May 30, 2005

INDIANAPOLIS - On the strength of a 40-win regular season, the University of North Carolina baseball team was named the No. 2 seed in the Gainesville Regional of the 2005 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship when the 64-team field was announced Monday. The Tar Heels (40-17-1) are making their fourth consecutive postseason appearance and will open the double-elimination tournament against No. 3 seed Notre Dame (36-22-1) at 4 p.m. Friday at the University of Florida's McKethan Stadium.

Regional play is scheduled to run Friday, June 3 through Monday, June 6. The Super Regionals are set for June 10-12 on campus sites with the College World Series slated for June 17-27 in Omaha, Neb.

"We're tickled to death that we're being sent somewhere," said UNC head coach Mike Fox. "It was a goal at the start of the year to be one the 64 teams to get in, It's an accomplishment for our players; this is our fourth year in a row. We feel privileged be in."

Carolina is making its 20th all-time NCAA appearance and owns a 46-42 record in tourney play. The Tar Heels' four straight trips to the postseason are a school record, and they have made six appearances in seven seasons under Fox, who owns an 11-10 record in NCAA play. UNC has made four College World Series appearances but none since 1989.

Carolina and Notre Dame have met just once on the diamond, with the Tar Heels posting a 14-4 in 1956. UNC is 16-11 all-time against the host Gators and 5-8 against No. 4 seed Stetson. Florida will play the Hatters at 8 p.m. Friday in game two of the regional.

"I think Gainesville is a great place to be going," said Fox. "I don't know a lot about the teams there, but at this point in time everybody is going to be really good, and you have to play your best ... It's a tough draw for us, but we're excited to be heading back down to Florida again."

UNC enters the postseason having lost three straight, including two games at the Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Championship in Jacksonville, Fla.

The Tar Heels' trip to Gainesville marks the fourth straight season they have played in a regional hosted by a Southeastern Conference school. Carolina played at South Carolina in 2002 and 2004 and Mississippi State in 2003. UNC also played in Columbia for the 2003 NCAA Super Regional.

Jones Angell and Adam Lucas of the Tar Heel Sports Network will have the audio call for all Carolina postseason games on AM-1360 WCHL in Chapel Hill and on TarHeelBlue.com.