Overlooked bullpen key for UNC

Correction Due to a reporting error, the Feb. 21 column “Overlooked bullpen key for UNC” inaccurately identified a UNC baseball player who sat out last season with a shoulder injury. His name is Matt Danford, not Mike Danford.

 

All of the attention on the North Carolina baseball team has been focused on its two sophomore aces, Andrew Miller and Daniel Bard.

The spotlight doesn’t seem to bother the pitchers, and perhaps the focus on the front of the staff is good for the Tar Heels, as it is allowing the team’s bullpen to fly under the radar.

“I guess there is a pressure to carry the pitching staff,” Bard said. “But we have a lot of guys behind us who are very talented. I kind of thrive off the pressure. I think I pitch better in situations where there is something riding on it.”

Bard and Miller, who both earned All-ACC honors last year and are on multiple preseason All-American lists, have done their part in their first starts, combining to throw 10 2/3 scoreless innings.

The Tar Heels lost the majority of their bullpen from last season, as four seniors combined to throw 154 1/3 innings.

Many considered relief pitching to be the weak spot in the Tar Heel pitching staff, but after four games, the ’pen has looked solid.

“(The bullpen) was probably my biggest concern starting the year,” said UNC coach Mike Fox.

Mike Danford — who sat out last season with a shoulder injury — has done his best Eric Gagne impression, using a variety of pitches and speeds to strike out six of the nine batters he’s faced so far in this young season.

“It’s a lot of fun to close,” Danford said. “Usually you are in a meaningful role. You are helping your team get a win, and it’s usually pretty exciting there at the end of the game."

Robert Woodard and Adam Kalkhof threw a combined 11 scoreless innings this weekend, and the entire Tar Heel staff hasn’t allowed an earned run in the four games played this season.

While this might seem impressive, the level of competition certainly has not been so far.

Seton Hall clearly couldn’t match up with the Tar Heels in any aspect. Players dropped fly balls, pitchers consistently missed the strike zone and they simply couldn’t hit.

If the Seton Hall coach took a page from Rick Pitino, he could say Pirate legends Craig Biggio and Mo Vaughn are definitely not walking through that door.

It was a combination of good pitching and terrible hitting that kept Seton Hall ineffective this weekend, and the Tar Heels will find out more about themselves when they face a stiffer test in UNC-Wilmington on Tuesday.

Bridging the gap between the talented starting rotation and Danford will probably determine North Carolina’s fate this year.

Jonathan Hovis worked 2 2/3 scoreless innings over the weekend, and will see a lot of action for UNC.

“We know what we’re gonna get out of Jonathan Hovis,” Fox said. “A lot of strikes and a lot of ground balls. So far our bullpen has been very impressive.”

The only senior on the Tar Heel pitching staff, Bryan Phillips, also seems likely to fit into the middle relief picture.

“Bryan Phillips has looked really good,” Fox said. “He’s a senior who hasn’t pitched a great deal but he helps us.”

Two of the biggest hitters on last year’s team — Chris Iannetta and Marshall Hubbard — left early for the major leagues, and it will be hard for the Tar Heels to find replacements for their production.

Since the offense took a big hit with the loss of those two stars, the pressure remains on the arms of the Tar Heels.

“Our pitching has been superb,” Fox said.

It’s going to have to stay that way for the Tar Heels to live up to their top 10 ranking.

Contact David Moses at dmoses@email.unc.edu.