Category: College World Series

Vance Honeycutt lines walk-off single to deliver UNC College World Series-opening win

Big players come through in big-time moments. UNC star Vance Honeycutt came through, yet again, on Friday afternoon in North Carolina’s College World Series opener.

Seriously, what can’t Vance Honeycutt do?

The UNC baseball team’s star center fielder has broken records left and right this season. He set North Carolina’s single-season program record for home runs (26) earlier this yar, breaking his own record, while becoming the lone player in ACC baseball history to mash 50 career home runs and drive in 70 runners.

Honeycutt expanded upon his regular season heroics in the Chapel Hill Regional, mashing two home runs in the Diamond Heels’ opener against Long Island University. In Game 1 of the Chapel Hill Super Regional, against a West Virginia squad making their first-ever appearance in that round, Honeycutt blasted a walk-off home run to left field that sent the Boshamer Stadium crowd into a frenzy.

You thought Honeycutt was done after the Regional and Super Regional rounds?

Think again.

In UNC’s College World Series opener on Friday, June 14 against the University of Virginia, Honeycutt lined a 2-1 pitch into left field and delivered his team a 3-2 victory.

Honeycutt entered his final at-bat 0-4 in the game, with a pair of groundouts and a flyout to center field.

That wouldn’t deter the face of North Carolina baseball in his biggest moment of the season.

As soon as Honeycutt’s swing made contact with Chase Hungate’s pitch, Diamond Heels pinch-hitter Jackson Van De Brake raced around third base and crossed home plate. Honeycutt turned and smiled at his dugout, with teammates racing out to mob him.

UNC now awaits the winner of Tennessee-Florida State on Sunday, June 16 at 7 p.m. ET.

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Super Regional standout Matt Poston talks about his journey to College World Series

Relief pitcher Matt Poston played a major role in UNC’s Game 1 Super Regional victory. How big of a role will he play in the College World Series?

Game 1 of the Chapel Hill Super Regional was going to give either UNC – or West Virginia – a major leg up en route to the College World Series.

Sure, there’s been plenty of comebacks over the years, but each game is extra crucial when a series is just best of three.

The visiting Mountaineers took a 6-4 lead in the sixth inning of Game 1, while ace Derek Clark dominated the Diamond Heels on the mound. North Carolina would need its hitters to come up with some late-inning magic of their own, while pitching would have to shut down West Virginia’s hot bats.

Vance Honeycutt vaulted North Carolina into Game 2 with a 1-game lead, blasting a ninth-inning, walk-off home run and sending Boshamer Stadium into a frenzy.

UNC needed one of its pitchers to step up after Shea Sprague, Matthew Matthijs and Ben Peterson struggled on the mound.

Try Matt Poston, who struggled in Game 1 of the Chapel Hill Regional against Long Island University.

Poston delivered his best outing of the year, working out of a jam and striking out four Mountaineers in three perfect innings.

Now, Poston and his Diamond Heels teammates will be heading to Omaha. It’s a moment Poston dreamed about since he grew up watching it.

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“My favorite memory growing up was probably the first year my dad got to be my baseball coach,” Poston said. “I thought it was just the coolest thing ever – my dad was in charge of coaching me and making me and my friends better. Growing up, we definitely watched the College World Series all the time. I always thought it’d be cool to play there – now being to to actually play there is really cool.”

North Carolina opens up its College World Series run on Friday, June 14 at 2 p.m. ET against an ACC rival – the University of Virginia. The Cavaliers won two of three over Easter Weekend, but UNC salvaged the final game by scoring 12 runs.

If Poston can pitch like he did in the Super Regional, the Diamond Heels can go a long way. I’m excited for their journey.

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Comparing UNC baseball’s 2018 College World Series appearance to this year’s run

The 2018 UNC baseball season ended in College World Series heartbreak. Can the 2024 Diamond Heels turn this year’s trip into their first CWS title?

For the first time since 2018, the UNC baseball team will be playing in the College World Series.

North Carolina’s journey in getting to Omaha, though, was anything but easy.

The Diamond Heels earned the NCAA Baseball Tournament’s fourth national seed, meaning they’d be hosting a Regional (for the second time in three season). High seeding doesn’t guarantee any victories, but playing in front of your home crowd provides a major advantage.

UNC trailed 4-seed LIU in the Chapel Hill Regional opener, but Gavin Gallaher later ended a thrilling comeback with his walk-off grand slam. Reigning national champion LSU had North Carolina two outs away from the end of its season – in the Chapel Hill Regional Final – but Colby Wilkerson and Alex Madera provided the game-tying and go-ahead runs.

The Diamond Heels also trailed late in Game 1 of the Chapel Hill Super Regional, down 6-5 to West Virginia with Mountaineers ace Derek Clark on the mound. Luke Stevenson tied the game at six on his first pitch of the inning, then all-star center fielder Vance Honeycutt walked it off with a 2-run blast.

UNC then escaped a 2-out, bases loaded jam to win 2-1 in Game 2 of its Super Regional.

In 2018, back when North Carolina last made the College World Series, it started with a rare victory (8-6) against Oregon State. The Diamond Heels dealt Beavers ace Luke Heimlich just his second loss on the year, tagging him for six runs in 2 1/3 innings.

Day 2 against Mississippi State wasn’t as kind, with UNC getting destroyed 12-2. North Carolina took a brief, 1-0 lead in the first inning on a Cody Roberts sac fly, but fell victim to a career day from now-Baltimore Orioles slugger Jordan Westburg.

Who did the Diamond Heels’s 2018 CWS appearance end against?

If you guessed Oregon State, you are correct.

UNC trailed the Beavers 3-0 early, then scored six unanswered runs with RBIs from Cody Roberts, Brandon Riley, Ike Freeman and Kyle Datres to take a 6-3 lead. Oregon State’s eight unanswered runs, though, proved too much for North Carolina to overcome.

Here’s to hoping the Diamond Heels’ 2024 run, which starts on Friday, June 14 at 2 p.m. against ACC rival UVA, ends in their first CWS title.

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UNC baseball team releases nostalgic hype video ahead of College World Series

The UNC baseball team prepared Tar Heel Nation for the College World Series with this video.

If you’re not already excited about the UNC baseball team’s journey to the College World Series, you certainly should be.

With the exception of a few early-season series, North Carolina has pretty much dominated the college baseball world. The Diamond Heels won their first outright, ACC Regular Season Championship since 2018 and – while they didn’t win the tournament – delivered some of the most clutch comebacks you’ll ever witness in the Regional and Super Regional rounds.

North Carolina gave its fans one last memory in Chapel Hill this week, inviting Tar Heel Nation to Boshamer Stadium for a team send-off. UNC has since landed safely in Omaha, sharing pictures from multiple practices and a fun, non-baseball related trip to the zoo.

Brace yourself for what you’re about to witness, as this video will have you running through a wall.

The Diamond Heels released their official CWS hype video on Thursday, June 13, highlighting their past success and trips to Omaha, this year’s journey and our passionate fanbase with a perfect soundtrack.

If you recognize the voice narrating North Carolina’s hype video, that’s Chad Flack, a member of the 2006 and 2007 teams that lost to Oregon State in the CWS finals.

I’ve said this numerous times: UNC is one of the best college baseball programs to never win a College World Series. The video highlights how many times the Diamond Heels have been to Omaha, particularly since the turn of the century: 1960, 1966, 1978, 1989, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2018, 2024.

North Carolina’s quest for its first CWS title kicks off on Friday, June 14 at 2 p.m. ET, as it faces ACC rival University of Virginia in the CWS opener.

Are you ready to run through a wall yet?

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Where do Diamond Heels rank in re-seeding of College World Series teams?

The College World Series features four ACC and SEC teams for the first time ever. Where does UNC fall in the re-rank?

The North Carolina Tar Heels get the honor of opening the 2024 College World Series, hosting ACC rival UVA on Friday, June 14 at 2 p.m.

UNC needed late-inning magic and a few career outings from star closer Dalton Pence to win its own Super Regional, while the Cavaliers breezed through their Regional and Super Regionals. Both conference foes faced off in the regular season, with UVA winning two of three over Easter weekend, though North Carolina salvaged the series finale.

Both the Diamond Heels and Cavaliers will be joined by fellow ACC programs Florida State and NC State, plus four SEC schools in Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Florida. FSU and Tennessee join UNC and UVA’s side of the bracket, while Kentucky, NC State, Texas A&M and Florida make up the other side.

One fun prediction the media likes to do before tournaments is the re-seeding of the team.

North Carolina, which enters the CWS as the fourth national seed, is also the fourth seed in 247Sports’ re-seeding of the Omaha Eight.

“North Carolina accounted for many of the tournament’s biggest fireworks in “Chapel Thrill,” winning in walk-off fashion multiple times en route to Omaha,” 247Sports, Carter Bahns wrote. “The concern with the Tar Heels is whether or not their narrow victories are sustainable, but winning in such exciting fashion goes a long way in the confidence department, and that is often half the battle in the NCAA Tournament. Vance Honeycutt seems determined to will this team to its first national championship and is one of the hottest hitters in the CWS field, after he went 4-9 with two home runs in the super regional round. That was in addition to the two-homer game he logged in the Chapel Hill Regional opener.”

Tennessee (top-ranked), Kentucky (second) and Texas A&M (third) are ahead of the Diamond Heels, while Florida State (fifth), UVA (sixth), Florida (seventh) and NC State (eighth) fall behind.

As we learned immediately in the Regional and Super Regional rounds, pre-tournament seeding means very little.

Bahns’ analysis brings up a strong point, though – will UNC need late-inning rallies to win?

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Major travel day for UNC baseball team ends safely at College World Series

How did UNC baseball fans spend their Tuesday afternoon?

There isn’t a fan base in the entire country, at least from what we’ve watched this season, that is more passionate about college baseball than that of the North Carolina Tar Heels.

UNC fans packed Boshamer Stadium over the past two weekends, cheering North Carolina through the Chapel Hill Regional and Super Regionals, on through to the College World Series. The Diamond Heels treated the thousands in attendance to multiple come-from-behind victories and walk-off wins, including Vance Honeycutt’s moonshot that ended Game 1 of the Super Regional against West Virginia.

If there weren’t a net that extended through foul territory, I can bet you there would’ve been a field storming at The Bosh.

Sadly, Game 2 of the Chapel Hill Super Regional was the last time North Carolina plays baseball at home this season. It wasn’t the last time fans were able to see their favorite players in Chapel Hill, though.

On Tuesday, June 11, when UNC departed for the College World Series, it invited its loyal fans to Boshamer Stadium for one final send-off.

Later on Tuesday, the Diamond Heels’ official X account announced the team touched down in Omaha.

We can’t promise that these same North Carolina fans will be in Omaha, but you can bet that thousands will travel to the Midwest and watch their favorite team.

UNC will start chasing its first national title on Friday, June 14 at 2 p.m. ET, as it hosts ACC rival UVA to open the College World Series.

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