No. 5 North Carolina Hosts Xavier Friday In Home Opener
February 14, 2019 | Baseball
Chapel Hill -- No. 5 North Carolina will open the 2019 season on Friday, Feb. 15, as they host Xavier in a three-game series at Boshamer Stadium. All games can be seen on ACC Network Extra with Friday's game beginning at 3 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and the series will close out at 1 p.m. on Sunday. Friday's home opener marks the start of a 13-game home stand to open the season as the Tar Heels looks to build on the nations longest home winning streak, which they currently hold at 18 games.Â
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XAVIER SERIES HISTORY
• Carolina and Xavier have met just six times prior to this weekend's series, with Carolina owning a 4-2 record in those games.
• The first meeting between the teams was a three-game series to open the 2012 season in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels took the first game (10-2) and Xavier took the second (10-4) before Carolina took the rubber match, 16-10, to win the series.
• The teams last met in 2014 for a three-game series in Chapel Hill. After dropping the first game, the Tar Heels won the next two to take the series. It was a low scoring series, with scores of 1-2, 2-1, and 3-2.
PRESEASON RANKINGS
The Tar Heels will enter the season as one of the nation's top teams. The Tar Heels are ranked No. 5 by Baseball America, No. 6 by Perfect Game, No. 6 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, No. 7 by D1 Baseball and No. 8 by Collegiate Baseball. The No. 5 ranking by Baseball America is the Tar Heels' highest mark since being preseason No. 1 in 2013. That mark is also the highest ranking following a trip to Omaha since the Tar Heels debuted at No. 3 in the 2012 polls after their 2011 trip to the College World Series.Â
DOMINANCE AT THE BOSH
The Tar Heels head into the 2019 season holding the nation's longest home winning streak at 18 games. Their last loss at Boshamer Stadium came on March 25 vs Florida State. The Heels did not lose again at home before heading to Omaha, sweeping both the regional and Super Regional. Over the course of those 18 games, the Tar Heels outscored their opponents by a score of 148-60. The 18-game home winning streak is the longest since Carolina won 19 in a row in 2011. The longest home winning streak in program history got to 23 games, including the last home game of 2004 and 22 consecutive home wins to begin the 2005 campaign.
SEASON OPENERS UNDER MIKE FOX
The Tar Heels dropped just their second season opener during Head Coach Mike Fox's tenure at North Carolina, losing 4-3 in last year's opener at USF. Carolina then went on to win the next two games and take the series. The Heels are now 18-2 in openers in the 20 years Fox has been at the helm. The only other season-opening loss came to College of Charleston in 2014.
LOST PRODUCTION
The Tar Heels will look to replace sizeable contributions on the mound and at the plate, as the departures of upperclassmen and early draft entrants have left a void to be filled. Forty-seven percent of runs scored, 47 percent of hits, 44 percent of home runs and 44 percent of RBIs will not return in 2019. The same rings true on the mound, where 45 percent of wins and 50 percent of strikeouts from last season are gone. Fortunately, last year's home run and RBI leader, Michael Busch, returns on offense, while wins leaders Austin Bergner and Caden O'Brien return on the mound.Â
PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS
North Carolina will begin the 2019 campaign loaded with talent. Michael Busch leads the way, being named a D1 Baseball and Baseball America first-team all-America. Gianluca Dalatri joins him as a D1 Baseball all-America, being named to the third team. Caden O'Brien, who was named to the D1 Baseball Freshman all-America second team last season, was selected to the Collegiate Baseball preseason all-America third team.
STOPPER OF THE YEAR
Sophomore preseason All-American Caden O'Brien was named to the NCBWA Preseason Stopper of the Year Award Watch List which goes to the best relief pitcher in college baseball. O'Brien is looking to come off a fantastic freshman season where he went 7-0 and was named a Freshman All-American.Â
ADDITIONS TO THE BOSH
Boshamer Stadium will look a little bit different in 2019. Most notably, the right field wall has gone from full padding to a see-through fence, allowing fans and those passing by to get a new view of the game from beyond the stadium confines. Along the façade of the press box on the first base side, there is a new LED video board, while the retired numbers have been shifted from the first base to third base side.Â
FOX SEARCHING FOR MILESTONE
Tar Heel head coach Mike Fox will look to get his 900th win at Carolina this season. Currently at 890, he is already the winningest coach in program history, and could reach the 900-win mark as early as March 1 at home against UMass Lowell. Fox is currently the second-winningest active coach by both total wins and percentage, trailing only Florida State's Mike Martin.Â
