Hoeg maintains production
Although the fifth-ranked women's lacrosse team fell 17-11 at second-ranked Boston College on Saturday, Katie Hoeg continued her stellar play, recording two goals and an assist.
As a freshman last season, Hoeg scored seven goals and dished out nine assists in 19 games off the bench. But thrust into an expanded role this season, she's made the most of the opportunity, tallying 19 goals and 12 assists. She ranks third and second on the team in those categories, respectively.
Of players who have attempted more than one shot, Hoeg leads UNC with a 57.6 shooting percentage.
Third varsity eight shines at weekend races
Racing back-to-back days in challenging conditions, the rowing team saw the third varsity eight deliver strong performances.
Facing Temple and Saint Joseph's on Saturday, the third varsity eight won both of its races, posting times of 7:01.9 and 7:07.5, respectively. It then led off the Cooper Sprints on Sunday by placing first in its heat with a time of 7:55.08. Against the same field in the finals, the boat took first with a time of 7:59.90.
Ashley Lim (coxswain), Julianne Peters, Kate Hickert, Katie McMahon, Maddie Omeltchenko, Muskan Chhina, Liz Finnessy, Sarah Velarde, Lily Brown and Lydia Thompson represented the third varsity eight across both days.
Pickett's pitching
Pitching four complete games across four starts last week, Brittany Pickett led the softball team to a doubleheader sweep of USC Upstate on Tuesday and a 2-1 weekend series win at Notre Dame.
In 7-2 and 3-0 victories over USC Upstate, Pickett allowed only two total runs and nine hits across 14 innings. She then pitched 14 total innings in the Tar Heels' wins over Notre Dame, surrendering four runs, three earned, and 11 hits.
Behind her impressive week, Pickett lowered her ERA from 2.37 to 2.18. Her two shutouts pushed her season total to five, tying for the most in the ACC.
Duncan concludes impressive freshman season
After placing second in both the one-meter and three-meter diving competitions at the NCAA Zone B Diving Championships and winning those events at the ACC Championships, Greg Duncan capped his freshman season Friday at the NCAA Men's Division I Men's Swimming and Diving Championships.
By placing ninth in Friday's preliminaries and then 11th in the consolation final with 394.4 points, Duncan earned honorable mention All-America honors in three-meter diving. The performance came after he placed 23rd in one-meter diving on Thursday with 316.70 points.
Michael McBryan was the only other Tar Heel who competed at the championships. He placed 24th in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:55.41.
Boyden remains unbeaten
With Friday's match at No. 26 Notre Dame already decided, Blaine Boyden wrapped up the fifth-ranked men's tennis team's 6-1 win with a 7-6(8-6), 6-4 victory in singles.
The win helped Boyden stay undefeated (13-0) this spring. Last season, he won his first 12 matches of the spring before losing his first.
Of Boyden's 13 wins this spring, seven have come on Court 5, including Friday's.
Aney, Graham continue doubles success
In the women's tennis team's 4-3 loss against Georgia Tech on Saturday and 7-0 win over Virginia Tech on Sunday, Jessie Aney and Alexa Graham continued their doubles dominance.
Ranked as the No. 2 tandem in the country, Aney and Graham won 6-2 against the top-ranked duo of Georgia Tech's Paige Hourigan and Kenya Jones. They then defeated Virginia Tech's Elena Cerezo-Codina and Caroline Daxhelet, 7-0.
Keefer's outdoor long jump debut
After concluding the indoor season on Feb. 23 by capturing the ACC title in the long jump, freshman Anna Keefer picked up where she left off in her first collegiate outdoor long jump competition.
Competing in the women's invitational event at the Weems Baskin Invitational on Friday, Keefer set a lifetime best of 20 feet, 3 inches (6.17 meters). The jump handed her a second-place finish in the event and the top mark in the ACC so far this season.
Keefer went on to set another lifetime best Saturday, running the 200-meter dash in 23.94 seconds to finish sixth out of 149 competitors. She had set her previous best (24.12) at the UCF Black & Gold Challenge on March 17.
Never in Cody Roberts' baseball career had he batted leadoff.
But out of necessity, he's recently assumed that spot in the North Carolina baseball team's batting order. And both he and the Tar Heels are reaping the benefits.
Since moving to the top of the order for the series opener against Pittsburgh on March 16, Roberts is batting .393 (11-for-28) with a home run, six RBIs and 10 runs scored. Much of that damage came in UNC's 2-1 weekend series loss against Florida State, which he finished 6-for-13.
"I was kind of surprised when (coach Mike Fox) put me in there," Roberts said. "I've been having good at-bats. I think he just wanted me up there to see if I could continue to have good at-bats and maybe jump-start the team."
That's certainly been the case.
Roberts was penciled in as the leadoff hitter after the Tar Heels scored just one total run in a pair of midweek games against North Carolina A&T and Gardner-Webb. Those performances dropped the team's scoring average to 5.9 runs through the first 17 games of the season.
But in the seven games since then, UNC has averaged 9.7 runs with Roberts batting leadoff. The team is 5-2 in that span, and Roberts has raised his batting average from .309 to .337.
"He's seeing it like a beach ball," said Michael Busch of Roberts' hitting.
Another beneficiary of Roberts' ascent to the top of the batting order has been Brandon Riley, the team's primary leadoff hitter before the switch. Having excelled at hitting fifth or six in the order for most of his career, Riley has returned to that part of the lineup and batted .333 (9-for-27) with five extra-base hits, as many as he had in the first 17 games of the season.
Although Roberts doesn't walk at the same rate as Riley, Fox said he can still rely on Roberts to run some and bunt.
"We like the fact that he's coming back up there again," said Fox of Roberts. "He's experienced. He's a lot better hitter than he was his first two years here, so that's good to see. We need to continue to get some offense from him."
de Grasse competes at NCAAs
As one of 24 competitors in the women's epee at the NCAA Fencing Championships this weekend, Justine de Grasse placed 22nd nationally in the event, helping the Tar Heels finish 24th in the team standings.
After winning a bronze medal at the ACC Championships and taking 11th at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic/South Regionals, de Grasse reached the field via an at-large bid. She was UNC's lone competitor in the NCAA Championships.
With her appearance, the Tar Heels sent a competitor to the NCAA Championships for the 51st season in a row, the entirety of coach Ron Miller's tenure at the school.
Hislop earns EAGL Champion honors
After struggling through its first two events of the EAGL Championships on Saturday, the gymnastics team rebounded with a season-high-tying score of 49.475 on the floor exercise, led by a strong performance by Khazia Hislop.
Hislop tied her personal best score of 9.950 in the event. Behind the effort, she claimed the title of EAGL Champion on floor exercise. In the ensuing rotation, Madison Nettles joined Hislop as an EAGL Champion, setting a new career-high score of 9.900 to tie two other gymnasts for first on the vault.
The Tar Heels ultimately took sixth in the team competition with a final score of 194.775.
Cloutier sets school record
With his third-quarter goal in the men's lacrosse team's 11-7 loss against No. 2 Maryland on Saturday, Chris Cloutier scored for the 30th straight game, setting a new school record.
Marcus Holman held the previous school record, having gone 29 straight games with a goal during the 2012-13 seasons. Cloutier's current streak began on May 14, 2016, when he scored two goals in a first-round NCAA Tournament game against Marquette.
Cloutier added another goal during Saturday's game, helping UNC cut Maryland's lead to 9-7 with 5:12 left. But the Tar Heels couldn't pull any closer.
Hoeg maintains production
Although the fifth-ranked women's lacrosse team fell 17-11 at second-ranked Boston College on Saturday, Katie Hoeg continued her stellar play, recording two goals and an assist.
As a freshman last season, Hoeg scored seven goals and dished out nine assists in 19 games off the bench. But thrust into an expanded role this season, she's made the most of the opportunity, tallying 19 goals and 12 assists. She ranks third and second on the team in those categories, respectively.
Of players who have attempted more than one shot, Hoeg leads UNC with a 57.6 shooting percentage.
Third varsity eight shines at weekend races
Racing back-to-back days in challenging conditions, the rowing team saw the third varsity eight deliver strong performances.
Facing Temple and Saint Joseph's on Saturday, the third varsity eight won both of its races, posting times of 7:01.9 and 7:07.5, respectively. It then led off the Cooper Sprints on Sunday by placing first in its heat with a time of 7:55.08. Against the same field in the finals, the boat took first with a time of 7:59.90.
Ashley Lim (coxswain), Julianne Peters, Kate Hickert, Katie McMahon, Maddie Omeltchenko, Muskan Chhina, Liz Finnessy, Sarah Velarde, Lily Brown and Lydia Thompson represented the third varsity eight across both days.
Pickett's pitching
Pitching four complete games across four starts last week, Brittany Pickett led the softball team to a doubleheader sweep of USC Upstate on Tuesday and a 2-1 weekend series win at Notre Dame.
In 7-2 and 3-0 victories over USC Upstate, Pickett allowed only two total runs and nine hits across 14 innings. She then pitched 14 total innings in the Tar Heels' wins over Notre Dame, surrendering four runs, three earned, and 11 hits.
Behind her impressive week, Pickett lowered her ERA from 2.37 to 2.18. Her two shutouts pushed her season total to five, tying for the most in the ACC.
Duncan concludes impressive freshman season
After placing second in both the one-meter and three-meter diving competitions at the NCAA Zone B Diving Championships and winning those events at the ACC Championships, Greg Duncan capped his freshman season Friday at the NCAA Men's Division I Men's Swimming and Diving Championships.
By placing ninth in Friday's preliminaries and then 11th in the consolation final with 394.4 points, Duncan earned honorable mention All-America honors in three-meter diving. The performance came after he placed 23rd in one-meter diving on Thursday with 316.70 points.
Michael McBryan was the only other Tar Heel who competed at the championships. He placed 24th in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:55.41.
Boyden remains unbeaten
With Friday's match at No. 26 Notre Dame already decided, Blaine Boyden wrapped up the fifth-ranked men's tennis team's 6-1 win with a 7-6(8-6), 6-4 victory in singles.
The win helped Boyden stay undefeated (13-0) this spring. Last season, he won his first 12 matches of the spring before losing his first.
Of Boyden's 13 wins this spring, seven have come on Court 5, including Friday's.
Aney, Graham continue doubles success
In the women's tennis team's 4-3 loss against Georgia Tech on Saturday and 7-0 win over Virginia Tech on Sunday, Jessie Aney and Alexa Graham continued their doubles dominance.
Ranked as the No. 2 tandem in the country, Aney and Graham won 6-2 against the top-ranked duo of Georgia Tech's Paige Hourigan and Kenya Jones. They then defeated Virginia Tech's Elena Cerezo-Codina and Caroline Daxhelet, 7-0.
Keefer's outdoor long jump debut
After concluding the indoor season on Feb. 23 by capturing the ACC title in the long jump, freshman Anna Keefer picked up where she left off in her first collegiate outdoor long jump competition.
Competing in the women's invitational event at the Weems Baskin Invitational on Friday, Keefer set a lifetime best of 20 feet, 3 inches (6.17 meters). The jump handed her a second-place finish in the event and the top mark in the ACC so far this season.
Keefer went on to set another lifetime best Saturday, running the 200-meter dash in 23.94 seconds to finish sixth out of 149 competitors. She had set her previous best (24.12) at the UCF Black & Gold Challenge on March 17.
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