Potential 49ers-Heels matchup wouldn't be first in Birmingham

HOOVER, Ala. -- Whether Charlotte and North Carolina face each other Sunday for the national men's soccer championship remains to be seen. The 49ers play Creighton and the Tar Heels face UCLA in the semifinals Friday

But there already is some 49ers-Tar Heels history at Regions Field, which serves primarily as a minor-league baseball stadium. The Birmingham Barons’ Michael Jordan got his first hit as a pro baseball player on April 10, 1994, against Knoxville’s Joe Ganote – a former 49ers pitcher.

Ganote lasted longer in pro baseball than Jordan did. He bounced around the minors for seven seasons from 1990-96.

-- Charlotte soccer player Evan James is an accomplished singer and would have majored in the music field had time constraints not conflicted with soccer. He said athletics director Judy Rose once asked him to sing the national anthem before a men’s basketball game at Halton Arena. James, however, declined. He’s from Canada.

-- The 49ers’ are relatively healthy this season. The only injury of real consequence came when midfielder Will Mayhew (Concord Robinson High) went out for the season with a torn ACL in September.

-- Charlotte’s Gentile was named a first-team freshman All-American by College Soccer News on Thursday … 49ers senior defender Charles Rodriguez and James have been invited to Major League Soccer’s player combine Jan. 6-10 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Other College Cup players invited to the combine: North Carolina forward Billy Schuler, defender Matt Hedges and midfielder Kirk Urso; Creighton defender Andrew Duran, midfielder Greg Jordan and forward Ethan Finlay; UCLA forward/midfielder Eder Arreola, midfielder/defender Andy Rose, goalkeeper Brian Rowe and defender Shawn Singh.