North Carolina A&T (2-5) vs. # 22 North Carolina (6-2)
Date: February 25, 2020
Time: 3 p.m.
Facility: Bryson Field at Boshamer Stadium
Place: Chapel Hill, N.C.
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EAST GREENSBORO – The North Carolina A&T baseball team heads down the road to Chapel Hill, N.C. for a midweek showdown against the Tar Heels. Last time these two teams met, the Tar Heels narrowly escaped the Aggies, 2-1, on Feb. 19, 2019.
PROBABLE STARTERS:
LF Shane Faulk (.286, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 4 runs
); CF Donte Wade (.133, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 7 runs
); RF Camden Williamson (.286, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 4 runs
); 3B Alex Reyna (.067, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 runs
); SS Dustin Baber (.290, 0 HR, 8 RBI, 5 runs
); 2B Connor Knapp (.500, 0 HR, 5 RBI, 3 runs
); 1B Alex Bibb (.350, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 2 runs
); C Ryne Stanley (.133, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 3 runs
); DH Devin Bartley (.400, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 0 runs
)
PROBABLE STARTERS:
RHP Gianni Smith (0-1, 54.00 ERA, 2 H, 0 K
) vs. RHP Max Alba
(0-0, 0.00 ERA, 0 H, 0 K
)
WHO'S ON FIRE: Freshman infielder
Connor Knapp earned Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) rookie of the week for his efforts last weekend. Knapp hit .556 over nine at-bats including a double with five RBI and three runs scored. Knapp came up with the eventual game-winning RBI single Saturday night in the Aggies 4-2 win over Gardner-Webb. It was the first collegiate hit of his young career.
AGGIES OVERVIEW: The Aggies are coming off a 1-3 trip to Gardner-Webb last weekend. On Saturday, A&T dropped the first game of the doubleheader against Delaware, 4-1, but recovered quickly to beat Gardner-Webb in the nightcap, 4-2. On Sunday, the Aggies lost a pair of heartbreakers, first to Delaware, 9-8, and then to Gardner-Webb, 11-8. A&T is now 2-5 on the season. The Aggies are led offensively by Baber, who has a team-high nine hits and eight RBI. Fifth-year head coach
Ben Hall is 113-153 overall at the helm of the program, but 89-74 over the last three years.
TAR HEELS OVERVIEW: The Tar Heels are coming off a weekend series loss at the hands of Dallas Baptist. As members of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), Carolina was picked to finish second in the Coastal Division receiving 68 total points and one first-place vote. Louisville is the conference's preseason favorite. The Tar Heels had several players receive preseason national honors led by sophomore DH/INF Aaron Sabato, who was named a preseason first-team All-American by Collegiate Baseball. Sabato was co-national freshman of the year last season. Sabato is batting .214 with three doubles, one home run, six RBI and nine runs scored. Head coach Mike Fox is entering his 22
nd year in Chapel Hill for the 2020 season and he is 942-401-1 during that time. He has 162 more wins than any other coach in Carolina baseball history.
News & Notes:
- Last time these two teams met, the Tar Heels defeated the Aggies, 2-1, on Feb. 19, 2019.
- The Aggies are projected to win the MEAC this year.
- A&T's Michael Johnson was selected as the MEAC's Preseason Pitcher of the Year.
- The Aggies have four preseason all-MEAC selections (First Team: Baber, Davidson, Johnson & Second Team: Stanley).
- The Aggies have won conference weekly honors the first two weeks of the season (Ethan Chavis – Pitcher of the Week, Knapp – Rookie of the Week)
- A&T has four players batting at or above .350 this season.
