When Dustin Ackley came to the plate in the ninth inning Thursday night at Rosenblatt Stadium, his North Carolina team was on the wrong side of a blowout against Arizona State. But that didn't prevent the Tar Heels junior from doing what he does best.
Ackley lined a single to right field to extend his College World Series hitting streak to 15 games and his NCAA Tournament streak to 22 games. He finished his college career just like he started -- by putting the bat on the baseball.
He exited Omaha with his name atop the College World Series record book. In three trips to Omaha, Ackley hit .412 (28-for-68). His 28 CWS hits is the NCAA career record.
"For me, I just came in as a freshman trying to get a job starting
anywhere on the field," Ackley said after his CWS finale. "It was a great ride. To end it on a stage like
this was incredible."
How good was Ackley this season? As good as it gets.
He finished this season with a .417 batting average and will leave North Carolina as the Tar Heels' career leader with a .412 average. He also had 39 homers in three seasons, including 22 this season.
The next stage for Ackley will be the professional ranks. He was drafted second overall in this June's MLB first-year player draft by the Seattle Mariners. With his swing and determination, the future is limitless.
But regardless of how his professional career works out, Ackley leaves North Carolina as arguably the best hitter ever to step to the plate for the Tar Heels.
