May 12, 2004

The North Carolina softball team heads to Tallahassee, Fla. this weekend for the 2004 ACC Tournament. The Tar Heels (42-18, 6-4) enter the Championships as the two seed behind top-seeded Florida State. Both UNC and FSU receive a bye in the first round, as the Tar Heels will face the winner of Virginia and Maryland at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.

Carolina is coming off a doubleheader sweep of Campbell last weekend 1-0, 1-0. Both Tar Heel starting pitchers, sophomores Alison Yin and Crystal Cox pitched complete-game shutouts to lead UNC to the sweep. On the year Cox is 22-11 and has a 1.60 ERA and Yin is 17-7 with a 1.82 ERA.

"I think we have become a very solid defensive team," said UNC head coach Donna J. Papa. "Our pitching has stepped up from the beginning of the year to now. They are a lot more consistent on the mound. I think the defense and the pitching go hand and hand, and that is why we are not allowing very many runs now."

The Tar Heels enter postseason play with two of the top hitters in the conference in seniors Emily Price and Dionne Streete. Price leads the ACC in five different hitting categories and Streete is in the top ten in six categories. Price is batting .408 with 15 home runs and 46 RBI's this season while Streete is hitting .318 with eight home runs, 19 doubles and 41 runs scored this year.

Despite those two offensive weapons, UNC has struggled to score runs of late as they have only scored two runs in their last four games.

"Hitting we have gone in waves," said Papa. "At the beginning of the year we put runners on, but couldn't score them. Midseason we did a really good job of hitting and scoring. Lately we haven't been hitting as well."

"In the ACC Tournament, the pitching is tougher. We have some of the best pitchers in the nation in our conference. So what you have to do to win these games is really execute. When we get runners on, we have to put the bunt down and put runners in scoring position. Then when we do that, we have to find a way to bring those runners home. That is the key for us. We have to make the most of our opportunities."

The Tar Heels have been practicing every day this week to prepare for the ACC Tournament including a two-a-day practice on Monday.

"We have been working on execution, pitch selection and being smart at the plate, but also being aggressive," said Papa. "We are just worrying about us right now and focusing on getting better."

The Tar Heels will face the winner of the Virginia/Maryland game on Friday at 7:30 p.m. Virginia is the no. 3 seed, while Maryland is the no. 6 seed. UNC and Virginia tied for second at 6-4 in the conference, but Carolina was rewarded the no. 2 seed for sweeping the Cavaliers in regular season play. Top-seeded Florida State will take on the winner of the Georgia Tech/N.C. State game in the other side of the bracket.

"This conference is very strong this year," said Papa. "Florida State being ranked no. 2 in the country and Georgia Tech being ranked in the top 25 most of the year really brings credibility to our conference strength. We have some of the top pitchers in the nation in our conference and a team like Virginia came on very strong at the end of the year."

"The league is really tough, and I honestly think that any team can win on any given day. There have been a lot of one-run games. Certainly Florida State will be the favorite, but they have lost three of their last four games and I think that gives some teams confidence that they can get a foot in the door and beat them."