No. 8 Virginia Opens ACC Play at No. 10 UNC

Story Links

March 9, 2017

VIRGINIA CAVALIERS (12-1)
Probable Starting Rotation
Fri. – So. LHP Daniel Lynch (3-0, 3.06 ERA)
Sat. G1 – So. RHP Evan Sperling (3-0, 2.84 ERA)
Sat G2. – Jr. LHP Adam Haseley (2-0, 2.65 ERA)

NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS (10-3)
Probable Starting Rotation
Fri. – Jr. RHP J.B. Bukauskas (1-0, 0.45 ERA)
Sat. G1 – Fr. RHP Luca Dalatri (2-1, 3.43 ERA)
Sat. G2 –

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — The No. 8 Virginia baseball team travels to No. 10 North Carolina Friday and Saturday for a three-game series to open 2017 ACC competition. Because of expected inclement weather, the schedule for the weekend has been altered. The updated weekend schedule:

Game 1: 3:30 p.m. Friday
Game 2: Noon Saturday
Game 3: 45 minutes after conclusion of first game Saturday

Broadcast Information
All three games will air on ACC Network Extra, which is available to authenticated subscribers of ESPN3 through WatchESPN and the ESPN app. Links to the UVA audio broadcasts also are located on VirginiaSports.com; all audio broadcasts are free of charge in 2017. A link to live statistics also can be found on VirginiaSports.com.

Things To Know
• UVA ranks third nationally in scoring (10.2 runs/game and fourth in runs (133).
• Pavin Smith is a .381 career hitter vs. UNC (8-21, 4 2B, 4 RBI).
• Jake McCarthy leads the ACC and is tied for first nationally with 11 stolen bases.
• Cameron Simmons leads the team in OBP at .580 (.313 last year).
• UVA did not strike out in the last two games and has nearly a 2:1 BB/K ratio (63/32).

Hoos and Heels Renew Acquaintances
North Carolina holds a 179-107-4 edge in the all-time series with Virginia. Virginia has won nine of the last 11 meetings, including a three-game series sweep in Chapel Hill to conclude the 2015 regular season.

UVA has won its last four series against UNC. Twenty-one of the last 30 games have been decided by three runs or fewer. UVA head coach Brian O’Connor is 23-22 against UNC.

Lifting the Lid on the ACC Season
Virginia has won its opening ACC series in each of the last eight seasons. UVA last lost an ACC-opening series in 2008 when it dropped two of three games at NC State. This marks the fourth straight year UVA has opened ACC play in the Triangle (at Duke in 2014 and 2016, vs. Pitt in Cary in 2015).

Digging the Long Ball
Virginia already has hit 16 home runs, the most homers through 13 games in the Brian O’Connor era. The Cavaliers did not hit their 16th homer last year until April 6 (31st game). Adam Haseley has a team-high five long balls — each to the opposite field. Seven Cavaliers have gone yard this year.

Aggressive Cavaliers Put Ball in Play
Virginia batters have struck out an ACC-low 32 times in 13 games (2.5 strikeouts per game). That total is nearly half that of any other ACC team (Georgia Tech, 60). The Cavaliers have struck out five or fewer times in every game and last recorded a strikeout in the ninth inning of the Saturday game against Niagara. Ernie Clement has yet to whiff in 67 plate appearances this year, while Robbie Coman and Pavin Smith each have one strikeout.

Noting North Carolina
UNC downed VCU, 8-2, Tuesday, bouncing back nicely after a home series loss to Long Beach State last weekend. Logan Warmouth (.367) and Ashton McGee (.346) lead the team in batting, while the team’s pitching staff has been excellent. Friday ace J.B. Bukauskas owns 30 strikeouts in 20 innings, while UNC’s staff has a 2.31 ERA and has limited opponents to a .229 batting average.

Up Next
Virginia returns home at 4 p.m. Tuesday (March 14) to play Monmouth before hitting the road again next weekend for a three-game ACC series at No. 11 Clemson.