May 17, 2008

By Adam Lucas

CORAL GABLES--After departing Coral Gables Saturday afternoon, the Carolina baseball team was headed for Orlando and a trip to Universal Studios.

The Tar Heels won't need to ride any roller coasters. The weekend's three-game series against Miami was enough of a thrill ride for any daredevil.

Flash back to Thursday night around 10 p.m. Around that time, the hard-hitting Hurricanes were closing out a 12-2 victory that saw them outplay the Tar Heels in every phase of the game.

While the rest of the Diamond Heel world was despairing in the ten-run loss in a battle of the top two teams in the nation, the Carolina coaching staff quietly saw some positives. Yes, Tar Heel pitchers had walked 11 Miami batters, which played a part in all 12 Hurricane runs. But they had also picked up 11 strikeouts. The punch outs didn't matter much on Thursday, when the game was already out of hand, but it showed that Tar Heel pitchers could attack the Miami hitters if they could keep the ball in the strike zone.

When he boarded the team bus Thursday night, Mike Fox didn't throw his hat or raise his voice.

"I don't need to say much to this team," Fox said when reflecting back on that bus trip. "When you have Chad Flack and Tim Federowicz and Seth Williams, guys who have been in big games, they talk to each other and know what's at stake. They know how they need to play and respond. I don't see the need in trying to motivate them or get them to play harder at this point."

The Carolina bats boomed early in Friday's second game, with Federowicz, Garrett Gore, and Williams igniting a three-run second inning. That enabled Fox to play aggressively on the bases, seizing control of the game early after playing from behind all night on Thursday.

It was the perfect opportunity for Adam Warren to have his best start of the season. Maybe he has had better statistics on other days. But factor in the competition, the environment, and the status of the season, and Warren has never been better as a junior. His numbers were tainted by one bad pitch, which Mark Sobolewski ripped for a grand slam, but Warren spent most of the evening living on the black of the plate.

There was no better evidence of his control than the series of cap jobs hit by Hurricane hitters on a day when the wind was howling out. Batter after batter appeared to have a good swing on the ball only to watch it hit off the end of the bat, safely away from the sweet spot and harmless enough to turn mighty cuts into easy fly balls.

"My 2-seam fastball had a lot of run," Warren said. "And I was able to locate my changeup for most of the night. A lot of their hitters got out in front and hit the ball off the end of their bats."

After surviving a dicey last couple of innings to earn a split of the first two games, the Tar Heels came back Saturday having flipped the pressure back on Miami. Getting one win in Coral Gables was essential. Getting two was a luxury. But the Hurricanes had not lost a series all year and are vocal about wanting to protect their home turf.

Fox chose to put Federowicz in the DH spot instead of behind the plate. "We might need him on the mound," he said before the game.

Need him? Only in the way a Miami resident needs a good supply of sunscreen.

By the time Federowicz entered the game, Carolina held a 12-10 lead and needed to get three ninth-inning outs. Without Andrew Carignan, the Tar Heels have eschewed the typical closer and mostly used the excellent bullpen based on situation. It has been a masterful strategy made easier by a cooperating group of relievers.

Rob Wooten, for example, could easily chafe at not being allowed to close out games during his senior year. Everyone on the roster knows he's earned it. And on many teams, he'd be reserved for the ninth inning, used only in a save situation.

Instead, the Tar Heels have used him in the toughest situations rather than just the final situations. That's great for a team with championship aspirations but not great for an individual with professional aspirations. Despite everyone in Carolina blue understanding how essential Wooten is in relief, he has just three saves.

And yet he somehow seems to be having one of the greatest years of his life, knowing every day when he comes to the ballpark that he'll probably pitch in a tight spot...and that his team has a great chance to win games.

That brought him into Saturday's game in the seventh, unfamiliar territory for most closers. After already burning several other potential late-inning arms, including Colin Bates's stellar 3.2 innings of game-saving middle relief, that left only Federowicz for the ninth.

"We feel like we may need Tim Federowicz down the stretch in the bullpen in a big game," Fox said. "We have to trust him. He's a cool, calm customer."

Thank goodness someone was. Because by the time future millionaire Yonder Alonso came to the plate representing the game-winning run, just one homer away from winning the series on a weekend when he already had three blasts, cool and calm had mostly evaporated in the sizzling Coral Gables heat.

Rather than pitch around him, the Tar Heels attacked the star with a fastball. Alonso did line a run-scoring single. But it was just a single.

"I kind of think I won that one," Federowicz said, "because he didn't hit a homer."

One batter later, Federowicz had to win another one. With the tying run on third base, the Apex native used another fastball to strike out Dennis Raben, end the game, and clinch the series. The Tar Heels celebrated...a little. But there was no raucous organized dance party, no shenanigans at home plate. They won it exactly the way you would want them to win it, and then the two teams--who fully expect to see each other again perhaps a couple of times this season--exchanged respectful hugs and high fives at home plate.

Then the Tar Heels departed for Orlando, where Mickey and a well-deserved break await.

"We're going to have fun," Fox said. "We're going to go, take a deep breath, and relax for a couple of days."

The thrill rides, as the head coach knows, have just begun.

Adam Lucas is the publisher of Tar Heel Monthly. He is also the author or co-author of four books on Carolina basketball.