June 17, 2009
OMAHA, Neb. -
There is no such thing as an "off day" in Omaha, and the Tar Heels certainly made the most of a busy Wednesday. After a late morning autograph session, Carolina's pitching staff put in a quick workout at Creighton, and the team then paid a visit to the Children's Hospital of Omaha.
Dustin Ackley, Garrett Gore and Mike Fox did some quick on-camera interviews with ESPN, and Ackley made an appearance on the SportsCenter set with Mike Patrick. Look for the interview to air on the 11 p.m. show and throughout the late-night and early morning shows Thursday.
Be on the lookout for the outgoing Gore, who aspires to work in the television industry, during tonight's Virginia-Arkansas game.
On the field, the Tar Heels return to action Thursday against Arizona State in a second straight elimination game. After an 11-4 win over Southern Miss Tuesday, Carolina is 6-1 in bracket-play elimination games over the past three seasons.
Sophomore right-hander Matt Harvey will make his third career CWS start against the Sun Devils. The Mystic, Conn., product did not earn a decision but started a pair of elimination games a year ago that the Tar Heels went on to win. He is 7-2 on the season and owns a 2.14 ERA and a 2-0 record in 21 innings over his last three starts.
Paced by Ackley, the Tar Heels matched a College World Series record with 23 base hits Tuesday. Seven players recorded multi-hit games and 10 hit safely, as UNC recorded its most hits over two years.
