Tag: D1 Baseball

Christian Moore named National Player of the Week

Tennessee’s Christian Moore named National Player of the Week after winning series at Kentucky.

Tennessee junior Christian Moore was named National Player of the Week by Perfect Game and D1Baseball on Monday.

He was also named SEC Player of the Week after the Vols’ series win at Kentucky.

Moore recorded at least one hit and one RBI in all three games against the Wildcats. He went 8-for-11, recording four home runs, eight RBIs and five runs.

Moore totaled four hits, tying a career high on Saturday and Sunday. He hit three home runs and recorded six RBIs on Sunday to help Tennessee win the series, Kentucky’s first conference series loss of the 2024 season.

READ: Tennessee baseball career home run tracker

Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire

Diamond Heels fall four spots in D1Baseball rankings

The UNC baseball team is running out of chances to win series against good teams. It has another golden chance this coming weekend against Virginia Tech.

Last weekend provided the UNC baseball team a golden opportunity to prove its worth as a Top 25 team.

The Diamond Heels made the short trip down to Raleigh, facing an NC State program that’s also amongst one of the ACC’s best. The Wolfpack are playing solid baseball this season, but with how good North Carolina’s been, it should’ve won the series handily.

Even though UNC remains two games ahead of archrival Duke for first place in the ACC Coastal Division, UNC proved there’s still questions surrounding its ability to beat tough competition, as it dropped two of three at NC State.

As a result, the Diamond Heels fell four spots – to 15th – in Monday’s D1Baseball rankings.

North Carolina (30-10, 15-6) left no doubt of its talent in Saturday’s series finale, dominating in a 14-3 victory behind reliable bats and a surprisingly good pitching performance. Star UNC center fielder Vance Honeycutt, a projected first-round pick in July’s MLB Draft, became the only player in ACC history to join the 50 home run-70 stolen base club during the finale.

The Diamond Heels have a super-winnable game against Gardner-Webb on Tuesday, April 23, then host a tough Virginia Tech squad this coming weekend for a 3-game series. The Hokies (25-12, 12-9) dropped out of this week’s rankings after spending most of 2024 ranked.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

Diamond Heels fall three spots in latest D1 Baseball Rankings

Sitting in first place of the ACC Coastal Division isn’t a bad spot for the UNC baseball team to be.

Thanks to a loaded offense that’s largely been carrying it through games, the UNC baseball team was able to salvage its series final at UVA this past weekend.

North Carolina reached double-digits in Saturday’s 12-7 victory over the rival Cavaliers (25-7, 9-6), breaking a late tie thanks to Parks Harber and Luke Stevenson home runs. The Diamond Heels’ (26-6, 11-4) pitching staff, which allowed 18 runs across the weekend, allowed just one over the final three innings on Saturday.

Even if you’re amongst the sport’s best, series losses are bound to happen. UNC was riding a 9-game winning streak heading into the UVA series – I’m sure the Hoos were hungry to snap that.

With a 1-2 weekend, North Carolina dropped three spots – to 13th – in the latest D1 Baseball Rankings.

The Diamond Heels are hitting .314 as a team, which currently (as of Monday, April 8) ranks 24th in the nation. Eight regular starters, led by Gavin Gallagher (.375), are hitting at least .300.

UNC pitchers have showcased flashes of potential early, highlighted by a bullpen with NCAA wins leader Matthew Matthijs (11-1). The starting pitching staff has struggled as of late, with no starter sporting lower than a 4.20 earned run average, but Folger Boaz showed how special he can be in February and early March.

North Carolina has a neutral-site date with South Carolina on Tuesday, April 9, then hosts Notre Dame for a 3-game weekend series starting Friday.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

Weekend sweep vaults Diamond Heels into Top 10

Not only did the UNC baseball team sweep Preseason Number One Wake Forest over the weekend, but it scored 30 runs in doing so.

A majority of Tar Heel Nation’s attention was on the Sweet 16 over Easter Weekend, which didn’t end the way we all wanted it to, but the UNC baseball gave fans something to cheer about.

North Carolina faced arguably its toughest series of the season, heading out to Winston-Salem, NC for a 3-game series with the Preseason Number One Wake Forest Demon Deacons. Wake Forest is clearly not the same team that made a deep College World Series run last year, but still a talented one nonetheless.

Diamond Heels fans were hoping for their boys to win the series, but UNC did more than that.

North Carolina swept Wake Forest in three games – 6-5, 10-6 and 14-10 – hanging a whopping 30 runs on the defending, ACC Regular Season Champions.

As a result, UNC shot up to the Top 10 in the latest D1 Baseball Rankings.

The Diamond Heels (25-4, 10-2), who are tied atop the ACC Coastal Division with Virginia Tech, were fueled by 14 home runs in the Wake Forest Series. Georgia transfer Parks Harber showcased why he’s such a crucial part of the batting order, mashing four of those home runs, while Casey Cook and Luke Stevenson each belted three.

UNC will not playing any mid-week games this week, but then heads up to Charlottesville for another ranked ACC matchup with 15th-ranked UVA (22-6, 7-5).

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

Diamond Heels make massive jump in D1Baseball rankings after weekend sweep

Five wins in a row, including a weekend sweep of Georgia Tech, have the UNC baseball team back in the Top 15 of D1Baseball’s rankings.

After losing a weekend series to the Miami Hurricanes two weeks ago, the UNC baseball team responded in dominant fashion last week.

On Tuesday, the Diamond Heels mercy-ruled UNCW, 11-0, in seven innings behind eight combined RBIs from top-of-the-lineup hitters Gavin Gallagher, Casey Cook, Vance Honeycutt and Parks Harber.

Over the weekend, North Carolina (21-4, 7-2) swept Georgia Tech for its second ACC series sweep.

On Friday, UNC came back from an early 2-0 deficit behind an Alberto Osuna double, Alex Madera single and Cook home run. Dalton Pence iced the Yellow Jackets’ comeback for his second save, helping the Diamond Heels to a 5-4 victory.

North Carolina clinched the series on Saturday, whooping Georgia Tech 11-5. Sunday was more of the same, with UNC winning 9-2.

As a result of its new 5-game win streak, the Diamond Heels jumped six spots to 14th in the latest D1 Baseball rankings.

North Carolina has been able to play at this high level thanks to a balanced hitting attack, as 11 regulars are hitting over .300 and help UNC sport the nation’s 19th-best batting average (.320). The Diamond Heels have 34 home runs and 206 RBIs as a team – Honeycutt leads the team with eight home runs, while Cook’s 37 RBIs are tops.

Pitching hasn’t been nearly as dominant, but it’s significantly better compared to last year. Three regular starters (Jason DeCaro, Olin Johnson, Shea Sprague) have an earned run average under 4.00, Matthew Matthijs leads the NCAA with nine wins while Dalton Pence may just be the best reliever in all of college baseball.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

Diamond Heels drop five spots in latest D1 Rankings

Losing two of three to Miami (FL) last weekend wasn’t too kind for the UNC Baseball team in Monday’s D1 Baseball Rankings.

Heading into last weekend with a 17-2 record and 11 straight wins, the UNC baseball team looked to be one of college’s best in the early going.

North Carolina would face another tough test in the Miami (FL) Hurricanes, who won the College World Series four times and have made 49 NCAA Tournament. The Diamond Heels would go on to get mercy-ruled in Game 1, lost on a walk-off in Game 2, then mercy-rule Miami in the series finale on Sunday.

Even though UNC maintained a 17-4 record, it lost its second series on the year (first was to ECU in February). As a result, North Carolina dropped to 20th in the latest D1 Baseball Rankings.

The Diamond Heels (17-4) sit between fellow ACC program Virginia Tech (18th), plus an SEC school in Mississippi State. The Hokies sit at 14-4, while the Bulldogs are 15-6.

UNC is currently playing UNCW (Tuesday, March 19), then hosts Georgia Teach for a 3-game weekend series. The Yellow Jackets have won their past nine games, including a sweep last weekend of formerly-ranked NC State.

North Carolina needs to come away with a series victory against Georgia Tech. Beating a good team once is a solid effort, but winning series matter a lot this early in conference play.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

Unbeaten Texas A&M moves up 3 spots, yet still trails 2 SEC teams, in week 4 D1 Baseball rankings

The Aggies are one of two remaining undefeated teams in college baseball following a wild extra innings win on Sunday against Rhode Island.

The Texas A&M baseball team is one of two remaining undefeated teams in college baseball following a wild extra innings win on Sunday against Rhode Island, leading to elevation in D1 Baseball’s week four rankings.

The Aggies (16-0) and Florida State (14-0) are the pair of unbeaten teams left in the nation. The Seminoles are not ranked in D1 Baseball‘s latest list but Texas A&M certainly is. After another undefeated week, the Aggies have risen from No. 7 to No. 4.

However, Texas A&M is the third-best team in the SEC according to D1 Baseball. Arkansas (13-2) and LSU (14-2) each moved up one slot to No. 1 & No. 2, respectively, this past week. Oregon State (15-1) leaped three spots, just like the Aggies, from No. 6 to No. 3.

Texas A&M concludes a five-game homestand at Blue Bell Park on Tuesday at 6 p.m. against Sam Houston (11-5). The Aggies then hit the road for their first SEC series of the season this weekend, a three-game set at No. 8 Florida (10-5), who dropped four spots in this week’s rankings.

First pitch Friday at Condron Family Ballpark is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Shaun on Twitter: @Shaun_Holkko.

ACC-opening sweep moves Diamond Heels up a spot in D1 Baseball Rankings

Winners of its past nine games, including a weekend sweep of Pitt, the UNC baseball team climbed slightly in Monday’s D1 Baseball rankings.

Since dropping two straight games to East Carolina University, there haven’t been many college baseball teams hotter than UNC.

The Diamond Heels (14-2, 3-0 ACC) are winners of their last nine matchups: VCU (Feb. 27), Longwood (28), 3-game series against Princeton (March 1-3), at Campbell (5) and Pitt (March 8-10). North Carolina’s offense scored 10 runs minimum in four of those nine games, including a season-high 13 against Princeton on March 3, plus the pitching has recovered after a rocky start.

Five UNC players, led by Casey Cook (.397), are hitting at least .300 on the season. 10 pitchers have an earned run average of under 4.00, with two starters (Folger Boaz and Jason DeCaro) combining for a 3-0 record.

With all this being said, the Diamond Heels climbed to 15th in the latest D1 Baseball Rankings.

North Carolina is fresh off a weekend sweep of Pitt (8-4, 0-3), which – despite not making the NCAA Tournament since 1995, shows a lot of early promise.

In Game One on Friday, March 8 – a 2-1 victory – Georgia transfer Parks Harber mashed his first UNC home run. Alberto Osuna drove in Kaleb Cost for the game-winning run, while the Diamond Heels’ bullpen pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings in relief of Boaz.

Cook and DeCaro stole the show in Saturday’s 7-4 win, with Cook driving in five runs and DeCaro striking out a career-high six batters in 6 1/3 innings. Donofrio played hero on Sunday, delivering a walk-off single down the right field line in a 6-5 close close call.

Next up for North Carolina is a 6 p.m. Tuesday clash against Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights (10-4) dropped their past two games in a weekend series at High Point University.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

Diamond Heels sit tight in latest D1 Baseball Rankings

The latest D1 college baseball rankings came out earlier Monday, with the UNC baseball team still finding itself on the list.

With five consecutive wins, the UNC baseball team is playing much better since dropping two of three to East Carolina in February.

North Carolina started its current winning streak with an 8-2 domination of VCU on Tuesday, Feb. 27. The Diamond Heels made quick work of Longwood the next day, then continued their hot streak by sweeping Princeton over the weekend.

While offense has easily highlighted UNC’s recent run, it’s the pitching which has improved significantly. North Carolina allowed opponents to score five runs in five of its first seven games, but limited Princeton to just 10 total runs this past weekend.

In the latest D1 Baseball Rankings, despite dominating as of late, the Diamond Heels stayed put at 16th.

Just ahead of UNC is 11-1 Alabama, who beat Indiana and Arizona in the Frisco Classic over the weekend, while Texas Tech sits at 17th.

North Carolina pitcher Folger Boaz, the younger brother of former Tar Heels quarterback Jefferson Boaz, is making a strong early case for staff ace. He’s won both his starts, struck out a team-leading 15 batters and carries a stellar 2.16 earned run average.

UNC hitters are also seeing the ball extremely well, with seven starters hitting at least .300. Reigning ACC Defensive Player of the Year Vance Honeycutt leads the Diamond Heels with six home runs, while Casey Cook and Alex Madera are both hitting .400.

North Carolina will travel to Campbell on Tuesday for a 6 p.m. first pitch, then host a historically-struggling Pitt squad that’s off to an 8-win start this coming weekend.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

The Texas A&M outfield will be well patrolled with two top ten players

LaViolette and Mongomery highlight D1baseballs’ top 100 outfielders list

When the Aggies take the diamond next week, they will have two consensus All-Americans leading the way. Sophomore standout Jace LaViolette and the No. 1 ranked transfer Braden Montgomery has received glowing recognition all preseason long and for good reason.

D1Baseball has dropped their top 100 list (subscription needed) and the duo of LaViolette and Mongomery are among the best in the nation. Montgomery came in at No. 6 while earning a top-five spot coming in at No. 3. Texas A&M is full of talent from top to bottom and others agree.

“… @Vol_Baseball and A&M will have the best top-to-bottom offenses in our league. It will be one of those two who will have the best offenses and could win a national title this year.”

-Anonymous coaches per D1Baseball

https://www.instagram.com/p/C3Dq49lOs03/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

We are quickly approaching opening day and the Aggies are ready to welcome McNeese State to Olsen Field on February 16th.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on Twitter: @whosnextsports1.