No. 25 Carolina Faces No. 11 Michigan, Wisconsin in Big Ten/ACC Challenge

Friday, February 14

Chapel Hill, N.C.

1:30 PM

North Carolina

Michigan

Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati

No. 25 Carolina Faces No. 11 Michigan, Wisconsin in Big Ten/ACC Challenge

February 13, 2020 | Softball

Tournament Central Weekend Notes Live Stats

CHAPEL HILL – Winners of their past four games, the Tar Heels will serve as host of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge Friday through Sunday at Anderson Stadium for the fifth consecutive season. Carolina welcomes back Louisville and Michigan for the second year in a row and Wisconsin for the second time in three seasons.

Fans unable to make it to Anderson Stadium, can follow live stats at unclivestats.com throughout the entire tournament. Friday vs. Michigan and Sunday vs. Wisconsin will be broadcast on the ACC Network Extra.

About No. 11 Michigan (5-0)
Nationally-ranked Michigan is coming off a 5-0 weekend at the USF-Rawlings Invitational, highlighted by an 11-2 win over No. 7 Florida. The Wolverines won two extra-inning games two wrap up the weekend, including a 1-0 shutout in nine innings vs. Fresno State.
Series (streak): Michigan leads, 9-3 (lost two)
Last meeting: North Carolina won, 4-2 on Feb. 17, 2019 in Chapel Hill, N.C.

About RV Wisconsin (4-1)
Despite dropping the 2020 season opener to Indiana State, Wisconsin bounced back with four wins, highlighted by two shutouts against Bethune-Cookman. Kayla Konwent leads the Badgers with a .615 average, highlighted by a home run and two doubles.
Series (streak): Wisconsin leads, 3-2 (won one)
Last meeting: Wisconsin won, 6-0 on Feb. 18, 2018 in Chapel Hill, N.C.

Recently for No. 25 North Carolina (4-2)
Sparked by a three-run home run by Kristina Burkhardt, No. 25 North Carolina defeated Campbell, 11-1 in five innings on Wednesday evening to open the 2020 home slate. Although Campbell scored first on an RBI-double in the second, the Tar Heels scored 11 unanswered runs for the win. Carolina scattered 12 hits among eight Tar Heels, highlighted by Megan Dray, Lexi Godwin and Burkhardt each with multi-hit games. Freshmen Destiny Middleton and Bri Stubbs each drove in two runners while Burkhardt led UNC with three. Hannah George earned her third win of the season, tossing 2.2 innings of relief.
» Freshman Gaby Katz made her Carolina debut as a pinch runner in the second inning.
» Kristina Burkhardt slugged UNC's second home run of the season.
» The run-rule victory is Carolina's third of the season. It is also the second walk-off win of 2020.

Tar Heels in the Top-25
For the first time since 2013, North Carolina is ranked in the NFCA top-25 poll. Carolina appeared in the poll four times in the 2013 season, most-recently No. 25 on April 9, 2013. Following a 3-2 weekend, the Tar Heels are ranked 25th by the NFCA, USA Softball and Softball America, and ranked 22nd by D1 Softball.

Historic weekend in Tallahassee
Wrapping up opening weekend with a 3-2 record, Carolina earned its 1,500th program win with the 11-3 victory over Detroit Mercy on Sunday. The Tar Heels dropped the first two games of the weekend to No. 2 Alabama and No. 9 Florida State, but managed to bounce back and win the final three games.
» Carolina's five doubles vs. Detroit Mercy on Saturday is more than the Tar Heels had in a single game in the past four seasons.
» Freshman Alyssa Stanley threw the Tar Heels' first complete game shutout of the season with UNC's 8-0 win vs. Detroit Mercy on Saturday. She tossed three strikeouts, giving up only two hits.
» Freshman Destiny Middleton stole four bases, including home, in the weekend finale – one shy of the single-game program record (5).
» Junior Zoë Goodman pinch-hit a double for the second time in as many games with for a two-run walkoff vs. Alabama and two-run double vs. Detroit Mercy on Sunday.
» Sophomore Hannah George went 2-1 in the circle, tossing 11 strikeouts in 10.2 innings. Offensively, Junior Megan Dray hit .500 with two doubles and drove in a team-best six runs.

Up Next
Carolina continues its homestand with NC Central Tuesday and JMU Wednesday at Anderson Stadium.

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