Quirky stat: Nine of North Carolina's first 12 batters reached base (5 singles, 1 double, three walks), but only two scored because Southern Mississippi twice turned double plays.
Why coaches get gray hair: With an 8-0 lead in the fourth inning, North Carolina pitcher Adam Warren walked two of the first three USM batters, then gave up a home run.
Overlooked: Lost in the hubbub over Ackley's five hits was the first four-hit game for UNC shortstop Ryan Graepel.
Inside the numbers: Of UNC's 23 hits, 20 were singles. The Tar Heels' Warren threw 128 pitches in six innings, including 44 in the fourth.
They said it: “We had a magical season and our kids played great,'' retiring USM coach Corky Palmer said. “I'm glad these guys let me work a little longer.''
Our take: As Southern Mississippi learned the hard way, any pitching weaknesses get exposed at the College World Series. Still, the Golden Eagles and coach Palmer deserve a salute. North Carolina, with many hardened veterans of Omaha, still have work to do in the losers bracket.
— Lee Barfknecht
Those who voted North Carolina's Dustin Ackley a first-team All-American will get no argument from those attending the 63rd College World Series.
On Tuesday, the junior first baseman from Walnut Cove, N.C., smoked five hits to lead the Tar Heels to an 11-4 elimination-game win over Southern Mississippi and become the CWS career leader in hits.
“That was an unbelievable performance,'' UNC coach Mike Fox said. “We've seen that before from him day in and day out.
“He is one sensational player, and I'm glad the nation got to see a little bit of that.''
By going 5 for 6, Ackley boosted his CWS hit total to 27, topping the old mark of 24 by Stanford's Sam Fuld from 2001 to '03.
Ackley, a 6-foot-1, 185-pound left-hander, singled in a run in the first inning; doubled in a run in the second; singled in a run in the third; singled in the fifth; and singled in the seventh.
His bid to tie the CWS record for hits in a single game — six by Tennessee's Kris Bennett in 2001 — died on the warning track in left center in the ninth inning.
“It was just one of those days,'' Ackley said. “I've had days where I've hit a bunch of balls on the nose and they've been outs.
“Today, it seemed like a bunch of the balls I was hitting were finding holes.''
Southern Mississippi players had high praise for Ackley, whose average jumped from .412 to .421 during the game.
“It seemed like every time I shaded the middle, he hit the four-hole,'' USM second baseman James Ewing said. “And every time I shaded the four-hole, he hit the middle.
“The guy can flat-out hit. We had heard about him. But to watch him — the guy hits the ball where it's pitched, he's got great hand-eye coordination and you can't strike him out. That was a show he put on.''
Ackley, the No. 2 overall pick in the major league draft by Seattle, said he knew that he was close to the career hit record.
“It was definitely exciting to get the record,'' he said. “But we needed to do more than that. It was special to get it, but the win was even bigger.''
Ackley wasn't the only hot hitter Tuesday as North Carolina (48-17, 1-1) advanced to a 6 p.m. elimination game on Thursday.
The Tar Heels collected 23 hits, tying the CWS single-game record reached by Arizona State in 1984 and 1988 and Southern California in 1998.
Still, Fox said he never got comfortable, despite holding Southern Mississippi (40-26) to five hits.
“It's a strange box score to me,'' he said. “I never felt the game was in our hand until the last out, even with 23 hits.''
North Carolina jumped ahead 8-0 after 3½ innings. USM got a three-run homer from shortstop B.A. Vollmuth in the fourth, but that was the Golden Eagles' only offense in six innings against UNC starter Adam Warren (10-2).
“Kind of my worst fears came true,'' said USM's Corky Palmer, who coached the final game of his 32-year career. “North Carolina is a tremendous club. They can pitch, hit and play defense.
“I was worried about the matchup with their seven left-handed hitters. We didn't have an answer.''
Contact the writer: 444-1024, lee.barfknecht@owh.com
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