Davidson College Athletics
North Carolina
'Cats Ready for First-Ever NCAA Regional, Face UNC Friday
6/1/2017 4:17:00 PM | Baseball
Tournament Central NCAA Chapel Hill Regional
Game Notes- Regionals
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Davidson baseball prepares for its first-ever NCAA Regional, taking on top-seeded North Carolina Friday at 6:00 p.m, at Boshamer Stadium. The 'Cats could also face either Michigan or Florida Gulf Coast Saturday.
The Tar Heels are seeded second nationally and enter the weekend with a 47-12 record, while the 'Cats are coming off their winningest season in program history at 32-24. #2 Seed FGCU comes in at 42-18, and Michigan carries a record of 42-15.
Fans can follow each game via the Tournament Central Page on the links above. Fans can also listen to the game via the TuneIn app or with a Sidearm subscription.
DAVIDSON IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
Davidson is making its first ever appearance in the NCAA Championship in its 115-year existence.
The 'Cats will be making their debut after winning the first conference title in program history, and the first league tournament championship since the school joined the Atlantic 10 in July of 2014.
DAVIDSON VS. #1 NORTH CAROLINA
This will be the 111th meeting between the 'Cats and the Tar Heels. UNC holds a 89-22 edge, but Davidson most recently defeated the 'Heels in 2015 in a 12-11 decision.
Earlier this season, the 'Cats led over then-No. 3 North Carolina 6-3 in the ninth inning, before falling 7-6 in 10 innings.
Davidson blasted four home runs in the affair, including senior Will Robertson going yard twice.
DAVIDSON VS. #2 FLORIDA GULF COAST
Davidson and FGCU have never faced each other before in baseball.
DAVIDSON VS. #3 MICHIGAN
The Wildcats are 2-0 all-time against the Wolverines.
The two last faced in 2015 in Savannah, Ga., when the 'Cats won 5-4 (11), and then followed up with a 3-2 win to complete the sweep. Then-freshman Alec Acosta tallied three hits, while then-sophomore Jake Sidwell scored twice.
WILL ROBERTSON NAMED ALL-AMERICAN
Earlier Thursday, senior Will Robertson made headlines, becoming just the fifth player in Davidson history to garner All-American status. He was selected to the Collegiate Baseball Third Team, and was the only player selected from the Atlantic 10 Conference. Will holds multiple program records, and was also named to the A-10 All-Conference First Team and All-Academic squad last week.
He is the first player to earn national recognition since Forrest Brandt, 2011.
SCOUTING THE TAR HEELS
North Carolina will send their ace, 2017 ACC Pitcher of the Year, J.B. Bukauskas to the hill. The junior right-hander finished the season with a stellar 2.02 ERA and 111 strikeouts, limiting batters to just a .180 clip. The 'Heels have five players hitting above .300 entering Friday, led by shortstop Logan Warmoth's .349 average. He also tops the team with nine homers.
SCOUTING THE EAGLES
Junior Kutter Crawford serves as the top arm for the pitching staff, boasting a sub-two ERA at 1.58 with 91 strikeouts. Redshirt senior Julio Gonzalez and junior Nick Rivera serve as the only two Eagles hitting above .300, with Gonzalez leading the way at .337 and a team-high 83 hits. Rivera ranks nationally with 17 long balls.
SCOUTING THE WOLVERINES
Michigan carries a team ERA of 3.26 into the regional, led by southpaw Oliver Jaskie's 8-2 record at 3.30. On the offensive front, sophomore infielder Ako Thomas supports a team-high .368 average, but junior Drew Lugbauer leads the squad with 11 home runs. The Wolverines are also sharp in the field, entering the regional as the best fielding team with a .983 fielding percentage.
