North Carolina pitcher Andrew Miller is commonly touted as one of the top baseball prospects in the nation. In the team’s season debut Wednesday, he showed why.
In 6 2/3 innings, Miller walked two batters, struck out four, gave up only seven hits and allowed no runs in his team’s 5-0 victory against Appalachian State.
“I was just trying to get the season off to a good start,” Miller said.
The preseason All-American was aided in his efforts by a three-run homer from designated hitter Ross Cook in the first, setting the triumphant pace from the outset for the No. 7 Tar Heels.
With two men on, Cook ripped the first pitch he got from Mountaineer starter Taylor Craig over the 355-foot mark in right-center field. The pitch was exactly what he had expected.
“Early in the game he was throwing a lot of righties fastballs away, so I was looking for a fastball away,” Cook said.
In the bottom of the second, the Tar Heels’ good fortune continued when catcher Justin Webb sent a grounder through ASU third baseman Luis Arce’s legs in a play that would have made Bill Buckner blush. The error added two more runs to UNC’s total, bringing the score to 5-0.
Time and again the Mountaineers tried to get a run across the plate but were stopped short of their goal by UNC (1-0), most notably in the top of the seventh when Tar Heel reliever Bryan Phillips took the mound with runners on first and third.
After loading the bases with a walk, Phillips was able to get the second batter he faced to pop out, ending the last real chance for the Mountaineers (1-3) to get on the board.
