Tar Heels Open 2018 Season at UCF

Saturday, February 10

Longwood, Fla.

11:00 AM

North Carolina

Butler

Photo by: UNC Athletic Communications

February 9, 2018 | Softball

Game Notes

CHAPEL HILL – North Carolina softball begins its 2018 campaign at the UCF Friends of Jacyln Tournament this weekend in Longwood, Florida. The Tar Heels open the weekend taking on Butler and Louisville Saturday, followed by Providence and host UCF Sunday. Saturday's games will be played on Seminole Creek Park's Field 2 and Sunday's games will take place in the main stadium.

Coastal Favorite in ACC Preseason Poll
North Carolina has been ranked second in the 2018 Atlantic Coast Conference preseason softball poll, as voted on by the ACC head coaches and released Tuesday by the league. The Tar Heels, conference runners-up last season, received 121 points and one first-place vote to sit atop the Coastal standings.

Defending champion Florida State was voted the league favorite, with 121 points and 11 first-place votes. After UNC, Notre Dame, Louisville and Boston College round out the top five.

Tar Heel Youth in the ACC
With a senior class of two, Taylor Wike and Katelyn Shifflett, North Carolina has the second-youngest team in the ACC for the 2018 season. Of the 23 person roster, the seniors make up nine percent of the team. Entering its first softball season, Duke has the youngest roster with one senior to make up six percent of the 17-person team. Six freshmen and one transfer from Texas Tech join the Tar Heels for the 2018 season.

2017 In Review
Despite fielding a team of 12 freshmen and returning just seven letterwinners from 2016, North Carolina put together an impressive 2017 campaign, going 40-21 and finishing tied for third in the ACC at 14-9. For the first time in program history, the Tar Heels reached the ACC Championship and the NCAA Regional Final in the same season. UNC captured four wins over ranked opponents (NFCA Poll), the third-most in school history.

Statistically speaking, UNC set a new single-season record for stolen bases for the second consecutive season, swiping 106 bases to rank 16th in the nation. The Tar Heel pitching staff recorded a school-record nine saves, led by a record six by freshman Brittany Pickett, which ranked third in the NCAA. The Carolina defense matched its record with 24 double plays turned, good for 31st in the country.

Individually, Kendra Lynch set single-season records for RBIs (68) and total bases (144), ranking top 10 in the nation in both categories as well as home runs (21). The Second-Team All-American finished her career ranked second all time at UNC in slugging percentage (.644), home runs (52) and RBIs (168), as well as third in total bases (378), seventh in walks (81) and 10th in strikeouts (280).
Berlynne Delamora shattered the single-season walks record with an ACC-leading 49, while Leah Murray led the conference with 38 stolen bases and 74 hits.

The ACC Freshman of the Year and a top-10 finalist for NFCA National Freshman of the Year, Brittany Pickett ranked in the top 10 in the ACC in 13 pitching and five offensive categories. The rookie finished among the top 10 all time among UNC freshmen in eight offensive and 12 defensive categories, breaking the rookie record for appearances, tying the home run record, ranking second in batters faced and walks, and third in on-base percentage, wins, starts and innings.

The Tar Heels return to action Wednesday at Elon for a 4:30 p.m. matchup in Elon, North Carolina.

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