Boys of summer set Omaha in crosshairs
By: From Staff Reports
Issue date: 4/25/08 Section: Sports
With the season winding down, the members of the North Carolina baseball team are facing the same question they thought they answered the past two years: Are they good enough?
To answer, the Tar Heels have the same answer: Try and hit us.
UNC leads the nation in ERA with 2.15. That's better than last year's average of 3.52 and even lower than the ERA of the 2006 squad - which boasted first-round MLB draft picks Andrew Miller (Sixth selection) and Daniel Bard (28th) in the rotation.
UNC's 90 earned runs on the season is 32 better than the next- best ACC team and more than 50 runs higher than the other two ACC powerhouses, Miami and Florida State.
But most impressively, North Carolina throws strikes. Constant strikes, as they lead the ACC in strikeouts by more than 40 Ks.
Combine that with the production of Kyle Seager - who is leading the ACC in RBIs - Tim Fedroff and Dustin Ackley, and the Tar Heels suddenly look very formidable.
North Carolina ranks second in the conference in hits, third in batting average and have at least one player in the top five of almost every major batting statistical category.
As the fastest team in the nation to 35 wins, UNC has racked up some Ws that speak for themselves, including its most recent 11-game winning streak and a 17-0 obliteration of Charlotte on Tuesday.
But still, the true challenges for North Carolina's season remain. Perennial national powerhouses Miami and Florida State are still to come on the schedule, as is Virginia.
Regardless of how much the Tar Heels think they have established themselves, that brutal home stretch will serve as the litmus test for most observers still on the fence about just how good North Carolina really is this season.
"I think people are still questioning how good we are or we aren't," coach Mike Fox said following Wednesday's 10-5 victory against High Point.
"We've kind of been down that road before.
"I don't think confidence is an issue. I think the mystique of us playing the Florida States and the Miamis has been erased the last couple of years."
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
To answer, the Tar Heels have the same answer: Try and hit us.
UNC leads the nation in ERA with 2.15. That's better than last year's average of 3.52 and even lower than the ERA of the 2006 squad - which boasted first-round MLB draft picks Andrew Miller (Sixth selection) and Daniel Bard (28th) in the rotation.
UNC's 90 earned runs on the season is 32 better than the next- best ACC team and more than 50 runs higher than the other two ACC powerhouses, Miami and Florida State.
But most impressively, North Carolina throws strikes. Constant strikes, as they lead the ACC in strikeouts by more than 40 Ks.
Combine that with the production of Kyle Seager - who is leading the ACC in RBIs - Tim Fedroff and Dustin Ackley, and the Tar Heels suddenly look very formidable.
North Carolina ranks second in the conference in hits, third in batting average and have at least one player in the top five of almost every major batting statistical category.
As the fastest team in the nation to 35 wins, UNC has racked up some Ws that speak for themselves, including its most recent 11-game winning streak and a 17-0 obliteration of Charlotte on Tuesday.
But still, the true challenges for North Carolina's season remain. Perennial national powerhouses Miami and Florida State are still to come on the schedule, as is Virginia.
Regardless of how much the Tar Heels think they have established themselves, that brutal home stretch will serve as the litmus test for most observers still on the fence about just how good North Carolina really is this season.
"I think people are still questioning how good we are or we aren't," coach Mike Fox said following Wednesday's 10-5 victory against High Point.
"We've kind of been down that road before.
"I don't think confidence is an issue. I think the mystique of us playing the Florida States and the Miamis has been erased the last couple of years."
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
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