Two from UNC sign baseball contracts

Former North Carolina baseball players Jay Cox and Jonathan Hovis have signed minor league contracts with the Colorado Rockies and New York Yankees, respectively, and reported to their professional clubs this week.

A 22nd-round pick in last month's draft, Cox is on the roster of the Casper (Wyo.) Rockies of the Rookie-level Pioneer League. Hovis has been added to the Staten Island (N.Y.) Yankees of the A-level New York-Penn League.

Cox, who is from Smithfield, had a career year as a junior in 2006 and earned first-team All-ACC honors. He hit .375 with a team-best 15 home runs and a career-high 65 RBIs and led the team with a .634 slugging percentage and a .462 on-base mark. Cox had 21 RBIs in the postseason to earn spots on the regional and College World Series all-tournament teams.

Hovis, the NCAA's leader in earned run average, was undrafted despite posting an 8-2 record with two saves over 38 appearances and 69 1/3 innings. His 1.17 ERA was fifth-best in UNC history and the lowest qualifying ERA since 1970.

Hovis, who is from Gastonia, finished his college career with an 18-7 record, seven saves and a 2.58 ERA.

SOCCER

TRIANGLE PLAYERS ON U.S. TEAM: Defender Kendall Fletcher of UNC and midfielder Rebecca Moros of Duke are among the 18 players chosen for the U.S. Under-21 women's national soccer team announced Wednesday.

Coach Jillian Ellis chose the squad that will travel to Norway for the 16th annual Nordic Cup being played July 16-22 in five small venues in and around Stavanger, Norway.

The U.S. team will assemble on the East Coast to train before leaving Tuesday for Norway. Held in Northern Europe every summer, the Nordic Cup is the top competition in the world for Under-21 women and the focus of the USA's oldest youth national team. The USA has won eight titles.

Ellis will have a relatively inexperienced squad, with just three players from last year's team -- defenders Rachel Buehler and Fletcher and midfielder Sarah Huffman.

"I think we've done a good job of getting the team some international games, so we've exposed them to that type of play," Ellis said. "At the end of the day, I am hoping they learn as they go, because in this tournament, you must start fast out of the gate."

The USA opens against Denmark on July 16, in Randaberg, and then faces Iceland on July 18, in Algard. The U.S. will finish first-round play against Norway on July 20, in Sandnes. All four placement matches are scheduled for July 22.

BASKETBALL

FLORIDA GUARD TRANSFERRING TO OLE MISS: David Huertas is transferring to Mississippi from national champion Florida, Rebels coach Andy Kennedy said Wednesday.

Huertas, a guard whose only start last season came in the Gators' win over Ole Miss, will sit out in 2006-07 and will have three seasons of eligibility beginning in 2007-08.