If you’ve been a regular reader of the Diamond Heels update, you’ll know that after a torrid start, the Tar Heel baseball team has cooled down so much they’re completely unrecognizable from the one that won eleven of his first twelve. The road ahead doesn’t get any easier, and after a tough weekend against the Yellow Jackets, some momentum was needed.
UNC Baseball Weekend Schedule
- 4/22 @UVa-6PM, additional ACCN
- 4/23 @UVa-1PM, additional ACCN
- 4/24 @UVa-2PM, ESPNU
Tar Heels still unseeded after week 1-3 last week
Recap-UNC vs. Campbell 4/19
The Tar Heels started with the hot bats against the Camels on Tuesday night, as they managed to take a 2-0 lead thanks to a Hunter Stokely single, which scored Alberto Osuna and Mac Horvath. The Tar Heels went with a bullpen game as Shawn App got the start but only went two innings, giving up a run, and Nik Pry would come on to give up another run to the Camels leading to a tie score after four rounds.
Osuna fought back in the fifth to definitively put the Tar Heels ahead with another single that brought Horvath in for his second inning of the game. The attack then exploded in the sixth for three points, as Angel Zarate managed to score two points at home and Horvath sacrificed himself in a third. Campbell would claw two more on the board in the seventh, but from there Davis Palermo would come in and throw three scoreless innings to grab the stoppage. Connor Boviar would get the win after two runs of work.
Yes, baseball is weird. Boviar pitched two innings and got the win, Palermo pitched three innings and got a stoppage. The match was a much needed win for the Tar Heels as they managed to win despite never getting a bigger hit than a double of the seven they collected.
Weekend Opponent-Virginia
The Cavaliers enter the weekend third in the Coastal at 10-8, while the Tar Heels sit 8-10 and second-last. Much like the Tar Heels, the majority of their losses this season have come in the conference as they are 28-10 overall.
After a weekend where the Tar Heels had games decided by scores of 12-15, 10-5 and 8-11, they are now looking to be the league leaders in throwing. The Cavs staff boast a 3.40 ERA this season, are second in the conference in strikeouts, and opponents are hitting just .212 against them. The Cavs are fourth in the league in hitting, hitting .315 total, and are second to Georgia Tech in RBIs. They’ve only done it by hitting 50 homers, in the bottom third of the league, which means they’ll bite you.
Much like Carolina, Virginia started hot but they’ve been battling lately. This month they were swept by Miami, lost two of three to Pitt and lost midweek games to VCU and Old Dominion. In short, this is setting up as a series between two teams looking to reverse their recent fortunes, and it could be seen as a difference maker when the bids for the NCAA tournament are released.
Can the Tar Heels pull off a big series win on the road and start righting the ship in time for the rest of the season? With only three ACC series remaining after this one, if the Heels want to have an argument to fight for the College World Series, they’ll have to put their struggles behind them.
