June 10, 2003

The North Carolina baseball team's season ended with a 14-4 loss to South Carolina in game two of the Columbia Super Regional last Saturday. The Tar Heels had a remarkable year, finishing the season with a 42-23 overall record and winning an NCAA Regional for the first time since 1989.

* Carolina played 65 games in 2003, tying the single-season team record set in 1990 and 1998. The Tar Heels also played 40 games at home, the most ever played at Boshamer Stadium in a single season. UNC won 29 of those games at home, tying the mark for second most home wins in a season.

* The Tar Heels won their first two games in the ACC Tournament which was played in Salem, Va. By knocking off Clemson and Florida State, the team notched two victories in the tournament for the first time since Mike Fox took over as head coach in 1999.

* By winning a game against Missouri and two against host Mississippi State, UNC won an NCAA Regional for the first time since 1989 and came within two wins of the College World Series. The last time Carolina went to the College World Series was also 1989, a year in which the Tar Heels also won the Starkville Regional.

* With the Tar Heels' dramatic 3-2 extra-inning victory over top-ranked Florida State in the ACC Tournament on May 23rd, Coach Mike Fox notched his 200th win at North Carolina. Fox took over as head coach at UNC in 1999 and has recorded 40 wins in four of his five seasons.

* Jeremy Cleveland had a record-setting season at the plate for Carolina in 2003. The junior from Fairfax, Va. batted .410 with 19 home runs and 65 RBIs. Cleveland is just the fourth Tar Heel to ever bat .400 in a single season. He also recorded 103 hits on the season, breaking the previous mark of 102 set by Brian Roberts in 1997. Cleveland started all 65 games for the Tar Heels and led the team in batting average, runs scored (74), hits, doubles (20), home runs, runs batted in, slugging percentage (.725), walks (37) and on-base percentage (.510). For his efforts, Cleveland has been named first team All-ACC and second team All-America by Collegiate Baseball.

* Sean Farrell wrapped up his marvelous career at Carolina by hitting .350 with 14 home runs and 61 RBIs in 2003. He moved up many of Carolina's career offensive lists thanks to another great season and finished with 214 career runs batted in, tying Jarrett Shearin for the most ever by a Tar Heel. Farrell was named to the preseason All-ACC team by Baseball America and received second-team All-ACC honors this year. He was also the only Tar Heel named to the All-ACC Tournament team and was tabbed the Most Valuable Player at the Starkville NCAA Regional.

* Freshman pitcher Adam Kalkhof had a remarkable season and was rewarded with Freshman All-America honors by Collegiate Baseball. The 6'6 southpaw from Durham, N.C. went 7-2 with a 4.26 ERA in 80.1 innings pitched in 2003. He led the team with 77 strikeouts, 10 of which came in Carolina's 7-3 victory over perennial power Georgia Tech on April 5 when Kalkhof had a no-hitter going through 6.2 innings pitched. His seven wins were the most by a Carolina freshman since Scott Autrey went 7-0 in 2000.

* North Carolina had six players selected in the 2003 Major League Baseball Draft. Pitcher Daniel Moore was the first Tar Heel taken, going to the San Diego Padres with the 41st pick overall in the second round. Cleveland was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the eighth round, Ryan Blake went to the Florida Marlins in the 22nd round, Farrell was picked by the Oakland Athletics in the 25th round, the Houston Astros selected Chad Prosser in the 28th round and Sammy Hewitt was also drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 34th round.