June 10, 2007
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North Carolina¹s come-from-behind win over South Carolina sends the Tar Heels to their sixth College World Series (1960, 1966, 1978, 1989, 2006,
2007) and second straight for the first time in program history. Carolina has defeated a Southeastern Conference team (Alabama, South Carolina) in each of the last two years in the Super Regional and has won two of its three Super Regional appearances since 2003.
North Carolina advances to play Mississippi State of the Southeastern Conference in the opening round of the College World Series on Friday. Time is to be determined.
The Tar Heels are the first Atlantic Coast Conference team to make consecutive trips to Omaha since Florida State in 1999 and 2000.
Carolina is 8-1 at home in NCAA play over the last two seasons. The Tar Heels have won 14 of 17 games in the postseason over 2006-07.
Ninth-year head coach Mike Fox is one of just 10 men to play in and coach in the CWS and one of only six to coach their alma maters to Omaha. Fox has been to a combined 10 College World Series in his 24 seasons at North Carolina and North Carolina Wesleyan. He was a second baseman on UNC¹s 1978 CWS team.
The Super Regional win over the Gamecocks marked the Tar Heels¹ first time eliminating South Carolina from the NCAA Tournament since the 1998 Atlantic I Regional in Coral Gables, Fla. The Tar Heels were eliminated in 2002, 2003 and 2004 in Columbia.
The Tar Heels have been down by two or more runs in four of their five NCAA Tournament wins, including both victories over South Carolina. UNC trailed 4-1 after four Sunday before scoring three in the sixth to tie the game and going in front in the seventh on Chad Flack¹s two-run home run.
Chad Flack¹s go-ahead two-run home run in the seventh was the Tar Heels¹ first since May 19 at Maryland, snapping a nine-game homerless stretch, which spanned 390 at-bats since a leadoff home run by Reid Fronk in the season finale. It was Flack¹s first home run since May 12, his seventh this season, fourth career NCAA Tournament homer and the 35th of his career, which ranks ninth all-time at UNC. He also homered twice in the deciding game of the 2006 Tuscaloosa Super Regional.
Reliever Andrew Carignan matched a career-high with four innings pitched in the win over South Carolina. He threw a career-high 69 pitches and allowed just one hit and three walks en route to his second win of the season.
Center fielder Seth Williams, who went 2-for-3 Sunday and gave the Tar Heels a 1-0 lead in the second with a one-out single, is on a nine-game hitting streak one shy of a season best. Additionally, he has hit in 16 straight NCAA Tournament games dating to last year (last 10 in 2006, first six this year).
Left fielder Reid Fronk recorded his third three-hit game of the NCAA Tournament Sunday. He was 3-for-5 with two RBI in the decisive game three.
Catcher Tim Federowicz recorded his second straight multi-hit game with a
2-for-4 effort Sunday. He had three hits in the second game of the series.
Right-hander Rob Wooten pitched in his sixth straight NCAA game and his 41st of the season Sunday. He worked 1 2/3 scoreless in game three, pitched 4 1/3 shutout frames against South Carolina and has worked 9 2/3 scoreless in the postseason. Wooten also pitched in the conclusion of game two earlier Sunday, marking the third time this season that he has pitched in two different games on the same day, joining Boston College and Virginia doubleheaders.
