The college baseball regular season came to a close Saturday and Mike Fox and the Tar Heels of North Carolina will head into this week's ACC baseball tournament loaded and ready to make another assault with their purpose to return to the college World Series.
Carolina swept their fifth conference foe of the year and this weekend pitching was the name of the game and two Gryphons were right there in the middle of it all. Freshman Benton Moss pitched into the eighth inning Friday night allowing only four hits and no earn runs as the Heels beat The Gobblers of Virginia Tech 2-1. Moss finishes the regular season with a 6-2 record pitching 67 innings and striking out 77. Benton finished with an outstanding ERA of 2.13 and considering he failed to get out of the second inning in his first college start and his ERA was 44.something he really has started great in his first college year.
Sophomore Hobbs Johnson didn't get much farther than the end of the bench last year and the ultimate of being left home to go to summer school while the Tar Heels went back to the College World Series. Hobbs got the message from Mike Fox and has responded. First he was used in the bullpen but during the last six weeks of the season has found the mound as the starting Sunday pitcher. By years end Hobbs is third on the team in innings pitched following his former Gryphon teammate Benton Moss and the leader Emanuel. Johnson tossed 51 innings in 20 appearances but Saturday in the closing game of the regular season Hobbs took a no hitter into the seventh inning for the Heels. His ERA for the season is a minuscule 1.40.
This week the ACC baseball tournament will be played in Greensboro and if Mike Fox keeps his weekend pitching rotation in tacked then you can see both Moss and Johnson pitch. Carolina opens their ACC play Wednesday at 7PM but Benton Moss will take the hill Thursday afternoon at 3PM against Miami.
The emergence of N C State this season Hobbs Johnson may find himself in the spotlight Saturday night when State and Carolina meet up in the bracket with more than likely the winner going to the ACC Championship game Sunday at 1PM.
Carolina, State, Wake and Miami are all in the same bracket and the team that comes out of their three games with the best record will play for the ACC title. All ACC baseball games are televised with Raycon being the lead Network but since I am on Direct TV I will get the games on Fox Sports South and the ACC Final on Sunday is ESPN 2. I don't recall if it comes to pass that State and Carolina have met in baseball with so much on the line as could happen Saturday.
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