June 1, 2000

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Season-at-a-glance
The 2000 North Carolina Tar Heels enjoyed the finest season in the history of the program, finishing with a record of 47-17. They won more games than any Carolina team has since the school switched to fastpitch play in 1984.

The Tar Heels broke school single-season records for hits (531), runs (297), RBI (252), doubles (86), home runs (35) and total bases (746). The Tar Heels also saw new marks established for career stolen bases (senior Crystal Henderson: 76), career doubles (junior Michelle Semmes: 36) and career home runs (sophomore Natalie Anter, Henderson: 17), as well as RBI in a season (sophomore Kelly Ramsey, 48).

Throughout the season, the Tar Heels led the Atlantic Coast Conference and ranked among the nation's leaders in batting average. At the end of the season, UNC was hitting .317, fifth in the NCAA. Carolina also ranked 17th in the NCAA in winning percentage.

Quick Facts on the 2000 Tar Heels

Quick Facts on UNC

2000 Honors and Awards

All-America
Third team: Kelly Ramsey

All-Southeast Region
First team: Natalie Anter, Jen Klesaris, Kelly Ramsey, Michelle Semmes
Second team: Crystal Henderson, Radara McHugh

ACC Player of the Year: Michelle Semmes

ACC Coach of the year: Donna Papa

All-ACC: Natalie Anter, Crystal Henderson, Radara McHugh, Michelle Semmes

All-ACC Tournament: Crystal Henderson

ACC Players of the Week
Feb. 14: Kelly Ramsey, Feb. 21: Natalie Anter, April 10: Quinn Porter

ACC Pitchers of the Week
Feb. 28: Erin Joseph, April 10: Radara McHugh

All-Tournament Teams
Triangle Classic: Natalie Anter, Carrie Bates
Buzz Classic: Radara McHugh
Ringor Winthrop Invitational: Natalie Anter, Jen Klesaris, Michelle Semmes
Tar Heel Invitational: Radara McHugh (MVP), Jen Klesaris, Beth Olen, Quinn Porter

Tar Heels in the 2000 ACC Tournament
UNC went into the conference tournament as the top seed, but was eliminated in two games. The Tar Heels lost their opening game 3-1 to Virginia on April 29, then fell to Maryland 4-3 on April 30. Senior Crystal Henderson hit two doubles and a home run in the two tournament games and was named to the All-ACC Tournament team.

Round-trippers, with regularity
For the second year in a row, the Tar Heels established a team single-season record for home runs. Heading into 2000, the mark to beat was 27 by the 1999 team. The 2000 team hit its 27th in the 40th game of the season, against Virginia Tech on March 25, and kept right on going. Carolina finished with a total of 35 home runs in 64 games.

The Tar Heels hit a season-high five against St. Peter"s on March 18 at the Ringor Winthrop Invitational in Rock Hill, S.C., to set a school single-game record.

Henderson swipes record base
On April 12, in a doubleheader against UNC-Wilmington, senior Crystal Henderson stole the 73rd and 74th bases of her career to set a UNC record. Number 74, which broke the record set by Sonya Bright from 1990-93, came in the sixth inning of the second game. After Henderson stole second, the game was halted briefly while UNC coach Donna Papa presented her with a commemorative base, which Henderson has said will go in a trophy case at her home in Severn, Md.

Henderson finished her UNC career with stolen 76 bases (in 86 attempts). She was 17-for-21 during her senior season.

Anter rewriting home run mark
Although just a sophomore, Natalie Anter already shares UNC"s career home runs record with a total of 17. (The old record was 14, held by Beverly Smith, who is now a tar Heel assistant coach.) Anter finished the season with nine home runs, just one short of the single-season mark of 10.

Crystal Henderson finished her UNC career with a total of 17 home runs and currently tied with Anter.

Semmes owns doubles record
With another full season to play, junior Michelle Semmes is on her way to shattering the UNC career doubles mark. Semmes, a shortstop who led the 2000 team in batting average, finished the season with a career total of 36. The old record was 33, set by Christine Kubin from 1993-96.

Semmes tied and broke Kubin"s record with two doubles in the first game of a doubleheader at UNC-Charlotte on April 5. She had 17 in the 2000 season, the best on the team and in the ACC.

Rewriting the book
The Tar Heels made major renovations to the UNC record book during the 2000 season. Following are records that were tied or broken:

Team single-season

Individual single-season
RBI: 48, Kelly Ramsey (old record: 45, Beverly Smith, 1992)

Individual career

Papa passes another milestone
Coach Donna Papa, in her 15th year in Chapel Hill, earned the 500th win of her UNC career on March 19, when the Tar Heels beat East Carolina 5-2 in the semifinals of the Ringor Winthrop Invitational in Rock Hill, S.C. Papa earned her 500th career win last season, also in a game against ECU. She reached that milestone on April 21, 1999, with a 2-0 win over the Pirates in Greenville, N.C.

Papa has completed 17 seasons as a head coach. She spent two seasons at Susquehanna University before coming to UNC prior to the 1986 season. In 2000, she was named ACC Coach of the Year, earning the honor for the third time in the past five seasons.

Hits hard to come by against the Tar Heels
The Tar Heel pitching staff held opponents to an impressive .198 batting average during the 2000 season. In just eight games during the season did an opponent hit better than .300 against Carolina and only one team surpassed .400 (Florida State with .448 in the first game of the doubleheader on April 16).

UNC also was stingy when it came to extra-base hits. In 64 games, the Tar Heel pitchers gave up just 53 hits besides singles. Of those, 36 were doubles, eight were triples and just nine were home runs. The Tar Heels, in comparison, hit 35 homers.

UNC in the NCAA standings

Team:

Individual:
ERA: Radara McHugh, 1.07, 36th

UNC in the ACC standings

Team

Individual

Slams are grand
Tar Heel batters hit three grand slams during the 2000 season, compared with none by opponents. Sophomore Natalie Anter"s was first, against Akron on Feb. 19. Senior Jen Klesaris" grand slam against St. Peter"s on March 18 was one of two home runs she hit in that game. Freshman Quinn Porter hit a grand slam on April 9 against Radford. It was the first home run of her collegiate career.

California connection
The 2000 Carolina roster boasted more players from the state of California"five"than any other state, including North Carolina. Tar Heels who hail from the West Coast are Natalie Anter (Upland), Carrie Bates (Santa Ana), Rosie Gustavson (Santa Ana), Erin Joseph (Upland), and Kelly Ramsey (Del Mar).

New additions
Seven high school seniors have signed letters of intent with UNC and will join the Tar Heel roster in the fall.

• Jennifer "Jenna" Bischoff, P/1B, Tallahassee, Fla. (Leon)
• Heather Hughes, OF/P, Hope Mills, N.C. (Southview)
• Lauren Looper, SS/IF, Charlotte, N.C. (North Mecklenburg)
• Emily Price, SS/2B, Decatur, Ill. (Eisenhower High)
• Jessica Robinson, IF, Asheboro, N.C. (Asheboro High)
• Natashalyn Snipes, SS/OF, Durham, N.C. (Northern High)
• Dionne Streete, SS/3B, Pembroke Pines, Fla. (Flanagan)