June 3, 2005

By Adam Lucas

GAINESVILLE, FL.--Robert Woodard is the thinking man's pitcher. He doesn't have an intimidating build, doesn't have overwhelming velocity and doesn't have a devastating out pitch.

But he does have the ability to throw strikes and hit his spots, the complete knowledge of how to field his position, and a very cerebral approach to the game of baseball.

So it's no surprise that after throwing his first career complete game and running his record to 8-0 with a 5-1 NCAA regional win over Notre Dame, Woodard wanted to talk about Albert Einstein.

"I think it was Einstein who said, `Insanity is the act of doing the same thing over and over again,'" Woodard said. "So when I'm out there I try to change it up."

The sophomore from Charlotte, who has quietly toiled in the shadow of more heralded pitchers Andrew Miller and Daniel Bard for the past 12 months but is rapidly developing a reputation of his own (including an invitation to the prestigious Cape Cod League this summer), showed his ability to adjust in the critical sixth inning. After leadoff man Brett Lilley leaned into a pitch to reach first, the usually unflappable Woodard walked Steve Andres and appeared rattled despite holding a 5-1 lead. A visit from pitching coach Roger Williams--during which the central message was, "Let's go back to what worked in the first five innings"--soothed Woodard, who then turned to an unlikely hero: the Tar Heel defense.

The Carolina defenders have been a source of concern over the past month, as key errors played a major role in last weekend's 0-2 performance at the ACC Tournament in Jacksonville and in heart-breaking last at-bat losses to NC State and Florida State. But left fielder Jay Cox charged a sinking liner by Matt Edwards, picked it up backhanded on the short hop, and fired a bullet to Chad Flack for the force at third base.

"That was the biggest play of the game," head coach Mike Fox said.

The play by Cox, who has been battling a sore arm but showed no ill effects on the throw, seemed to drain all momentum from the Irish.

"I felt good about the pitch to Lilley that hit him," Woodard said. "After I walked (Andres) I figured I could still get out of it, but not if I didn't make some adjustments. I just had to be a little better. At this level you don't have a whole game or even a whole inning to make adjustments. You have to do it pitch-to-pitch."

Woodard had been making those adjustments since moving into the starting rotation against Florida State, pitching well enough to beat the Seminoles in Tallahassee and again in the ACC Tournament. But critical errors and silent bats did in the Heels in both games.

Those trends were reversed in Gainesville. Greg Mangum yanked a leadoff homer in the fifth, Chad Flack drove in a pair of runs, and the Carolina defense was flawless.

That was more than enough for Woodard. The king of preparation among Tar Heel starters--he's known to make sure his uniform is precisely ironed the night before starts and also has an intense pregame routine to narrow his focus--allowed just 6 hits and walked only two.

"Robert has been unbelievable for us all year long," Fox said. "He's the only guy I would've given the ball to in this game based on his past performance. He's got the heart of a lion, and you saw today how courageous he is."

Adam Lucas is the publisher of Tar Heel Monthly and can be reached at alucas@tarheelmonthly.com. He is the coauthor of the official book of the 2005 championship season, Led By Their Dreams, and his book on Roy Williams's first season at Carolina, Going Home Again, is now available in bookstores. To subscribe to Tar Heel Monthly or learn more about Going Home Again, click here.