Oct. 21, 2009

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - North Carolina's crop of 16 baseball newcomers is the nation's No. 7 recruiting class according to Baseball America, the publication announced Tuesday. The Tar Heels, who own the top-rated class in the Atlantic Coast Conference, have brought a top-10 rated group to campus in three of the last four seasons.

Led by the recruiting efforts of assistant coaches Scott Jackson and Scott Forbes, Carolina outdistanced ACC rivals Virginia (No. 9), NC State (No. 11), Miami (No. 17) and Clemson (No. 20) in Baseball America's Top 25 Recruiting Rankings.

The Tar Heels, who wrapped up fall practice Tuesday, welcomed 13 freshmen and three junior transfers - junior college All-America infielder Dillon Hazlett (Allen County CC), catcher Jesse Wierzbicki (Walters State CC) and right-hander Teddy Mitrosilis (Long Beach City College) - to campus.

Highlighting the freshman class are four players rated among the top 112 prospects last fall by various services. Outfielder Brian Goodwin (Rocky Mount, N.C.), rated 10th by Baseball America, and right-hander Cody Stiles (Coral Springs, Fla.), ranked No. 41 according to Perfect Game, give UNC a pair of top-50 recruits. Right-handers Parker Thomas (Winston-Salem, N.C.) and Tim Brechbuehler (Gillette, N.J.) round out this group. Thomas is rated No. 104, and Brechbuehler No. 112 by Perfect Game.

On the state level, Carolina secured six of North Carolina's top 20 prospects according to Impact Baseball. In Goodwin (No. 2), No. 4-ranked right-hander Chris Munnelly (Winston-Salem) and No. 5-ranked outfielder Chaz Frank (Lexington), the Tar Heels landed three of the top six players in the state. Joining this group is left-hander Zach Bernard (Durham, No. 20), right-hander Cody Penny (Granite Falls, No. 17) and Thomas (No. 12).

Of the 13 freshmen, four were selected in the 2009 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft: Goodwin (Chicago White Sox, 17th round), Stiles (New York Yankees, 39th round), right-hander Michael Morin (Kansas City Royals, 40th round) and left-hander R.C. Orlan (Los Angeles Dodgers, 44th round).

The Tar Heels also continued their success in the northeast by signing infielder Tommy Coyle (Chalfont, Pa.), the No. 8 prospect in Pennsylvania, outfielder Brett Knief (Ramsey, N.J.), the No. 12 player in New Jersey, and outfielder Josh Leemhuis (Potomac, Md.), the No. 5 prospect in Maryland.

UNC opens the 2010 season at Boshamer Stadium Feb. 19 against George Washington.