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(09/20/08 4:00am)
SATURDAY" SEPT. 20" 7:27 p.m. -- Virginia Tech outlasted North Carolina 20-17 Saturday at Kenan Stadium.UNC opened the scoring with a 27-yard field goal with 12:31 remaining in the first quarter. Va. Tech answered after UNC's Shaun Draughn fumbled at the UNC 8-yard line with a 19-yard field goal of their own.With 1:02 remaining in the half"" T.J. Yates hooked up with Brandon Tate for a 30-yard catch and then a 32-yard touchdown reception to put UNC up 10-7 at the half.On UNC's first drive of the second half" T.J. Yates sprained his ankle after being sacked for a 18-yard loss. Yates was not on the field for the Next UNC possession and redshirt freshman Mike Paulus came in to QB. On his first play Paulus handed the ball off to Greg Little" who went 50 yards for the touchdown to put UNC up 17-3.Va. Tech came back in the third quarter" with back-to-back scores on the ground. Daniel Evans rushed up the middle for an 8-yard touchdown and then with 13:46 remaining in the fourth quarter" Kevin Lewis rushed for an 11-yard touchdown scamper to tie the game.Va. Tech stopped UNC's next drive with an interception at the two yard-line"" forcing UNC's third turnover of the game and proceeded to march down the field into UNC territory with backup quarterback Sean Glennon at the helm after Tyrod Taylor also went down with injury. The Hokies punted and pinned UNC at their own 10-yard line with 3:20 to play and in need of a score.It was not to be as UNC backed up to their own 1-yard line and Paulus threw his second interception of the game and Va. Tech cruised to the win.
(09/17/08 4:00am)
By now it's old news. The video of North Carolina cornerback Kendric Burney unloading a world of pain on Rutgers wide receiver Tiquan Underwood has been played again and again.Burney's hit is even more special given his size (5 feet 8 inches tall 185 pounds) and the fact that he plays cornerback a position not known for heavy hitting.But if you ask Butch Davis" more and more cornerbacks are being put on the spot to make tackles as spread and option offenses make a comeback in collegiate football.""Your secondary" you can't fall into the trap and think that the secondary is only there to defend the pass Davis said.With all the teams that run options they've got to be part of the support group. They've gotta be willing tacklers in college probably way more than they do in the NFL" because the ball gets spilled out.""UNC's secondary will have a gold standard to look up to in Virginia Tech" considered defensively to be the class of the ACC's Coastal division.So far in the season the Hokies are giving up a stingy 177.7 yards through the air. Compare that to UNC's 241.0 yards per game.UNC's offense also has some direct experience with the Hokies' secondary. In 2007 Tech held UNC to 182 receiving yards and no passing touchdowns. More importantly the Hokies did not give up a pass more than 20 yards" taking away North Carolina's trademark big plays.""One thing that won't change about them is their aggressiveness" and how they fly and swarm around the ball and make plays wide receiver Hakeem Nicks said.They always have some standout guys on defense and there's just some standout guys in the ACC in general" and so we just gotta suit up and go out there and play.""Terrence Brown named to watch list for top punterUNC's punter Terrence Brown has been drawing praise from teammates and coaches since before the season even began. Apparently" somebody listened. Brown was named Tuesday to the watch list for the Ray Guy Award given to the best punter in college football.The senior from Fresno Calif. is averaging 41 yards per punt in 2008 with four of his nine attempts downed inside the 20-yard line.Last season Brown averaged 41.4 yards per punt with more than a third of his punts downed inside the 20-yard line. Davis noted improvements in Brown's play as well as that of his team" even during the preseason.""The punting was decidedly better than it was a year ago" he said Aug. 25.Not only did Terrence do a great job punting the ball" but the snap operations were all at 2.1 or less.""Those trends are obviously paying off for Brown.Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(09/16/08 4:00am)
Charcoal grill. Nothing smells more like football than the heat and smoke of a charcoal grill firing up some bratwursts burgers or even steak.Some folks like to do it bigger with a full-out barbecue but a grill is essential regardless.The best part is that even if you don't bring any meat people will throw their own hot dogs or burgers on there. And the owner always gets to eat what's cooked on his grill. Dip. Look everybody brings chips. That's day one stuff for tailgating. But what people don't always bring is a good dip.It could be salsa. It could be crab. It could even be artichoke if it's manly enough.But most importantly a good dip will make everything seem a little tastier. If you doubt me then bring a big tub of salsa to the next tailgate and see how much faster your chips get eaten. Truck. Find one of your buddies that has a truck or at least an SUV. Yeah they're gas-guzzlers but you're just going to be sitting there anyway.It's football and my experience is that no one likes to tailgate off the back of a Taurus.More importantly you need a big bed or trunk to bring all of the eating equipment body paint and a tiny TV to watch the pregame show. Team jersey. Even if you aren't all that into the team you're watching you'll blend into the crowd if either you or one of your tailgating crew has a team jersey on.One jersey immediately makes the rest of the group seem cooler. Experts differ as to why this is.But bonus points if your group's jersey-wearer also happens to be a cute girl. Jams. Gotta have some get-pumped-up music.The Daily Tar Heel recommends the Space Jam soundtrack because there's no better collection of stimulating beats.- Powell Latimer
(09/15/08 4:00am)
A two-headed monster leads the North Carolina's women's golf team.One half comes in the form of senior Sydney Crane a four-year starter and 2008 All-ACC selection. She's a steady veteran who has seen everything a golf course has to offer.The other is first-year phenom Allie White fresh off an impressive 18th-place finish in the U.S. Women's Amateur bowing out in match play.The battle-tested Crane and the talented underclassman White currently are turning their efforts to the opener of UNC's fall season.The Tar Heels this weekend started off in the Cougar Classic in Hanahan S.C. a benefit tournament to support breast cancer research and the Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Already the pair has carved out spaces on the leaderboard and Crane and White both sit at two-under-par for the tournament" in a tie for sixth place and just five shots back from the leader. UNC finished the second day of competition in sixth place on the strength of Crane's one-under-par 71 and White's two-under-par 70.""She hit the ball extremely well" UNC coach Sally Austin said of Crane.Nothing flashy … if she makes a few more putts she'll be good. She's got a really good head" she stays calm. She's playing good golf with a good head on her shoulders.""That sentiment is apparently one that Crane and White share. Given White's youth"" that's unusual.""Allie hits a lot of quality golf shots"" Austin said. She's a competitor. She never gets rattled.""That steadiness is doubly necessary in golf" where the game can seesaw between good" bad and awful all in the span of 18 holes.""If you don't keep your patience you never know when the game is going to turn around for you" Austin said.You could be having a bad round" and then all of a sudden your drive is in the fairway and you're right back in it.""Crane's success also could be related to past experiences at the course at Yeaman's Hall Club in Hanahan. ""I played well" really steady Crane said. I love this course" it's my favorite. It's in great shape. I just like the holes. They're all different.""The tournament's final round is today" and the Tar Heels are eight shots behind second place — and conference rival Virginia.Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(09/15/08 4:00am)
Renovations to Carmichael Auditorium will give North Carolina women's basketball team a top-of-the-line new home.The construction estimated to cost $25 million" is the first major renovation since the building opened in the mid-'60s as the home of the men's basketball team.""I don't know of a more historic building on campus" where the traditions of the University had been established that needed more tender loving care than Carmichael" women's basketball head coach Sylvia Hatchell said. We had the worst arena in the ACC. I mean everybody else had a better playing facility than women's basketball.""The renovations include adding a concourse entryway" new sound systems and a video board.The arena's seating capacity will also decrease from around 10000 to 8"000 as the bleachers are removed and replaced with individual seating.Athletics Director Dick Baddour said the facility will benefit more than just the women's basketball program.""One of the things we want is to create a situation where the campus community can use it as well" Baddour said.For gymnastics for wrestling" all of those sports will benefit. We want it to be a good place for the campus community.""To that end" one of the lesser-known facets of the renovation is that the construction will also bring air conditioning to both Woolen Gym and Carmichael.In addition to being a more inviting atmosphere for fans" Hatchell said the new facility will also help bring recruits to Chapel Hill.""Facilities are No. 1 in recruiting"" she said. It's amazing that we've done as well as we have with our facility situation in Carmichael.""You consider we're trying to compete with Tennessee and Connecticut. … All these people" and they compete in these multi-million-dollar arenas and to an 18-year-old" that's important.""I hadn't taken a recruit in my office in five or six years. It was so bad.""The new design includes approximately 9"000 square feet of office space reception area and support space" as well as an 800-square-foot museum area similar to the men's museum near the Smith Center.""When we go back over there"" it will be a state-of-the-art women's basketball arena.""The Tar Heels will get a taste of the new amenities coming to Carmichael during the 2008-09 season"" as they will play home games in the Smith Center while their once and future home is under construction.""It's an honor to play in a place like the Smith Center" Hatchell said. We've played over here in years past" some years we've played four or five games over here. We're excited to play here.""And the Tar Heels will get their start early in November" with exhibition games Nov. 4 and 7. The season opener is Nov. 14 against Western Carolina. North Carolina's slate includes a visit from Connecticut on Jan. 19 for a clash between two of the nations' most successful programs.UNC also has a matchup against South Dakota on March 15 in between the ACC Tournament in Greensboro and the NCAA tournament.The unusual wrinkle is by design" as Hatchell felt that the two-week layoff between the tournaments caused past teams to play flat in the big dance.""That's a new strategy that we've used" because the men play the ACC championship on Sunday and then they play again Thursday or Saturday" she said. But we play on Sunday and we don't play again for two weeks.""We won the last four ACC championships; we're primed for the ACC. During the ACC tournament we're playing as good as anyone in the country. We're peaked.""But you're all revved up and ready to go and then you sit for two weeks. It's just hard to get that edge back.""Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(09/03/08 4:00am)
With just 4:07 left in the third quarter and North Carolina in a dogfight with McNeese State on Saturday night a new jersey trotted out onto the field with the offense.It wasn't the No. 8 of starting tailback Greg Little and it wasn't the hulking No. 32 of backup Ryan Houston.Instead it was No. 20 Shaun Draughn a former safety who coach Butch Davis moved to running back before the start of the 2008 season.Draughn wasted no time making his mark on the game. On his fifth carry with 9:02 remaining in the fourth quarter he cut back and found a seam in McNeese State's defense for a 13-yard scamper to hit paydirt.Just like that 28-20" UNC. ""That's what we needed" that spark Little said.And that's when we made that adjustment" when Shaun went into the game and we were able to cut back and get behind their fast flow.""I felt like for Shaun to just get that game experience and that touch at running back"" that's huge for his confidence.""Due in no small part to Draughn's contributions to the running game" UNC scored again and cruised to a 35-27 victory.Though Little spent most of his time with a pack of Cowboy defenders on his back Draughn managed to find holes in the defense and flit through. The evidence is in the box score. It took Little 14 carries to get 37 yards. Draughn rushed seven times for 30 yards an average of 4.3 yards per carry.The secret was that Draughn's cut-back running style proved to be exactly what UNC needed to get the speedy McNeese State defense off-balance. While the bigger Little pounded away running right at the smaller swarming McNeese defenders" Draughn provided the shiftiness to take advantage of the defenders overplaying the running lanes.""That d-line" I mean they did awesome" Draughn said. We have to give praise where praise is due.""The redshirt sophomore also managed to avoid any stage fright in his first ever game at running back.""When I got in I felt like the game speed wasn't as fast as I thought it was going to be"" Draughn said.I thought people were going to be zooming around like a big blur."" Despite Draughn's fourth quarter success"" Davis was still less than pleased with the Tar Heel running game overall.""We've got to do a better job at the point of attack"" Davis said.We can't have the penetration that we had and not let (our running backs) get to the line of scrimmage.""Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu
(08/29/08 4:00am)
The scars have healed.
The marks of the beatings the North Carolina sophomore class took in the 4-8 2007 campaign have faded away, and now they're ready for another shot.
Marvin Austin, Greg Little and Deunta Williams emerge from the tunnel at Kenan Stadium grinning, joking with teammates.
Three days before UNC's season opener, their confidence - and that of their classmates - is apparent and infectious.
It's obvious they're ready to start hitting back.
Maybe it's most clear when Austin says he's going to get "stupid reckless" this year.
(08/25/08 4:00am)
Butch Davis made it apparent from day one of his North Carolina tenure that he is not afraid to rock the boat - or the depth chart.
Davis' first season at the helm of UNC's football program was full of position shuffles, and nowhere was more affected than the secondary.
First redshirt sophomore Deunta Williams switched from wide receiver to safety before the season. Then starting tailbacks Richie Rich and Johnny White crossed the line of scrimmage to play cornerback.
"If you followed our program last year, you know there wasn't a week that went by where we weren't taking a player who played this position and moving them to either another position or the other side of the ball," Davis said.
The moves were designed to get as much speed as possible on defense, and rightly so - White is one of the fastest players on the team, sporting a time of 4.34 in the 40-yard dash.
And so White and Rich both are in the mix to line up at cornerback for UNC's first game.
"I knew it was going to be a tough transaction, but I feel like I've done pretty good so far," White said. "I still have a long way to go, though."
White, despite finishing last season as UNC's leading rusher with 399 yards, spent the summer honing his skills and getting adapted to reading plays from the other side of the ball.
One advantage of that experience is that White spent his summer trying to cover UNC's talented wide receiver trio of Brooks Foster, Brandon Tate and Hakeem Nicks - an endeavour that hurt at the time but that White thinks will only help him this season.
"They all take their turn, it's like you have to pick the poison with those guys," he said. "Going against them, I think that helped me so much more, because playing against the best is going to get you prepared for the season."
Questions at kicker
It's one of the biggest overlooked holes in UNC's roster for 2008: the kicker.
Four-year starter Connor Barth has graduated, and in his place is redshirt freshman Jay Wooten - or Barth's younger brother, Casey.
Davis said the team will miss the elder Barth's surefire foot.
"When you know you've got a kicker that, reasonably inside 50 yards there's almost a 99 percent certainty he's going to make it, I mean, you take some chances, field position-wise," he said.
"And that's a real concern this year. We have no one that's ever kicked in a game before."
That inexperience could prove a crucial weakness in what figures otherwise to be a high-octane offense for UNC.
Though the kicking position is undecided, the punter's spot is locked up. North Carolina coaches think they have found a solid punter in Terrence Brown, despite his somewhat pedestrian average of 41.4 yards per punt last year.
"If we just let him kick the ball, I think he'd be in the top 10 in the nation, because he can absolutely murder the football," Davis said.
"We asked him last year to do an awful lot of directional kicking, and kick it away from a returner, put it on the sidelines.
"He sacrificed six, seven, eight, 10 yards sometimes per kick, just to try and compensate for the fact."
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(08/19/08 4:00am)
North Carolina's football team finds itself in the heart of the ACC title race just a year after going 4-8.
UNC is in the middle of a wide-open Coastal Division, as evidenced by the ACC preseason media poll, which predicted UNC to finish second in the division behind heavy favorite Virginia Tech. Even Sports Illustrated went so far as to predict eight wins for UNC in the coming year.
Those predictions are counting on the influence of Butch Davis and his coaching staff to outweigh the loss of half of the defensive line and the leader of the linebacking core. Defensive tackle Kentwan Balmer and sack leader Hilee Taylor are both gone to graduation, as is middle linebacker Durell Mapp.
Nonetheless, the Tar Heels do return a platoon of defensive linemen, some of whom showed promise last season.
"When the season was over, Aleric Mullins was definitely the leader who got everybody together and said that he was done playing games with this football stuff," redshirt sophomore safety Deunta Williams said.
"He was going to start taking it serious. I think that attitude really reflected on the whole team. Our first team meeting after the season was amazing."
Mullins is joined by E.J. Wilson, UNC's best returning sack artist. Wilson dropped the quarterback five times in 2007. His 9.5 tackles for loss also is the best among returning players.
Whoever fills that void on the edge will have the benefit of working with UNC's defensive behemoth, sophomore defensive tackle Marvin Austin. A highly touted recruit last year, Austin has the size to clog running lanes and the speed to reach the quarterback.
UNC's linebacking corps is bolstered by the return of Chase Rice, who was sidelined for the entire year after an ankle injury in UNC's first game in 2007.
On the offensive side of the ball, quarterback T.J. Yates, who opened last season with nine touchdowns in his first three games, returns to the starting position after offseason shoulder surgery to repair the painful injury that left him struggling at the end of last season.
Yates, if healthy, will be surrounded by one of the most dynamic offenses in the conference. Star wideout Hakeem Nicks returns following a stellar sophomore season where he reeled in 74 catches for 958 yards and five touchdowns.
Explosive playmaker Brandon Tate led the ACC in total yards per game with 147.1, including a league-leading 939 kickoff return yards.
One of the recurring trends from Davis' first year at the helm of UNC was moving players. Two starting tailbacks moved to the secondary in an effort to get more speed on the defensive side of the ball. Before the season, Williams switched from wide receiver to strong safety and earned freshman All-America honors in the process.
But the move that should have the most carryover effect in 2008 is that of Greg Little. Originally a wide receiver, Little now is the starting tailback.
"That's probably one of the biggest mistakes I made, coaching-wise last year," Davis said, "is not recognizing our best running back until the 10th week of the season."
Little comes into the season as UNC's starter at tailback after both Johnny White and Richie Rich moved to the secondary.
"You can hit Greg, and he's going to fall forward. It doesn't matter," Williams said. "Greg has a knack for missing the big hit. People try and get big hits on him, but he squeezes by just enough so he won't take the full punch.
"If we had known that he could run like that at the beginning of the year, we'd have put him (at halfback)."
With a year's worth of Little and power backs Anthony Elzy and Ryan Houston for extra muscle around the goal line, North Carolina hopes that it can stabilize its shaky run game, which averaged three yards per carry in 2007 and less than 100 yards per game.
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(08/18/08 4:00am)
Before the dust had settled on North Carolina's third straight run to the College World Series, several Tar Heel juniors were already entering into negotiations with MLB teams.
The most biting of those contact signings came down the pipe in early August, as right fielder Tim Fedroff inked a deal with the Cleveland Indians, who drafted him in the seventh round of the MLB Draft.
Fedroff was a key contributor to UNC's postseason run, batting 12-for-22 in NCAA Tournament games. Fedroff's 115 hits were tied for third among Division-I hitters.
Fedroff is the second nonsenior to sign with a pro team, as catcher Tim Federowicz signed with the Boston Red Sox in July.
While Federowicz's signing came quickly, Fedroff took a while longer to make up his mind.
"It was late July, and I still didn't know what direction I was going to go," he said. "It was stressful. There'd be days where I'd wake up and be like, 'I want to go back to school.' And there were days where I was like, 'I want to play pro baseball.'"
In the end, though, Cleveland won Fedroff over.
"It was a tough process, but it was easy at the same time. The Cleveland Indians have a great organization," Fedroff said.
Fedroff's teammate, pitcher Adam Warren, did not sign with the Indians after being drafted in the 36th round. Warren will return for his senior year after sporting a 9-2 record with a 4.23 ERA.
But Tar Heels from 2008 weren't the only ones to choose professional baseball instead of UNC.
Four UNC high-school signees were drafted, and after the Aug. 15 deadline, all four had inked deals with MLB teams. Jason Knapp, Derrik Gibson and L.J. Hoes were taken in the second round.
While watching the draft decimate recruiting classes is nothing new for UNC, the Tar Heels' recent success has persuaded more recruits to come to school - and stay there.
"There's a top recruit coming in to Carolina every year now," Fedroff said. "They know that they're going to come here, they're going to play and they're going to help the team win."
UNC's most recent testament to that statement is Matt Harvey, who turned down the chance to go pro last year in favor of the Tar Heels.
Harvey made the best of his time still in Chapel Hill and went 7-2 in 2008, developing into UNC's third weekend starter.
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(07/17/08 4:00am)
By the time this gets out, you all have already had the chance to celebrate: Billy Packer will no longer provide commentary for CBS.
At first, I wanted to join in the merriment. I wanted to write 20 inches lambasting Packer, one for each year of my life that I've listened to him cover ACC basketball.
But I couldn't, and I'll tell you why. There are a couple of things that one cannot deny about Billy Packer.
Packer didn't so much comment on the games as butcher them, ripping apart every detail of each team's strategy as he saw it. He at times blasted Mike Krzyzewski, Dean Smith, Gary Williams, Roy Williams and almost every player who came through the conference.
Duke fans hate him because they think he doesn't like Duke, UNC fans hate him because they know he hates UNC. Fans from his alma mater, Wake Forest, hate him because they feel he intentionally glosses over the team.
No, seriously. I'm getting to the part where I can't lambast him. Promise.
Packer was unflinchingly arrogant and started 75 percent of his comments with some kind of negative phrase. His presentation was grating even to the most unbiased observer. With some of his remarks, you could almost feel his co-commentator, Jim Nantz, wince at Packer's unadulterated self-assuredness in saying:
"If I were coaching this team . ."
Packer had a habit of glorifying some choice athletes who were anything but choice students. One of his favorite players of all time was UNC's Joseph Forte, whose personal life was never as silky as his game and who fell out of the NBA after only a few seasons.
He also has turned his ire on some of basketball's greatest. He's called Allen Iverson a "tough monkey." He's called Duke students "women." He said the undefeated 2004 St. Joseph's team was not worthy of a No. 1 seed. He said that Larry Bird's 1979 Indiana State team didn't deserve to be ranked No. 1, even though it was undefeated and went to the national title game.
But as Packer himself said, he was "often wrong, but never in doubt." As far as his job went, Packer's in-game critiques were usually insightful - and always out there. He didn't hesitate to take a stand.
Yes, his delivery was abrasive, but Packer provided some serious insight to the game's inner workings. He had a knack for backhanded compliments, but he was always able to distinguish the rare "truly great play" from the more common "taking advantage of a defender's mistake."
So what, his standards were exceedingly high? The guy actually knew what he was talking about, and always had the cojones to express his viewpoints.
So forgive me if I don't join in the celebrations. I'll go ahead and say it: Billy Packer will be missed.
Contact Powell Latimer at tlatimer@email.unc.edu
(07/17/08 4:00am)
North Carolina certainly didn't waste any time replacing Chad Holbrook.
The assistant head coach announced his departure July 7 for South Carolina. Just eight days later, UNC had found its man: Scott Jackson.
Jackson joins the Tar Heels after just one year as head coach at Liberty University. He will work with the offense and act as UNC's recruiting coordinator.
"This job is a dream come true for me," Jackson said in a press release. "When I started coaching 10 years ago, this is the job that I would have handpicked for myself at this point in my career. I'm excited, my family is excited and we can't wait to get to Chapel Hill and get rolling.
"A program is all about its players, and I am excited to work with the best players in the country. I look forward to teaching them and learning from them at the same time."
In his sole year at Liberty, Jackson guided the Flames to a 35-26-1 record and a runner-up finish in the Big South Tournament to Coastal Carolina. Under his tutelage, Liberty pitchers racked up a school-record 508 strikeouts.
Jackson has served as pitching coach at Liberty and UNC-Wilmington during the last six years but has worked with hitters in coaching stops at Campbell, Barton and Wofford, as well.
He also served as head coach of the Wilmington Sharks of the Coastal Plain League in 2002, earning the league's Coach of the Year award. In 2002, the Sharks had a record of 31-17, a league-best for that season.
Jackson spent four years working as the pitching coach for UNC-W, from 2003-07. During his time there, UNC-W posted three straight 40-win seasons. Six pitchers whom Jackson coached were selected in the MLB Draft after going undrafted out of high school.
"(Coach Mike Fox) told us what he was going to be like and that he was going to be our new coach," All-American first baseman Dustin Ackley said.
"The expectations are high, but I've heard he's a great guy from a lot of different people, so it'll work out."
Fox echoed similar sentiments in a press release announcing Jackson's appointment.
"Coach Jackson brings a wealth of experience to our program in all areas of the game," Fox said.
"He has a reputation of being a very hard worker, a relentless recruiter and having a great rapport with the players.
"He is a great person, is passionate about coaching and really wanted to be at Carolina. Scott is a great addition to our staff."
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu
(07/17/08 4:00am)
Dustin Ackley spent the first part of the summer shelling hitters in Omaha, Neb., as the leadoff hitter in North Carolina's College World Series arsenal.
The rising junior is now spending the last part of his vacation tearing up the Cape Cod summer league.
In the most prestigious of the collegiate summer leagues, Ackley's numbers closely resemble his UNC statistics: .415 batting average, tied for second in RBIs on the Harwich Mariners, with a .707 slugging percentage.
"It's been great; I mean, it's just like a baseball town," Ackley said of Cape Cod, Mass. "Everybody comes to see the baseball."
After playing first base for his first two years at UNC, Ackley has spent much of the summer in the outfield, at his natural position of left field.
The switch is significant, as the Tar Heels already lost centerfielder Seth Williams and left fielder Kyle Shelton to graduation, and could lose Tim Fedroff if the All-American right fielder signs with a pro team, which would require some major shifts in UNC's defensive alignment.
"It seems all the outfield positions are open," Ackley said. "So I'll go wherever they want to put me."
Ackley knows the openings are there and is using the summer to try and brush off the rust from his outfield skills.
"It's been good," Ackley said of the position switch. "Especially since next year I'm hoping to play there. Just getting out there and catching fly balls, making good reads. That's the main thing I think; getting out there will help me improve."
Ackley is joined in the Cape Cod league by a host of UNC teammates, including second baseman Kyle Seager.
Seager, by contrast, struggled during the College World Series, but in a league peppered with names from Omaha, he has found success.
Seager is batting .357 in 12 appearances. He has nine RBI and one home run, with most of his time coming at shortstop.
"It's great to look over and see guys you played with. Kyle's doing really well," Ackley said.
Ackley also has faced down UNC's freshman pitcher Matt Harvey, who dominated Wake Forest in the ACC Tournament for eight innings.
"It went alright; the count went pretty deep," Ackley said of his matchup with Harvey, who is 0-1 with a 1.54 ERA for the Chatham Athletics.
"I think I managed to ground it . and it turned into an infield single."
UNC players litter the Cape Cod league, including pitchers Colin Bates, Adam Warren and Nate Striz.
Bates, a freshman All-America with Harvey, has 16 strikeouts in 17 innings of work and three games for the Hyannis Mets, with a 3.18 ERA.
Warren is 1-1 in two starts with the Chatham A's, with nine strikeouts and a 2.45 ERA. Striz has 4.1 innings of work with no runs allowed in three appearances.
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu
(07/10/08 4:00am)
At the midway point of renovations for Boshamer Stadium, things are starting to take shape.
(07/10/08 4:00am)
The North Carolina baseball team didn't lose much this regular season. But in the first weeks of the offseason, the Tar Heels have been dealt a harmful blow.
Associate head coach Chad Holbrook will leave the team after accepting the associate head coach and recruiting coordinator position at the University of South Carolina, Gamecocks head coach Ray Tanner announced July 7.
Holbrook leaves UNC just one year after gaining the associate head coach position under Tar Heel head coach Mike Fox.
"Chad has been an instrumental part of our program as both a coach and a player over the last 19 seasons, and we wish him nothing but the best," Fox said in a release from the athletic department.
Holbrook has spent the last 15 years working for UNC baseball, joining the UNC coaching staff as an assistant coach in 1994 after playing four years on UNC's baseball team.
Holbrook was promoted to associate head coach last June. He also served as the Tar Heels' recruiting coordinator and has been responsible for bringing some of the nation's top talent to Chapel Hill.
"His dedication to Carolina baseball and this University has been unrivaled, and he has worked tirelessly to help build our program to where it is today.
"It has been my pleasure to work with him over the last 10 seasons," Fox said in the release.
In Holbrook's 15 seasons on the UNC coaching staff, the Tar Heels made 11 NCAA Tournament appearances and three trips to the College World Series, including this year's most recent run.
The 2007 team captured North Carolina's first ACC title since Holbrook's freshman season, in 1990.
The past three seasons, UNC has posted 165 wins, the most in the nation for that span.
"I would like to thank coach Fox, coach Forbes, coach McCay and the rest of the staff at North Carolina for all they have done for me during my time at UNC," Holbrook stated in the release.
"I will miss coaching every single player on that team. I am very appreciative and thankful for the opportunity to coach them, and it was an honor to share the same dugout."
Holbrook moves on to a South Carolina team that went 40-23 last season and 15-15 in the SEC. USC lost to N.C. State in the Raleigh regional.
Fox and his staff said they will be taking their time finding a replacement for Holbrook on the staff.
"We are in the process of evaluating potential coaching candidates," Fox said. "I have no timetable for the hire as we search to find the best possible coach for the University.
"My top priority is finding someone who is the best fit with our staff and players."
Holbrook's departure could deal a blow to UNC's recruiting class, seven of whom were drafted. Two recruits already have signed MLB contracts, and more might follow now that the man who recruited them no longer is in Carolina Blue.
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu
(07/10/08 4:00am)
So in the spirit of summer, I've taken to playing pickup basketball at any opportunity - get off the PlayStation, people - and as such I've run into a situation that everyone who ever competes finds himself up against from time to time:
Someone on the court is a tool. Not just any type of tool, but Black-and-Decker status. They appear in every different sport, from soccer to badminton to water polo.
Some were just short of walking on to their college teams. Some are worth about as much as a steaming cow patty on the field. The variances are infinite, save for the conduct of the arse.
These people need to be made aware of their tendencies to jerkdom.
So here goes, in the spirit of Jeff Foxworthy:
You might be a pickup game jerk if you .
Call three ticky-tacky fouls on the same offensive possession.
Corral a loose ball near the baseline and, as you're falling out of bounds, try and bounce the ball off the nether regions of an opponent. That's unnecessary, folks; it's a pickup game. Just let the ball go out of bounds. Let it go.
Call or purposefully commit pass interference in a game of football, or call/purposefully commit an offside violation in a game of soccer.
Actually try and take a charge in a game of basketball.
Call three seconds in basketball or a balk in baseball/softball.
Dunk an opponent for more than 15 seconds in water polo. This is why Trey Taylor and I are no longer friends. Kidding. But seriously, Trey, that was messed up, man.
Wear any type of Under Armour for any athletic contest in which you do not represent a team.
Intramural playoff games are fine, but regular season and pickup games are not. I don't care that those are the same purple leg tights that Kobe wears. You aren't Kobe, nor do you play for the Lakers. The Sixth Floor Kegmasters are not a franchise. Automatic tool status if you wear the Allen-Iverson sleeve, regardless of where.
Corollary: This also applies to people who wear more than three types of bands. Headband OR wristband, dude. It's an option, not a combination.
Reference any pickup game more than three days after the fact. Bragging about Sunday's game is cool, but when Wednesday's game comes around, it's a new day, champ.
Fail to make any five called shots in basketball. If you call "good," it had best go in. If you call "bank," it had best bank. Otherwise, shut up.
Shank anyone who has not already obtained tool status in that day's event.
Fail to laugh at any reference from "Superbad," "Wedding Crashers" or "Chappelle's Show." Because you gotta have jokes.
Finally, if after reading this column, say, "That's not being a jerk, that's just trying to win."
Contact Powell Latimer at tlatimer@email.unc.edu.
(06/26/08 4:00am)
With the 2008 Olympics fast approaching, North Carolina athletes are getting into the mix.
Athletes across the board are competing for spots to represent the U.S. in August in Beijing and try for a chance at a shiny new medal.
Swimming and diving
The UNC swim team has a total of 28 former, current and incoming athletes headed to the USA Olympic Qualifying Trials at the Qwest Center in Omaha, Neb.
(06/26/08 4:00am)
Maybe it was something about the lighting in Omaha, Nebraska's Rosenblatt Stadium. Maybe it was the multicolored stands.
Whatever the reason, North Carolina batters simply couldn't beat their way around the bases in the College World Series.
During the course of the season, UNC averaged 6.64 runs per game. In Omaha, the Diamond Heels averaged five runs per game.
On the surface, those statistics aren't that far from par, but factor in that six of those RBI came off two late-game, go-ahead home runs (one of them a grand slam), and the average goes down to 3.8 runs scored per game, well below the season average.
Nowhere was the ineffective hitting more tangible than in UNC's two biggest success stories of the regular season, Kyle Shelton and Kyle Seager.
Seager, who led the team in RBI with 72, recorded only two in Omaha - but did rack up six strikeouts.
Shelton struck out seven times and only had one RBI in the CWS, prompting coach Mike Fox to switch up his lineup in what would be UNC's final game against Fresno State. Shelton was moved down to seventh in the order, while designated hitter Garrett Gore was moved to second.
But even that drastic change didn't work, and Gore grounded into two double plays, including the final two outs of the game.
Senior Seth Williams opened the CWS with three RBI. But he only batted home one run in the following four games and struck out seven times.
Dustin Ackley's bat was one of the few actually making contact, and Ackley batted .522 in Omaha (12-23).
But his solo show couldn't carry the team, and Ackley was left stranded on base nine times in the CWS.
Part of the problem could have been that UNC was playing from behind against Fresno State each of the three times they met.
"We don't play well when we're behind," Fox said after the first loss to Fresno State. "I don't know why. Tonight we swung at a lot of balls. I thought the strike zone was small. I don't think we took advantage of it."
UNC's hitting woes were partially masked by the clutch performances by Tim Federowicz and Chad Flack. Federowicz knocked a grand slam to break a tie with LSU in UNC's first elimination game, and Flack belted a two-run shot for go-ahead runs in the next game against Fresno State.
But for the CWS, Federowicz batted 3-for-17 (.176), and, while his six RBI were a team-high, they came on just two hits. He also struck out six times.
Flack was little better, batting 5-for-17 (.294) with five RBI and four strikeouts.
Those two hitters led UNC in RBI, but by the final game, the wear and tear of playing four straight games in the losers' bracket showed. Flack's deep shot to center field in the seventh inning fell just short of the warning track.
With no more histrionics to save them, no more clutch hitting, UNC brought in only one run against Fresno State on June 22 - and that was on a walk.
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu
(06/26/08 4:00am)
North Carolina fell just short of the championship series - and just short of a national championship for the third year in a row.
The Tar Heels were eliminated by ultimate underdog Fresno State in the double-elimination round robin portion of the College World Series.
After falling into the losers' bracket with a loss to Fresno State in the second game of the double-elimination series, UNC used late-game homers from Chad Flack and Tim Federowicz to stay alive and win two games against LSU and Fresno State.
But with one game left to win for a spot in the championship series, UNC simply had nothing left and again fell to Fresno State, 6-1, with an abysmal hitting performance - UNC's only RBI came when Kyle Shelton walked with the bases loaded.
"It's not ever fun," Fox said after the loss.
"We'll choose to focus on the seniors and what they've done. We didn't have a lot of things go right for us. Fresno State did, and they had a lot to do with it."
In its opening game in Omaha, Neb., UNC rolled over an LSU team fresh off a 21-run game in the Baton Rouge Super Regional. The Tar Heels gave up two solo home runs in the first and third innings but racked up 17 hits and garnered the win, 8-4.
Sophomore ace Alex White went seven innings, giving up only four hits with six strikeouts.
"He throws hard and threw well against us tonight," LSU third baseman Matt Clark said.
"His slider was biting, but we helped him out a bit."
But in the next game UNC fell 5-3 to tournament Cinderella Fresno State - the first-ever regional four seed to advance to Omaha.
Facing elimination in a rematch with LSU in the losers' bracket, North Carolina pulled some clutch hitting out of the bag. With the game tied in the bottom of the eighth inning, Federowicz stepped to the plate and bombed a grand slam into left field for the go-ahead runs and the win.
Against Fresno State, UNC used some of the same magic. Down 3-2 in the ninth inning, Flack sent a two-run homer off the scoreboard in left field for the win.
One bright spot for UNC was White's emergence as one of the best clutch pitchers in the nation.
White not only shut down LSU in UNC's opening game but also was used in relief for all three games UNC played in the losers' bracket.
White was the pitcher of record for all three UNC wins, tying a College World Series record.
"If he's not the first player taken in next year's draft, I'll be surprised," Fresno State coach Mike Batesole said after the two teams' third meeting.
For the CWS, White pitched a total of 13 and one-third innings in the course of four games in five days. He threw 188 pitches, 71 of those in three back-to-back-to-back relief efforts. White racked up 11 strikeouts and only allowed five runs.
The senior class of 2008 ended their careers with 206 wins, a UNC record in four years.
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu
(06/19/08 4:00am)
There's only one starter on this year's North Carolina team with no experience in Omaha, Neb. Only one player green behind the ears in Rosenblatt Stadium.
It's the rangy No. 24 shortstop in the middle of the field.
The one making all the plays.
Ryan Graepel, UNC's postseason shortstop, is fast becoming one of the biggest success stories of this year's NCAA Tournament.
Getting his first start in the Cary Regional, Graepel instantly solidified UNC's infield defense - which has given up an average of only four runs per game in the postseason.
Part of that statistic is due to Graepel's glove, which gets on just about everything that comes his way, and another part to his throws - dead-on without fail.
"He's a great defensive player, he's one of our best guys out in the field, and now he's starting to pick it up at the bat and he's just becoming a great player," catcher Tim Federowicz said.
"He's doing everything he needs to do, he's not making any errors, and he's getting all the routine plays done."
Graepel has zero errors in the postseason and only one in the last four months, and he takes a sort of pride in making that simple, but vital, 6-3 play to first base.
He also has developed a chemistry with second baseman Kyle Seager, with whom he shares a penchant for making the simple plays.
"It's one of those things where a lot of the times we don't even have to talk to each other, we know what each of us is gonna do in certain situations," Graepel said.
"We feel really comfortable with each other in the middle. I think that's really helped the team out a lot, being strong up the middle, in big situations down the stretch."
The two now constitute an iron-clad middle infield, but while Seager's hitting prowess has been well-documented all season, Graepel has just recently been finding his groove.
He has three multi-hit games in the postseason, and, as he continues to start, his swing puts more and more balls into play.
"I'm starting to feel like I'm getting into a little bit of a rhythm at the plate, getting more at-bats has definitely helped," Graepel said.
"Coming in for spot defense and to pinch hit every now and then, it was tough for me to get into a rhythm."
But his defense still takes priority, epitomizing the same things that coach Mike Fox preaches seemingly every press conference.
"Mainly in the field is where my job is, any base hits or anything like that is a bonus - I think coach Fox would tell you that as well," Graepel said.
"I was put out there to play defense, and that's the main thing I'm posted on right now. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind getting hits at the plate either."
So for the time being, the least experienced starter on North Carolina's team is the one playing with the most moxie. Despite his play in the regional earning him interviews surrounded by TV cameras (an experience he called a "whirlwind"), he remains focused on those same simple throws to first base for easy outs.
"It's still kind of a whirlwind, but I just try to take it one day at a time and so far things have worked out."
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.