I truly thought the North Carolina Tar Heels could win the 2024 College World Series.
UNC had all the pieces of a championship team: a reliable star hitter to count on for clutch, consistent production in Vance Honeycutt, a batting order that could hit from 1-to-9, a shutdown closer who could cool even the hottest of lineups in Dalton Pence, a strong defensive unit and – most important of all – a great coach in Scott Forbes.
North Carolina won its opening game of the College World Series, thanks to ninth-inning heroics from Honeycutt and Jackson Van De Brake, but later exited after consecutive losses to Tennessee and Florida State.
The Diamond Heels put the college baseball world on notice, but also garnered some MLB Draft attention for Pence and its entire starting outfield.
On Saturday, July 12 – just two days ahead of the 2024 MLB Draft, Baseball America ranked Honeycutt (13th), Casey Cook (164th), Pence (340th) and Anthony Donofrio (449th) amongst its top draft prospects.
Honeycutt turned in a historic career at UNC, highlighted last year by becoming the first player in ACC history to hit 50 career home runs and steal 70 career bases, plus a second-consecutive ACC Defensive Player of the Year Award (also only player in ACC history to achieve this feat).
Cook enjoyed a massive power surge during his 2024 redshirt-sophomore campaign, finishing third on North Carolina with 18 home runs. Cook’s .341 batting average was second-highest amongst Diamond Heel hitters, while his 78 RBIs were third in the ACC and 11th in Division-I.
Donofrio only played at North Carolina last year, but he made an immediate impact. He finished third on the Diamond Heels with a .326 batting average, tops on the Diamond Heels with 19 doubles and most in the ACC with six triples.
Pence made a good case for the top reliever in college baseball. He recorded a team-best eight saves, 2.45 earned run average, struck out 74 batters (second-most on UNC) and earned five wins out of the bullpen. Pence’s best performances came in the NCAA Tournament – earning a win against LSU in the Chapel Hill Regional, then a save against West Virginia in the Chapel Hill Super Regional.
If you want to see where some of your favorite Diamond Heels will be chosen, tune into the MLB Draft at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 14.
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