Clay Hooper
Clay Hooper

Player Profile
Class:
Senior
Hometown:
Greensboro, N.C.
High School:
Page H.S.
Height / Weight:
6-1 / 185
Position:
SS/3B
Birthdate:
04/09/1977

Versatile infielder who will start at shortstop, but could also see time at third base...started at shortstop as a junior after starting at third base in 1996 and '97 ... redshirted the 1998 season...has great defensive instincts and gets a good jump on ground balls...an ACC Honor Roll and Dean's List student.

As Junior (1999)

Clay Hooper
Clay Hooper
Started all 58
games for Carolina
last season.
Adapted very well to shortstop after starting two years at third base...ranked among the team leaders at the plate and making solid plays in the field...finished fifth on the team with a .336 batting average and second with 11 home runs...tied for the team lead with 82 hits and led the Tar Heels with 244 at bats...ranked second with 56 runs scored and 131 total bases...had 14 doubles, good for fourth best on the team...was third on the team with a .537 slugging percentage...his 37 RBI ranked fourth on the team...had 25 multi-hit games overall and hit in 46 of 58 games on the season...went on a 14-game hitting streak to start the season...hit a grand slam in the first game of the season, an 8-3 win over East Carolina on Feb. 12...hit a three-run homer and went 2-for-5 versus Seton Hall Feb. 20...had his first of 10 games with three hits or more when he went 3-for-5 with two RBI and a stolen base in the Feb. 27 win over Temple...was 3-for-6 with a homer and a double against Portland March 10 in the Pepsi/Johnny Quik Classic...hit in eight straight games March 13...March 26, going 15-for-35 (.429)...hit a solo home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to give Carolina a 4-3 victory over Appalachian State on March 17...was 5-for-13 (.385) in series at NC State... homered in his first two at-bats and drove in four (tying his career high) in a 7-3 win at Campbell on Apr. 13...stroked a two-run double on a hit and run play on Apr. 18 in a win over Virginia...saved a run with a diving stop in the same inning and Carolina went on to beat the Cavaliers, 6-5...went 4-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI Apr. 23 versus Duke...batted .538 (7-for-13) in the Duke series...batted .462 (6-for-13) in the Clemson series, including a 2-for-4 performance with a solo home run and three runs scored in a victory on May 11...batted .455 (5-for-11) in the Clemson series...had a career-long 15-game hitting streak to close the regular season, batting .441 (26-for-59) during the streak...hit 3-for-5 with one home run and one stolen base in the NCAA Tournament opener with Nevada. Summer 1999: Was one of four Tar Heels to play for the Chatham Athletics of the Cape Cod League...played in 35 games at second base for Chatham...had a .278 batting average, fourth best on the team, with two home runs in helping lead the A's to the Eastern Division championship.

Summer 1998:
Batted 4-for-10 with the Chatham A's before a broken finger ended his season.

As a Sophomore (1997)
UNC's regular starter at third base ... one of the best defensive third baseman in the ACC ... made a number of breath-taking plays at the hot corner, including two impressive, diving stops in a win over Wake Forest on April 11 ... overcame a shoulder injury suffered at mid-season of his freshman year and set career highs in home runs, RBI and stolen bases ... had seven multi-hit games ... missed the Florida State series after a bout with food poisoning ... Played with Waynesboro of the Valley Baseball League in the summer of 1997, hitting .231 in 108 at-bats with five RBI and seven stolen bases.

As a Freshman (1996)
Appeared in 47 games and started 42 ... missed several games with mid-season shoulder troubles but started the last four games of the regular season at third ... batted .258 with one HR, 19 RBI and 23 runs scored ... had five multi-hit games ... went 1-for-3 with two walks, two RBI and four runs scored in the regular-season finale vs. N.C. State ... hit .385 (5-for-13) in the Wake Forest series ... was 2-for-4 vs. #18 Alabama ...went 2-for-3 in his first collegiate game, UNC's season-opener against #19 Texas Tech.

Prep
Named all-state at Page H.S. ... batted above .400 each year at Page, hitting .495 as a senior ... hit eight home runs his final year ... all-metro and all-county selection ... selected Palomino All-American ... twice named team's MVP ... hit .435 as a junior, .500 as a sophomore ... team captain as a junior and senior ... an honor roll student.

Personal
Clay Maguire Hooper is the son of Ron and Tricia Hooper ... born 4/9/77 ... majoring in communications with a business minor.

Clay Hooper's Career Batting Statistics
YEARG-GSABRHRBI2B3BHRSlgSBBBSOAvg
199647-42155234019501.3102-62018.258
199729-43155313814506.3944-51818.245
199958-5824456823714111.5376-131726.336
Totals154-1435541101607024118.43312-245562.289

Hooper's Career Batting Highs
Hits: 4 vs. Duke (4/23/99); Runs: 4 vs. N.C. State (5/12/96); RBI: 4 vs. East Carolina (2/12/99) & Campbell (4/13/99); Hit Streak: 15 games (4/17/99 - 5/16/99)