June 4, 2008
TUSCON, Ariz. -
North Carolina pitchers Colin Bates and Matt Harvey were honored for their outstanding rookie seasons Wednesday with a spot on Collegiate Baseball Newspaper's Louisville Slugger Freshmen All-America squad. This year's selections mark the seventh straight season that the Tar Heels have placed at least one freshman on the publication's award list.
Bates, who missed all of last season following a pair of surgeries that resulted from a blood clot in his pitching shoulder, has appeared in 25 games out of the Tar Heel bullpen and owns a 2.28 ERA in 51 1/3 innings. He sports a 6-1 record and has recorded 53 strikeouts to just 15 walks. The Naperville, Ill., redshirt freshman is holding the opposition to a .207 batting average.
Harvey, who has worked as the Tar Heels' Sunday starter for much of the season, is 7-2 with a 2.52 ERA in 60 2/3 innings. The Mystic, Conn., product has made 14 starts and three relief appearances and has posted 74 strikeouts to rank second on the team. He struck out 13 against Wake Forest in the ACC Tournament and needs just one more win to tie the school record for victories by a freshman.
Bates, Harvey and the rest of the Tar Heels open play in the NCAA Super Regional against Coastal Carolina at noon Saturday on ESPNU.
