Tag: Casey Cook

UNC outfielder Casey Cook named to Midseason Watch List

If it weren’t for starting left fielder Casey Cook, how well would the UNC baseball team be playing?

Even in a 14-11 loss at UVA Thursday night, the UNC baseball team has been amongst the country’s best programs to kick off 2024.

North Carolina (25-5, 10-3 ACC) is tied atop the conference with Clemson in overall win total. The Tar Heels have largely performed better on the mound, even with a younger pitching staff, but it’s their bats turning heads.

UNC carries a .315 team batting average, which ranks 24th in the nation. Seven starters, led by a scorching .400 mark from infielder Gavin Gallagher, are hitting at least .300.

The most productive hitter, however, has been starting left fielder Casey Cook. He sports a .375 average, leads the Diamond Heels in hits (45, T-ninth in the nation) and RBIs (43, T-sixth in nation).

As the catalyst of North Carolina’s high-flying offense, Cook was named to the Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List.

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The Golden Spikes Award is given annually to the top player in college baseball. Cook has been on the list since Feb. 9, when the preseason list was announced.

Cook’s latest big game came on Friday, March 29, when he mashed two home runs and drove in four runners, during the first of UNC’s three straight wins against Wake Forest. Cook also produced during the Diamond Heels’ 14-11 loss to UVA on Thursday night, driving in two runs on two hits, while also scoring two runs.

Just how much further can Cook elevate his game? Will he be able to bring North Carolina back to the College World Series?

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Casey Cook’s monster season continues in UNC’s Friday upset of Wake Forest

Casey Cook is one of the hottest names in college baseball right now.

If you don’t know the name Casey Cook in the college baseball world, you definitely will by season’s end.

Cook, the UNC baseball team’s starting left fielder, is an RBI machine with an insane batting average. He’s tied for the NCAA lead with 42 RBIs, plus he’s second on the Diamond Heels to Roberto Osuna with a .364 batting average.

Oh – and if you’ve been reading our baseball stories, Cook is one of nine regular position players in the starting lineup hitting a minimum .300.

Cook just added on to his breakout campaign on Friday, March 29, mashing two home runs and driving four runs, to lead 14th-ranked North Carolina in a 6-5 upset of 12th-ranked Wake Forest.

This wasn’t the first time Cook homered twice in a game, as he also did on Saturday, March 17 against Miami.

Cook’s first Friday night home run came on a first-inning, bases-loaded pitch against Wake Forest ace Chase Burns, who UNC tagged for his first loss. Cook’s second round-tripper came in the second inning, scoring Colby Wilkerson and Alex Madera on the first pitch of his at-bat.

Players can only get better as the season goes on. If Cook keeps up his early-season tear, the Diamond Heels will be in good shape come ACC and NCAA Tournament play.

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Pence slams the door on Elon comeback, Diamond Heels remain undefeated

A Casey Cook single and Dalton Pence shutdown inning proved to be the UNC baseball team’s difference-makers in Tuesday’s 8-7 win over Elon.

After coasting through Opening Weekend against Wagner, the UNC baseball team needed a challenge to test how good of a team it was.

North Carolina got that test on Tuesday afternoon against a pesky Elon squad, which was looking for a massive upset.

Even with a Vance Honeycutt grand slam, a trio of run-scoring singles and a Pheonix error, it was Diamond Heels reliever Dalton Pence who closed the door on a tight, 8-7 UNC victory.

Elon (1-3) knocked North Carolina reliever Aidan Haugh for two runs in the eighth, closing its deficit to what ended up being the final score. The Diamond Heels went to starter/reliever Connor Bovair to clean up the mess – he delivered with an 11-pitch, 1-hit scoreless eighth.

Pence came in to face the final two Phoenix batters and looked every part of a reliable closer, retiring both hitters and helping UNC escape with a key victory.

Outside of North Carolina’s 10-3 win over Wagner on Opening Day, pitching has been inconsistent through four games. Elon jumped on UNC pitchers early, taking a 4-3 lead in the fourth inning after a home run and two singles.

After recording just two hits over the weekend, Honeycutt put the Diamond Heels ahead for good with his fifth-inning grand slam. North Carolina wasn’t finished at the plate, with Casey Cook’s seventh-inning single proving to be the eventual game-winner.

UNC now sits 4-0 ahead of its weekend series against 11th-ranked East Carolina, with one game apiece in Chapel Hill, Greenville and neutral-site Fayetteville, NC. This will be a great, early-season measure to see how good the Diamond Heels truly are.

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Casey Cook selected to All-ACC Freshman Team

North Carolina outfielder Casey Cook selected to All-ACC Freshman Team.

North Carolina outfielder [autotag]Casey Cook[/autotag] has been selected to the All-ACC Freshman team.

The red-shirt freshman has had a great comeback after suffering a season-ending injury a year prior. Cook appeared in four games before the injury, giving fans a good glimpse of the future.

This season, Cook exploded on the scene, starting 52 out of 54 games. Appearing at the plate 198 times, Cook finished the regular season with a batting average of .333. He’s responsible for 66 hits, 21 RBIs, and one home run.

Cook best performance came in game two of the Miami Hurricanes series, as he finished with his season-high in RBIs with three while also hitting a home run and a triple.

Cook will be a crucial for UNC if the Diamond Heels want to repeat as ACC champions. Another strong ACC tournament performance for UNC, can give them the momentum and ranking needed to gain traction in the NCAA tournament.

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