3rd starter critical to success

After the 2001 World Series, Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling became household names to every baseball fan across the country.

But not many people know who Brian Anderson — game three starter of that dramatic series — is.

Comparing that championship Diamondback squad with the current North Carolina baseball team might not be that big of a stretch.

While the Diamondbacks showed that it is possible to win with two marquee starters and a bunch of second-tier pitchers, this Tar Heel team also doesn’t think it is just the two at the top.

While the Johnson-like hard-throwing UNC lefty Andrew Miller leads the staff and the team with his 6-0 record and a 0.60 ERA, he is followed in the rotation by Schilling-esque Daniel Bard — 4-2 with a 1.73 ERA.

“Bard and Miller have had unbelievable careers here so far,” said UNC pitcher Robert Woodard. “Everything they get is very much deserved.”

The key for the Tar Heels will be finding the third and fourth starters to follow the big two.

So far, Woodard and Adam Kalkhof are picking up right where Bard and Miller have left off, each pitching well this season to give the Tar Heels one of the best starting staffs in the country.

“The thing is, right now we’ve got two or three guys that can go (as the third starter), too,” Bard said. “Sometimes we’ve got Adam Kalkhof, sometimes it’s Woodard. We’ve even got a couple of freshmen who can go on Sundays — just the fact that we have so many options with our pitching staff.”

Woodard, who pitched six strong innings against Wake Forest on Saturday, offers the Tar Heels a right-hander, while Kalkhof gives UNC a southpaw option.

Despite usually competing for the third weekend start, Woodard said the competition isn’t hurting his or Kalkhof’s performance. This year, Woodard is 1-0 with a 2.76 ERA in 29.1 innings pitched, while Kalkhof is 2-1 with a 3.22 ERA in five starts.

“One of the things that makes our pitching staff as strong as it is is the competition top to bottom,” Woodard said. “The amount of competition we have is friendly and makes us both better pitchers.”

While Bard and Miller receive almost all of the hype, perhaps the ability to fly under the radar is helping the rest of the Tar Heel starters.

“Hopefully, it is a positive,” said UNC coach Mike Fox. “You can kind of lurk back there and be our number three and four guy, and nobody will really talk about you much.”

While Johnson and Schilling carried Arizona in the playoffs, they wouldn’t have been there without solid performances from their teammates in the regular season.

And though UNC’s supporting cast might not get all the attention, Woodard and Kalkhof are still vital to the team’s success.

“You can get all the hype in the world, or you can get no hype,” Woodard said. “Either way, it’s still 60 feet, six inches to home plate. Nothing changes when you get between the lines. You have to get it done either way.”

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.