There’s no shortage of arms amongst the UNC baseball team’s pitching staff, but there was a few questions heading into last Friday’s season-opener against Wagner.
One of those big questions was about who’d rise to become the ace.
Connor Bovair, Max Carlson and Jake Knapp were the Diamond Heels’ main starters last season. Bovair struggled with a 5.57 earned run average, Carlson was drafted by the Boston Red Sox and Knapp is sitting out the current campaign with a torn UCL.
We may have an early answer for 2024 staff ace – Folger Boaz.
If that last name sounds familiar to you, it’s because he’s the younger brother of former Tar Heels quarterback Jefferson Boaz.
North Carolina head coach Scott Forbes gave the younger Boaz a tall task ahead of the season opener – starting his first collegiate game.
Folger – the 2022-2023 NCHSAA Athlete of the Year – delivered. He struck out five Seahawk batters, allowed just five hits, one run and walk apiece, while doing all this in 80 pitches. There’s a good chance Folger could’ve gone deeper into the game, but the opener is so minuscule in terms of overall season outlook.
In comparison, no starting pitcher lasted more than 3 1/3 innings through UNC’s first four games this year, including Tuesday’s 8-7 win over Elon.
Friday was just one game, but it’s encouraging to know the Diamond Heels have a reliable freshman in their starting rotation.
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