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College  | Story | 6/1/2011

Preview: Chapel Hill Regional

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REGIONAL COVERAGE: SCHEDULE/RESULTS | REGIONAL BREAKDOWN | PAIRINGS MESSAGE BOARDS


The Road to Omaha has begun and 64 teams around the country are vying for the eight lucrative spots in the first College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Neb.

As part of our extensive NCAA postseason coverage, we take an in-depth look at each of the 16 NCAA Regionals.

THE TEAMS
Team Conference Record Berth Last NCAA appearance
1. North Carolina ACC 45-14 At-large 2010
2. Florida International Sun Belt 40-18 At-large 2010
3. James Madison Colonial Athletic 40-17 At-large 2008
4. Maine America East 32-22 Won auto bid 2006
THE BREAKDOWN
The favorite: North Carolina
1. North Carolina

2. Florida International

3. James Madison

4. Maine
The Tar Heels certainly were expected to be good this season, but not many expected them to be in the mix for a national seed, much less get one. That just goes to show how great of a job the UNC coaching staff did this season. The Tar Heels have a decent offensive lineup (.285) with with third baseman Colin Moran leading the charge, hitting .343 with nine home runs and 68 RBIs. Tommy Coyle and Levi Michael also are having productive campaigns with batting averages of .313 and .317 respectively. On the mound, the Tar Heels have gotten an amazing campaign from senior starting pitcher Patrick Johnson, while freshman Kent Emanuel has put together a solid campaign. Bullpen-wise, keep an eye on Tate Parrish (2.40), Shane Taylor (3.06), Andrew Smith (3.00) and Greg Holt (3.09).
The dark-horse contender: Florida International
Don't be too surprised if the Golden Panthers make some noise this weekend. FIU enters the weekend hitting .319 and has a very solid three-man punch in its lineup with Pablo Bermudez, Jeremy Patton and Garrett Wittels leading the charge. Bermudez is hitting .373, Patton is hitting .371 and Wittels is hitting .348. The big question mark with the Panthers is their pitching. They've pitched at a high level against the Sun Belt the entire season, but will they be as consistent against slightly better competition this weekend? Starting pitchers R.J. Fondon and Phil Haig enter the tourney with ERAs of 2.76 and 3.27, respectively. Daniel DeSimone, who has a 4.24 ERA, rounds out the rotation for FIU. The Panthers just might be able to surprise this weekend.
Best hitter: C Jake Lowery, James Madison
Say what you want about the ballpark the Dukes play in, but Lowery definitely is a solid pure hitter. The solid catcher is having an amazing season at the plate, even besting teammate David Herbek, who's hitting .374 with 15 home runs and 74 RBIs. Lowery is hitting .357 with 21 doubles, eight triples, 22 home runs and 83 RBIs. He's also slugging .796 and has a .444 OBP. Additionally, he has drawn 36 walks in 57 games. Watch out for the Dukes should Lowery and Herbek get rolling this weekend.
Best pitcher: RHP Patrick Johnson, North Carolina
After losing Matt Harvey (a first-rounder) to the MLB draft last summer, the Tar Heels were highly concerned about their starting rotation moving forward. They weren't real sure they had a bonafide ace on campus. Well, the senior right-hander has risen to the occasion in a way few thought was possible. Johnson is having an incredible campaign for the Heels. He has started 14 games and has a 2.56 ERA in 91 1/13 innings. But most impressive, he has struck out 102 and walked 28 and teams are hitting him at a .218 clip. Johnson has thrown one complete game.
Best prospect: SS Levi Michael, North Carolina
Though he has played second base in the past, the Tar Heels decided last fall to move Michael from second base to shortstop. That move has paid dividends for the program. Michael has a fantastic .966 fielding percentage, and also has been adequate at the plate with a .313 average, five home runs and 48 RBIs. Michael began the spring on the edge of the top 50 in terms of draft prospects, but has since climbed several spots in the pecking order.
The buzz
Some have wondered if North Carolina has the overall starting rotation to compete for the national title, but from talking to opposing coaches, it's obvious the Tar Heels at least have the bullpen to compete for a title. The Tar Heels possess a bullpen with a plethora of talented arms. Tate Parrish leads the way with a 2.40 ERA in 29 appearances, Andrew Smith has a 3.00 ERA in 21 appearances, Shane Taylor has a 3.06 ERA in 26 appearances, Greg Holt has a 3.09 ERA in 29 appearances and R.C. Orlan has a 4.15 ERA in 28 appearances. No team in this NCAA Regional has the ability to consistently matchup with UNC late in games … We've talked a lot about the Florida International offense and starting rotation, but what about the bullpen? Well, the Golden Panthers have a very legitimate reliever in right-hander Jose Velazquez, who has a 1.38 ERA in 52 1/3 innings. It's also worth noting that teams are hitting him at just a .198 clip … James Madison could have a tough time earning victories this weekend if its pitching staff doesn't rise to the occasion. The staff enters the weekend with a weak 5.77 ERA, and starting pitcher Sean Tierney is one of few reliable arms, entering the postseason with a 2.79 ERA in 61 1/3 innings. Overall, the Dukes have just two commonly used pitchers with ERAs below 4.00. That doesn't bode well for the weekend … Maine doesn't have a scary offense or a deep bullpen, but the Black Bears do have some solid starting options in Keith Bilodeau, Stephen Perakslis, Jeffrey Gibbs and A.J. Bazdanes. Bilodeau leads the way for the Black Bears, having made 12 starts with a 10-2 record and a 2.87 ERA in 84 2/3 innings. He also has struck out 77 and walked 34 and teams are hitting .242 against him.


Kendall Rogers is the college baseball editor for Perfect Game USA and has covered the sport for over 10 seasons. He can be reached at kendall@perfectgame.org


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