May 12, 2008

GREENSBORO, N.C. - North Carolina's Dustin Ackley and Rob Wooten swept this week's Atlantic Coast Conference baseball honors with Ackley getting the nod for Player of the Week and Wooten earning Pitcher of the Week accolades. In addition, North Carolina became just the third school to make a complete sweep of both honors outright since the league started handing out separate weekly awards in 2003.

En route to his second league recognition this season and the fourth in his career, Ackley hit .526 with six runs scored, six RBI, four doubles and two stolen bases as No. 2 North Carolina went 4-1 on the week. In the series win at 24th-ranked Virginia, the first baseman compiled a team-high .556 batting average with four runs, three RBI and three walks. Ackley posted back-to-back three-RBI games in wins over North Florida last Wednesday and against the Cavaliers on Friday. The sophomore from Walnut Cove, N.C., posted multi-hit games in four of the five outings last week.

Ackley raised his average to .400 on the season to rank fourth in the league and top the Tar Heels. He is also among the league leaders with 17 doubles, 17 steals, 63 runs scored and 44 walks. Ackley also has tallied seven home runs and 40 RBI.

Wooten made four appearances and combined for seven shutout innings for the Tar Heels last week. The senior turned in one of his best performances in a shutdown victory at 24th-ranked Virginia on Saturday. In the 5-2 series-clinching win, the right-handed pitcher from Fremont, N.C., tossed a career-long 4 2/3 innings to collect his fourth win of the season. He struck out a career-best seven batters, allowing just two base runners and holding the Cavaliers to just one hit, a ninth-inning single. For the week, Wooten struck out 11, while walking only one over four appearances against North Florida and Virginia.

Wooten shares the ACC lead with 29 appearances and sports a 0.64 ERA over 42 innings. He has 50 strikeouts and only 15 walks on the year.

Four games are left in the final week of the regular season for North Carolina, including a three-game series at No. 1 Miami. The Tar Heels will first cap off their final non-conference game at the USA Baseball National Training Complex with a 7 p.m. nightcap against Winthrop before traveling to Coral Gables for a three-game set with the Hurricanes beginning Thursday.