On Monday, the NCAA announced the 64 collegiate baseball teams to earn the honor to be a part of the Division I national tournament, which will begin Friday at noon when the Missouri Tigers take on the Ole Miss Rebels. In preview of the regional tournaments that will be held this weekend, throughout the week our resident college baseball fanatic Rosenblogger will examine each individual regional:

Cary Regional

1. North Carolina Tar Heels (46-12) vs 4. Mount Saint Mary’s Mountaineers (21-32)
2. UNC Wilmington Seahawks (42-15) vs 3. Elon Phoenix (43-16)

**Winner to take on champion of Stillwater Regional.**

The Tar Heels of North Carolina are looking to capture the national title in 2008 after finishing 2nd in the World Series for the past two years. The Heels enter the tournament as the number two national seed, after a 46-12 season, which saw them ranked in the top five for much of the year. They have a lot of players returning with World Series experience, including stars Dustin Ackley (.399, 7 HR, 44 RBI, 18 SB) and Tim Fedroff (.383, 12 HR, 59 RBI, 13 SB).

Nonetheless, the strength of this team is, without question, its pitching staff, which heads into the regionals with an impressive staff ERA of 2.73. North Carolina has a deep, talented pitching staff led at the top by Alex White (8-3, 2.86 ERA, 87 K in 72.1 IP) and Matt Harvey (7-2, 2.50 ERA, 71 K in 57.2 IP), with stellar relievers Rob Wooten and Brian Moran (who have a combined 1.77 ERA and 121 K in 67 appearances) anchoring the bullpen.

The Tar Heels will open tournament play with NEC champion Mount Saint Mary’s, who will be making their first appearance in a regional. The Mountaineers amassed a 21-32 record, but earned an automatic bid after winning the NEC tournament. They will need a career performance from their starting pitcher, likely Max Brittenham (4-5, 4.32 ERA), and offensive support from Josh Vittek (.366, 19 HR, 62 RBI) and company to challenge UNC. The Tar Heels should easily move past the Mountaineers.

The second game from the Cary Regional will feature two pitchers with similar records, as 10-1 Steven Hensley (3.34 ERA, 97 K in 86.1 IP) will pitch for Elon, while 10-1 Bradley Holt (3.30 ERA, 92 K in 84.2 IP) will take the ball for Wilmington.

The Elon Phoenix are a very dangerous number three seed, as they enter the regional with a 43-16 record and many threats in their lineup. Cory Harrilchak led the Phoenix offense with a .428 average, while Bennett Davis led Elon with 17 home runs and 79 RBI. Thomas Girdwood put up stellar numbers out of the bullpen for Wilmington, compiling a 5-1 record with 9 saves (2.52 ERA & 30 K in 25 IP).

UNC Wilmington swung their way to a number two seed, belting 91 home runs as a team, led by Mark Carver (21) and Daniel Hargrove (18), but if Elon can get past Holt, there is a shortage of quality arms in the Wilmington bullpen. This will be a very competitive game, but I think Hensley will be able to silence the powerful Wilmington bats, and Elon will scratch enough runs across to win.

While Elon and Wilmington are nice teams, North Carolina is the number two national seed for a reason. They have a dominant pitching staff, and plenty of experienced players who know how to win in the postseason. Expect the Tar Heels to cruise into the super regionals.

Rosenblogger

Also, check out our other regional previews: Ann Arbor, Athens, Baton Rouge, College Station, Conway, Coral Gables, Fullerton, Houston, Lincoln, Long Beach, Palo Alto, Raleigh, Stillwater, Tallahassee, Tempe

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