The North Carolina baseball team has enjoyed a tremendous season so far, amassing a 38-8 record overall as the Tar Heels began playing again on Tuesday after taking a break for exams.

UNC is ranked No. 2 in many of the national polls, and by the end of the regular season Carolina could actually be the top-ranked team in college baseball. Yet given the nature of the last two weeks on the schedule, the Tar Heels could find themselves dropping out of the nation's top eight just as easily.

The reason is Carolina has a brutal schedule here at the end of the regular season.

North Florida visited the Tar Heels at the USA Baseball Training Complex in Cary for games on Tuesday and today. Then, Carolina must travel to Virginia for a three-game series this weekend. As of this past Tuesday, the Cavaliers were 33-15, 13-11 in the ACC, and Virginia has given UNC fits in Charlottesville in recent years.

After a final non-conference game on May 13 against Winthrop, UNC will then end the regular season with a trip to Miami, which actually leads the Tar Heels in the Coastal Division of the ACC.

The Hurricanes also happen to be the No. 1-ranked team in the country at 39-5, 20-2.

When this season began, Carolina figured to be a team relying heavily on its bats. UNC has lost multiple pitchers to the major-league draft after the last two seasons.

Not one of the weekend starters who pitched in the College World Series two years ago is still on the team. Only one of the weekend starters is back from a year ago. Coach Mike Fox wasn't even sure who would be the Sunday starter this year when the season began.

An amazing thing has occurred, however. UNC is No. 1 in the NCAA in earned run average at 2.21. Carolina is also No. 1 in the country in strikeouts per nine innings with 10.1 and in hits allowed at 7.37 per nine innings.

The Tar Heels lead the ACC by holding opponents to a batting average of .226.

Alex White has been outstanding as the Friday starter. Adam Warren has been just as good as the Saturday man. In addition, Fox has said more than once this is the best bullpen he may have ever had.

Those kids have done an amazing job time and again of holding teams in check when their names are called.

None of this is to say Carolina cannot hit. The Tar Heels lead the ACC with 119 doubles and 18 triples. UNC's team batting average of .322 is third behind Florida State (.348) and Miami (.337).

One difference in this Carolina team is it hasn't hit a lot of home runs, but that is overwhelmingly because of the park. This team would be among the league leaders in home runs, and, frankly, its ERA might not be so spectacular, if the Tar Heels were playing on their home field.

But with Boshamer undergoing renovation, the Tar Heels have moved to a field that can rival a major-league park for its depth and size. The power alleys at the USA facility are around 390 feet.

Carolina has had to get its hands on top of the baseball and drive it to be successful at the plate this year, which is one reason the Tar Heels are No. 1 in the ACC in doubles with 119 and triples with 18. At the other end of the spectrum, Georgia Tech leads the league with 80 home runs, while UNC has 44.

This UNC team has been solid in just about every aspect of the game. For example, Carolina leads the ACC in picking off runners with 17.

UNC is tied for second in throwing out people trying to steal (24 times). So between the pitchers' ability to pick off runners and the catchers' ability to throw them out at second base, Carolina has the least number of steal attempts against it of anyone in the ACC with 44; whereas, teams have attempted to steal 79 times against Virginia Tech and Boston College.

And yet for all the accomplishments this team has compiled so far, it's going to take the Tar Heels' best effort in these final two weeks to enter the ACC Tournament still ranked in the top three in the nation.

That is the challenge that lays ahead for one excellent baseball team.