There are few teams hotter in college baseball than UNC right now.
The Diamond Heels are atop the ACC Coastal Division. Their pitching staff has made massive strides from last year, but it’s the lights-out offense capturing fans’ attention.
Not only has UNC been winning games, but they’ve been doing it against strong competition, too.
North Carolina added onto its historic start to the season, as it swept preseason Number One Wake Forest over Easter weekend, extending its win streak to nine games.
Sunday fun day 🧹
No. 14 @DiamondHeels swept the series against No. 12 Wake Forest, 14-10. #NCAABaseball x 🎥 ACCNXpic.twitter.com/aMPINIs4aR
— NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) April 1, 2024
The Tar Heels (25-4, 10-2) scored 30 runs in a series for the first time since early March, when they dropped 36 against Princeton. The Demon Deacons (17-10, 4-8), who are normally known for their pitching, couldn’t slow down the red-hot UNC bats.
Game 1: UNC 6, Wake Forest 5
This isn’t a low-scoring game by any means, but for this series, it certainly was.
It was Casey Cook’s turn to lead the North Carolina offense, driving in four runs on just two hits. Colby Wilkerson had a team-high three hits, while he and Cook both scored two runs.
UNC dealt Wake Forest ace Chase Burns his first loss of the year, as Burns was 5-0 comin into the game.
The Diamond Heels worked around a bases-loaded jam to win game one, with Dalton Pence notching his first save.
Game 2: UNC 10, Wake Forest 6
Unlike Game One, North Carolina actually came back from a small deficit on Saturday.
UNC jumped out to a 2-0 lead after four innings, thanks to two Parks Harber home runs, then fell behind in the fifth. After Roberto Osuna tied things up in the sixth on a fielder’s choice, Harber mashed his third home run and gave the Tar Heels a lead they’d never give back up.
Parks Harber is the ninth player in @DiamondHeels history to hit three homers in a game. He’s the first to accomplish the feat since Chris Maples on April 20, 2002, against NC State.
— Pat James (@patjames24) March 31, 2024
Harber drove in four runs to lead North Carolina, while catcher Luke Stevenson added three. Cook registered a 3-hit game, while six different Tar Heels scored.
Kyle Percival improved upon his perfect record for UNC out of the bullpen, winning his fourth game by pitching two-thirds of an inning in relief of Jason DeCaro.
Game 3: UNC 14, Wake Forest 10
Just like Saturday, North Carolina came back from an early deficit to win on Easter and sweep the series.
This game wasn’t decided until the ninth inning, when Stevenson essentially ended things with a 3-run bomb. This was part of a career-high, 6-RBI day for the freshman.
The Demon Deacons blasted a 2-run, third-inning home run to start the scoring, but UNC tied things up the next inning on a double-steal. The Diamond Heels took their first of three leads in the fifth, when Osuna blasted a three-run jack of his own.
Gallagher, who mashed two hits in this one, raised his team-best batting average to an even .400. Despite giving up three runs (two earned) on two hits, Matthew Matthijs notched his 11th win to extend his NCAA-best win total.
North Carolina is off until Thursday, when it heads to No. 9 UVA for a 3-game series.
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