Feb. 19, 2008

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - With back-to-back trips to the finals of the College World Series and the program's first Atlantic Coast Conference title since 1990 registered over the past two seasons, the University of North Carolina has earned its spot among the elite programs in all of college baseball.

The mission now for 10th-year head coach Mike Fox and his staff is to make sure the Tar Heels hold on to that spot in what will be a challenging 2008 campaign. While construction continues on an estimated $25.5 million renovation of Boshamer Stadium, Carolina will play 32 home games more than 20 minutes away from campus at USA Baseball National Training Complex Stadium in Cary, N.C.

"Our challenge is not having a home field and losing that convenience of just being able to walk out of your locker room to the field," says Fox. "We're going to have to take a bus or vans to Cary, but we're excited about being over there. The schedule being condensed will also be a new challenge. I think we play 45 games in 63 days over a stretch of nine weeks. That's going to take its toll.

"We're really going to have to manage our time; the kids are going to have to manage their sleep and nutrition. We've really preached that to them all fall about how important that aspect of their play is. They can just turn it on and off when the game starts. They've really got to take care of themselves physically and mentally the whole spring."

Additionally, the Tar Heels will face an always challenging Atlantic Coast Conference slate as well as tough season-opening road trips to Florida Atlantic and the Winthrop Coca-Cola Classic. Talented regional opponents like Coastal Carolina and Charlotte also provide UNC one of the nation's toughest midweek schedules.

But thanks to a talented, experienced core back from last year's record-setting squad, the Tar Heels appear to be well equipped to meet these challenges head on. Returning this season are seven position starters, two starting pitchers and one of the nation's most reliable relievers among 21 total letterwinners. Carolina once again added a top-five recruiting class to its roster.

"I like our team," says Fox. "We have a good mix of veterans and rookies and a good mix in terms of personalities. We have a quality group of leaders."

Any discussion of the 2008 Tar Heels will likely begin with the preseason All-America duo of sophomore Dustin Ackley and junior Tim Federowicz. Ackley, who will start in left field or first base, led the nation with 119 hits en route to national freshman of the year and All-America honors. The Walnut Cove, N.C., native hit .402 with 10 home runs and 74 RBI.

Federowicz ranks as one of the nation's top all-around catchers, but is also in the mix to be one of the Tar Heels' top set-up men out of the bullpen as he was a year ago. In 2007, Federowicz hit .333 and drove in 65 runs, while posting a 2-2 record and three saves on the mound.

Other returning starters on the infield are senior third baseman Chad Flack (.247-7-46), junior shortstop Garrett Gore (.324-2-27) and sophomore second baseman Kyle Seager (.308-2-30). Gore slides over from second to short for 2008, while Seager is slated to become the everyday second baseman. If Ackley starts in left field, senior Kyle Shelton (.262-0-10) is expected to get the nod at first after a stellar fall season.

In the outfield, freshman All-America Tim Fedroff (.344-5-41) and senior Seth Williams (.293-9-42) are the expected starters in right and center, respectively. Due to a season-ending knee injury to Mike Cavasinni, Ackley, freshman Ben Bunting and sophomore Kendric Burney should see the most time in left.

Carolina also features a pair of preseason All-Americas on the mound in junior right-hander Adam Warren and senior relief ace Rob Wooten, who will open the season as the closer. A New Bern native, Warren went 12-0 with a 2.17 ERA as UNC's midweek stalwart a year ago but makes the move to the weekend rotation for 2008.

Joining Warren on the weekend will be sophomore Alex White, who struggled in the postseason a year ago to finish with a 6-7 record and a 4.94 ERA, but rebounded with a sharp summer in the Cape Cod League and a dominating fall.

Sophomore Rob Catapano, who pitched in relief a year ago, and freshmen Garrett Davis and Matt Harvey should compete for the No. 3 weekend spot, as well as the midweek starts. Catapano was much improved in the fall after a strong summer stint on the Cape.

While Wooten, who posted a 2.35 ERA over an NCAA-best 47 appearances in 2007, will anchor the Tar Heels' bullpen, pitching coach Scott Forbes has some talented, but untested commodities to use in relief.

Redshirt freshman Colin Bates and true freshmen Nate Striz, Ryan Leach and Patrick Johnson should be key pieces of the pen, as should sophomore Brian Moran. The lefty got a taste of experience a year ago, but needs to make a jump to the next level in 2008. Veteran right-handers Mike Facchinei and Tyler Trice, as well as Federowicz, will add needed depth and leadership in relief.

STARTING PITCHING
• Junior Adam Warren and sophomore Alex White, both right-handers, enter the season as two of the Tar Heels' three weekend starters. A preseason All-America pick, Warren has never lost a game at Carolina and went 12-0 with two wins in Omaha as a midweek ace a year ago.

• White was the Saturday starter a year ago and had some big wins, including a two-hit shutout of No. 5 Virginia in the ACC Tournament. After ending the regular season with a 6-4 record and a 3.35 ERA, the Greenville product struggled in the postseason. He had a strong fall and appears back to form entering the 2008 season.

• The No. 3 weekend spot and the midweek starting roles figure to fall to sophomore lefty Rob Catapano and freshmen right-handers Garrett Davis and Matt Harvey. Catapano had a brilliant summer on the Cape and showcased pinpoint control over the fall scrimmages.

• Davis and Harvey are both hard-throwing right-handers. Harvey was a third-round pick by the Angels in last year's draft and the Connecticut state player of the year, while Davis was the North Carolina 3A player of the year.

• Senior right-hander Mike Facchinei and redshirt freshman Colin Bates could also spot start if needed.

RELIEF PITCHING
• Senior Rob Wooten entered 2007 with just 19 career appearances but pitched in a school-record 47 games a year ago with a 2.35 ERA as a set-up man. He owns a knee-buckling breaking ball and will open the season in the closer role.

• Wooten's senior classmates Tyler Trice, who was 1-0 with a 5.03 ERA in 2007, and Mike Facchinei, who went 1-0 with a 4.09 ERA, add veteran depth in the pen. Both have pitched in big games and will be counted on to do so again this season.

• Junior two-way standout Tim Federowicz pitched in 19 games a year ago and struck out 26. He is also the starting catcher but will see some time in set-up situations.

• Sophomore Brian Moran should pitch in a bigger role this season. He posted a 3.38 ERA in 2007 and is a crafty left-hander that will pitch to both righties and lefties.

• Redshirt freshman Colin Bates, who missed all of last season due to surgery that was a result of a blood clot in his right shoulder, is at full strength and should play a big role due to his versatility. He can pitch in any role and had a very sharp fall season. Fellow redshirt Bryant Gaines, a strong right-hander, will also compete for innings.

• Rookies Nate Striz, Ryan Leach and Patrick Johnson all hold a great deal of promise and should battle for relief innings as freshmen. Classmate Logan Munson could see time as a situational lefty, while right-hander Greg Holt will split time between the mound and first base. Freshman Robbie Penny is a candidate to redshirt.

CATCHER
• Junior preseason All-America Tim Federowicz will once again start behind the plate for the Tar Heels. He hit .333 a year ago with four home runs, 19 doubles and 65 RBI. The Apex product is also a fine defensive receiver, who committed just one error in 2007. He is one of the top catching prospects for the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft. He was a second-team All-ACC pick a year ago.

• Sophomore Mark Fleury will be counted on as a backup this season and should see considerable action. He had just seven at-bats a year ago, but is a talented left-handed hitter.

• Junior Mike McKee is one of the team's emotional leaders and adds needed depth at catcher.

• Senior Chad Flack, who is slated to start at third base, spent some time at catcher in the fall and could do so this spring.

FIRST BASE
• Sophomore Dustin Ackley is the returning starter at first base but could play in left field this season. He set a school record and led the nation with 119 hits a year ago and finished with a .402 average, 33 extra-base hits and 74 RBI. Ackley, who posted a 28-game hitting streak in 2007, was the national freshman of the year and is a preseason All-America this season. He is also one of the quickest players in the ACC from home plate to first base and led UNC with 11 stolen bases.

• If Ackley plays in left, senior Kyle Shelton will likely get the nod at first after batting .423 in the fall and working very hard in the weight room. He has been one of the Tar Heels' top options off the bench over the last three seasons but has earned more playing time heading into 2008. The Charlotte native, who hit .262 a year ago, could also see time at designated hitter and in the outfield.

• Columbia, S.C., product Brett Thomas, Clemmons, N.C., native Greg Holt and Chapel Hill's Tarron Robinson, all freshmen, will add depth at first base. Classmate Michael Knox is also a first baseman but will miss the season with a knee injury.

• Senior Chad Flack and junior Tim Federowicz can also play first base if needed.

MIDDLE INFIELD
• Junior Garrett Gore and sophomore Kyle Seager are slated to be the Tar Heels' starting middle infielders in 2008. Gore, who has played mainly at second, will move to shortstop this season to replace All-America Josh Horton. The Wilmington native has a strong throwing arm and hit .324 with two home runs and 27 RBI as a sophomore.

• After splitting 2007 between second base and designated hitter, Seager will be the everyday second baseman this season. He hit .308 a year ago and led Carolina with a .451 average in the fall. Seager is a slick fielder and is very adept at turning the double play.

• Sophomore Ryan Graepel is perhaps Carolina's most consistent defensive infielder and will back up Gore at shortstop. He saw limited action a year ago with just 13 at-bats but figures to play a more prominent role in 2008.

THIRD BASE
• Senior Chad Flack is back as Carolina's starting third baseman. A three-year starter at the corner infield positions, he already ranks among the Tar Heels' career top 10 in hits, home runs and runs batted in. Flack struggled with the bat for much of last season, hitting .247, but was at his best in the clutch and lifted Carolina to Omaha for the second straight season with the winning home run in the decisive game three of the Super Regional against South Carolina. He could also see time at first base or catcher.

• Senior Kyle Shelton could also see some time at third base.

OUTFIELD
• Senior Seth Williams is back as the likely starter in center field after batting .293 with nine home runs and 42 RBI a year ago. He owns the team's strongest throwing arm and possesses fantastic range defensively. One of the strongest Tar Heels, Williams also has a great deal of power at the plate.

• Sophomore Tim Fedroff is the everyday right fielder after a freshman All-America campaign in 2007. He ranked second on the team with a .344 average to go along with five homers and 41 RBI a year ago. The New Jersey native is a tough, gritty player and earned a spot on the preseason watch list for the Brooks Wallace Award.

• With junior Mike Cavasinni out for the season with a knee injury, Ackley should see a lot of time in left field. Freshman Ben Bunting and sophomore Kendric Burney could also play left.

• Adding depth in the outfield will be talented freshmen Zeke Blanton and Bunting, who are also candidates to see time at designated hitter. Both are excellent hitters and fast runners.

• Burney, a starting cornerback on the UNC football team, will also see time in the outfield. He pitched some a year ago but will just play in the outfield this season.