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8 FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2008 A LOOK FROM BEHIND THE FEDEROWICZ TO LEAD NORTH CAROLINA BY DAVID ELY SPORTS EDITOR On paper, it doesn’t seem like much: 5 feet 10 inches, 213 pounds. Those aren't the kind of figures that jump out at most scouts. And they certainly aren t usually capable of producing feats of ath leticism at least in the manner people are generally accustomed to. On the diamond, though, those are the per fect measurements for a top-notch catcher - which is exactly what Tim Federowicz has become. If God crafted a catcher, it’s Tim Federowicz,’ right-hander Tyler Trice says of the UNC catcher’s notable physique. “Big legs, big butt, small upper body, slow. He’s a catcher down to a T." Those traits - shared by most dominant catchers - have helped Federowicz become one of the most successful catchers to roll through Chapel Hill in a while. Wr Hl JbL DTH/LARRY BAUM North Carolina's Tim Federowicz will man the plate for the Tar Heels dur ing the 2008 season. The junior is a preseason third-team All-American. A temporary playing ground While Boshamer Stadium is undergoing renovations, the Tar Heel baseball team will host its regular season home games at USA Baseball's National Training Complex in Cary. 1-40 * \ WHERE THEY PLAY tr S A comparison to * X ** Boshamer Stadium, which is five feet longer on both Jordan Traimnq left and right fields, as well as ■' , JjjjP Complex slightly asymmetrical. MILES Practice ™ % SOURCE google maps, unc basebau Practice DTH/AlllE WASSUM AND REBECCA ROUE FleW Spring Sports Be it blocking the plate, gunning down run ners or collecting timely hits, Federowicz does it all for the North Carolina baseball team. With the departure of clubhouse stables to the professional leagues, along with a bevy of young arms on the mound. Tar Heels will need the soft-spoken junior to become that much more wmmjL. if UNC intends to repeat its success from the past two seasons. mm But his - tory shows that Federowicz is Mm more than capable of adjusting his game he’s always tinkering with kL [I some aspect to meet the needs of this year’s North Carolina squad. But it wasn't always like this with Federowicz. He wasn’t always The Man. He wasn’t even always a catcher. Like most kids, Federowicz started his career at one of the more glamorous positions shortstop. It didn't take him very long, though, to figure out that behind the plate was where he belonged. “I think everyone played shortstop as they were growing up, or third base or something like that. But when I got around 10 years old was when 1 started catching, and I've been catching ever since,’ Federowicz says. Right from the get-go, Federowicz and the \ pf JF.-Sf' mask were a perfect fit. At nearby Apex High School, he was a two-time all- conference selection and the Tri-8 defensive player of the year. Yet Federowicz's ehr Daily oar ftrrl We thought we kinda got ad little hit when we recruited hh MIKE FOX. UNC BASENAU COACH. ON TIM FEDEROWICZ prep success didn't garner much attention from many marquee programs around the nation. Baseball had evolved into a game of five-tool standouts, where every school is looking for the next Joe Mauer, leaving little room for a slow catcher albeit one with a rocket arm. But UNC coach Mike Fox saw' something he liked during Federowicz’s recruitment and offered the Apex-native a scholarship. “Wc thought we kinda got a diamond in the rough a little bit when we recruited him,’ Fox says. “I don’t think too many people knew that much about him. “But we liked him and liked his demeanor and liked his character and obviously liked his throwing arm.” That cannon right arm, capable of erasing any mistake with a snap-throw to pick off a guy on first or gunning down a base stealer, quickly became the best friend of most Tar Heel pitchers. I take a lot of pride in it; I work on it prob ably more than most things. 1 really like to throw a lot. I like to throw behind runners; I like when runners steal because it gives me a chance to throw em out," Federowicz says. Asa freshman, though, Federowicz immedi ately proved that he was more than a thrower and that he deserved his spot on the UNC roster. Three games into the 2006 season, Federowicz w’as in the starting lineup. And he wouldn't be relegated to a reserve role for the rest of the season, rotating between behind the plate and designated hitter. That season he hit .320 good for fourth in a lineup comprised of mainly sophomores and juniors —and earned first-team freshman All- America honors from Baseball America as well as a spot on the All-College World Series team. The next season saw Federowicz earn second team All-ACC honors as he continued to play like a man with something to prove. “I’ve been kind of underrated my whole career* admits the preseason third-team All-America “And 1 think it’s really helped me out a lot, my successful seasons that I’ve had here, and it’s been good to get some recognition’ No matter what happens, no matter how’ hard you try, you just can’t get Federowicz mad. “Tim is a big teddy bear," senior Rob Wooten says. “We all love him. He’s a great roommate; he’s a great player it’s hard to make him mad." Oh, and his teammates love to rag on him especially Wooten and Trice, Federowicz’s roommates. More so than jeering him for his unfailing love of Double Stuf Oreos or sea salt and vinegar potato chips Cape Cod's, to be precise they like to get on die star catcher for his off- the-wall comments. “Tim-isms," if you will. “He needs to think out what he’s going to say before he actually says it," Trice says, pointing out one Tim-ism as exhibit A. “We were talking, making a joke about.
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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Feb. 15, 2008, edition 1
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