Can North Carolina baseball make the College World Series in Omaha? Projecting Tar Heels' postseason run
The North Carolina baseball team looks like they are on a mission this year. With a 40-12 regular season record and 21-8 in the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Tar Heels are among the favorites to shine in the Regionals and Super Regionals en route to the College World Series in Omaha.
With their 6-4 win against Duke Blue Devils last Friday, the Tar Heels clinched the ACC regular season title and, consequently, the No. 1 seed. This puts them on the top of the Chapel Hill, North Carolina Regional, where they are likely to face UNC Wilmington, UNC Greensboro and Fairfield.
They ended their regular season with an even bigger win over the Blue Devils last Saturday. Their 14-6 triumph improved their overall record to 40-12 and conference record to 22-8.
One of the stars of their current campaign has been junior outfielder Vance Honeycutt. The Tar Heels' #7 is enjoying one of his best seasons in college baseball, recording 75 runs. Additionally, he also registered 22 home runs and 28 stolen bases, both of which are second-best in the ACC.
Alongside Gavin Gallaher, Parks Harber and Casey Cook, who all have higher batting averages than Honeycutt, the North Carolina Tar Heels arguably have one of the strongest batting line-ups, not just in the ACC, but college baseball overall today.
Among their bullpen, sophomore RHP Matthew Matthijs has been leading the Tar Heels' charge this season with a 12-4 record overall and an ERA of 3.83. His conference record is nearly similar, with a 6-3 record and an ERA of 4.15. With Kyle Percival and Dalton Pence as strong relievers, their pitchers are highly capable of winning important games in the postseason and, in fact, reaching the prestigious World Series in Omaha.
North Carolina baseball to face Pittsburgh Panthers in ACC Championship
The Tar Heels finished their regular season on a high against the Duke Blue Devils, scoring a convincing 14-6 win in Durham. Casey Cook stole the show, driving five of their 14 runs in. With this win, North Carolina took the top seed for the ACC Championship.
They will begin their ACC Championship journey against the Pittsburgh Panthers on May 23 in pool play. They will look to their key players, mainly Honeycutt and Cook, among their star-studded lineup to clinch the series and carry their winning momentum deep into the postseason.