The Diamond Heels started the second three game series at the Bosh this evening and the White team defeated the Blue team 14 to 5 in a six inning tilt.  

Leading the Future

Senior Outfielder Chaz Frank realizes this is his last go around in the ACC this season, "We are halfway through the fall now academically and now finishing up fall ball and it is going by so quick," Frank revealed. "It is weird being the oldest guy on the team and having to show the young guys the way we do things around here.  I am enjoying it and it is a great group of guys that we got.  All 16 of them work hard and are mature and responsible for their age."

Frank is mentoring two very talented and similar freshman outfielders this season,  "We have some very good talent coming in Skye [Bolt] and Zach Daly are two talented guys out there in the outfield," Frank discussed. "They are very talented but need to learn the ropes a little bit.  Throwing to which base and what to do with the ball before it is hit.  I talk with them daily about something new or something that they will face in the ACC that coming out of high school you do not think about.  I have definitely learned that in the past couple of years and I am trying to lead them and show them the way."

Bolt and Daly have impressed so far in the fall and should contend for playing time this spring.  First year Assistant Coach Bryant Gaines can be counted in the ranks of those that have been watching those two freshmen this fall, "Both of them have had extremely good falls," Gaines elaborated. "Skye covers a lot of ground out there and so does Zach.  Zach has not been able to throw as much as he would like this fall because his elbow has been bothering him a little bit this fall.  Both of those guys will give us a chance every time a ball is hit in the outfield.  When you have speed in center and in right it usually helps your team out."

The Diamond Heels have experience and depth in the outfield heading into the season with a pair of precocious newcomers joining the ranks of the steady and experienced outfielders already on the roster.  How Coach Fox sets the lineup will be very interesting to follow this spring but the Tar Heels should be able to count their outfield as a strength with defense, speed and a little bit of power to add to the mix.

Pedal to the Metal

The Tar Heels have been running on the bases even more this fall it seems than last fall and are sparking their team to take advantage of their opportunities, "That is a focus of ours on this team," senior outfielder and all around pest on the bases Chaz Frank stated. "We have always had speed guys but I think that we have more this year than we have in the past couple of years.  We are really focusing on balls in the dirt and being aggressive and getting an extra bag.  In the fall [Coach Fox] he will send them back because he just wants to see them make the aggressive move to try and get the extra bag and not being passive and that has helped them to make the right reads going on."

Coach Fox and Jackson have been working hard at getting the roster comfortable stealing bases, taking opportunities and jump starting the offense.  In particular working on being comfortable taking a lead and reading the pitchers and infielders.

"I can tell coming into this fall that I feel more comfortable going back to the bag," Frank said. "As a freshman or a sophomore I really [had to work on it because] in high school not many people tried to pick me off.  They just set and go and you can usually steal bags.  Here guys have balk moves and have a lot quicker feet.   I think it is the rhythm I definitely can tell a difference."




Even the less fleet afoot Tar Heels are working on taking a secondary lead. Here sophomore first baseman Grayson Atwood is stretching his lead past senior Cody Stubbs pulling off the bag into defensive position.

However, Assistant Coach Gaines had a bit of different perspective on the Diamond Heels success on the bases this fall, "We are really trying to move a lot out there," Gaines confessed. " A lot of the reasons that we have been able to get so many bases is that our pitchers have not been quick enough [to the plate] that is one thing that we are continuing to work on with our pitching staff is giving our catchers a chance.  Because, even if a guy is really good back there and you are slow to the plate you won't even give him a chance.  So we really try to expose the weaknesses of the other team.  But a lot of times when it looks like it is the catcher a lot of times it is the pitcher not giving the catcher a chance.  We have run a lot in this series but a lot of that is because we are trying to be aggressive and get things going early."

With the departure of the strong and accurately armed Jacob Stallings to the professional ranks the catchers have struggled to limit the opposing teams runners.  Hopefully the battery of pitchers and catchers will continue to improve this fall to be prepared to limit opposing teams running wild on the Tar Heels.