Tag: Dalton Pence

Texas Rangers select Dalton Pence in 2024 MLB Draft

Dalton Pence hears his name called by the Texas Rangers in the 2024 MLB Draft.

Another former North Carolina Tar Heels baseball player is heading to Texas.

To open up the third day of the 2024 MLB Draft, the defending World Series champion Texas Rangers drafted reliever Dalton Pence in the 11th round with the No. 345th overall pick. The Rangers also selected outfielder Casey Cook with the last pick in the third round of the draft, reuniting the former Tar Heels.

With the selection of Pence, North Carolina has now had four players selected from a team that reached the College World Series in Omaha this past season. Vance Honeycutt went in the first round to the Baltimore Orioles as the first UNC baseball player picked this year.

Pence was North Carolina’s most reliable reliever this past season, coming into high-leverage situations for Scott Forbes. That included a few times in the postseason during UNC’s run.

The left-handed reliever appeared in 36 games out of the bullpen for the Tar Heels this season, going 5-1 with 8 saves. He posted a 2.45 ERA during those appearances. He also started in five games during the 2023 season.

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Vance Honeycutt highlights four Diamond Heels ranked amongst top MLB Draft prospects

There will likely be multiple UNC baseball players chosen in the upcoming MLB Draft.

I truly thought the North Carolina Tar Heels could win the 2024 College World Series.

UNC had all the pieces of a championship team: a reliable star hitter to count on for clutch, consistent production in Vance Honeycutt, a batting order that could hit from 1-to-9, a shutdown closer who could cool even the hottest of lineups in Dalton Pence, a strong defensive unit and – most important of all – a great coach in Scott Forbes.

North Carolina won its opening game of the College World Series, thanks to ninth-inning heroics from Honeycutt and Jackson Van De Brake, but later exited after consecutive losses to Tennessee and Florida State.

The Diamond Heels put the college baseball world on notice, but also garnered some MLB Draft attention for Pence and its entire starting outfield.

On Saturday, July 12 – just two days ahead of the 2024 MLB Draft, Baseball America ranked Honeycutt (13th), Casey Cook (164th), Pence (340th) and Anthony Donofrio (449th) amongst its top draft prospects.

Honeycutt turned in a historic career at UNC, highlighted last year by becoming the first player in ACC history to hit 50 career home runs and steal 70 career bases, plus a second-consecutive ACC Defensive Player of the Year Award (also only player in ACC history to achieve this feat).

Cook enjoyed a massive power surge during his 2024 redshirt-sophomore campaign, finishing third on North Carolina with 18 home runs. Cook’s .341 batting average was second-highest amongst Diamond Heel hitters, while his 78 RBIs were third in the ACC and 11th in Division-I.

Donofrio only played at North Carolina last year, but he made an immediate impact. He finished third on the Diamond Heels with a .326 batting average, tops on the Diamond Heels with 19 doubles and most in the ACC with six triples.

Pence made a good case for the top reliever in college baseball. He recorded a team-best eight saves, 2.45 earned run average, struck out 74 batters (second-most on UNC) and earned five wins out of the bullpen. Pence’s best performances came in the NCAA Tournament – earning a win against LSU in the Chapel Hill Regional, then a save against West Virginia in the Chapel Hill Super Regional.

If you want to see where some of your favorite Diamond Heels will be chosen, tune into the MLB Draft at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 14.

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Vance Honeycutt, Dalton Pence earn All-America honors

Vance Honeycutt and Dalton Pence have earned All-American honors for their 2024 seasons.

It was a successful season for the North Carolina Tar Heels’ baseball program, making it to Omaha and finishing as one of the best eight teams.

North Carolina was able to win a Game 7 against LSU in the Chapel Hill Regional and then sweep West Virginia in the Super Regional to punch their ticket to Omaha. While they went 1-2 during their time in the College World Series, it was a fun ride for Scott Forbes and his team.

Now, following the season a pair of Tar Heels are earning some more national honors.

On Wednesday, outfielder Vance Honeycutt was named to the D1Baseball.com‘s First Team All-American team. It’s the fifth All-America team honors for Honeycutt this offseason as well as winning the ACC Defensive Player of the Year award.

Honeycutt hit.318 while setting school records for home runs (28) and runs (88) in 2024.

For Pence, he was named to the second team All-America by the publication on Wednesday. This is the third All-American honors for Pence in the offseason after a 5-1 campaign in which he posted a 2.45 ERA. Pence was North Carolina’s best reliever and a big reason why the team advanced to Omaha.

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UNC star closer Dalton Pence delivers again…this time in College World Series debut

Few pitchers have been more dominant in the NCAA Tournament than UNC closer Dalton Pence.

Dalton Pence was a major reason the UNC baseball team got to the College World Series in the first place.

Pence, typically a closing pitcher, led North Carolina with eight saves in the regular season. He led all Diamond Heels pitchers in earned run average, which has since improved to 2.04 since the NCAA Tournament started.

Despite all his regular-season success, Pence started the postseason on a rocky note. He gave up two runs on two hits – across 1 1/3 innings – in UNC’s ACC Tournament-exiting loss against Wake Forest, then gave up two runs on two hits, this time through two innings, in North Carolina’s NCAA Tournament opener against Long Island University.

Since then, Pence has played nearly perfect baseball, giving up just three hits through 12 1/3 shutout innings.

Pence’s latest big outing came in the Diamond Heels’ 3-2, CWS-opening win over ACC rival Virginia on Friday, June 14, as he struck out two Cavaliers across 3 1/3 perfect innings.

If Pence is fatigued, he certainly doesn’t show it. He’s pitched in five of UNC’s seven NCAA Tournament games, going at least two innings in each outing, with today easily his best.

Not only has Pence been North Carolina’s best reliever in the postseason, but North Carolina’s best overall pitcher.

How long can Pence keep up his hot streak?

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Several Diamond Heels earn All-America Honors ahead of College World Series

How many UNC baseball players were named All-Americans on Wednesday?

There is talent sprinkled across the UNC baseball roster.

All of that talent helped North Carolina advance to it first College World Series appearance since 2018, as it looks for national title number one this season.

The Diamond Heels’ most recognizable name is Vance Honeycutt, the only player in ACC baseball history to make the 50-70 club. There’s also Casey Cook, Parks Harber, Alberto Osuna and Luke Stevenson, but those are only a few of many stars at the plate.

On the mound, UNC carries the likes of freshman ace Jason DeCaro, 12-game winner Matthew Matthijs and star closer Dalton Pence. These three are easily North Carolina’s best pitchers, but you don’t have to look far for more stars.

Speaking of talent, several Diamond Heels earned All-America honors ahead of their CWS opener on Friday, June 14 at 2 p.m. ET.

Honeycutt (First Team), Pence (Second Team), DeCaro (Freshman First Team), starting catcher Luke Stevenson (Freshman First Team) and starting third baseman Gavin Gallaher (Freshman Second Team) all nabbed Perfect Game All-America Honors on Wednesday afternoon.

Honeycutt (Second Team), Matthijs (Third Team) and starting UNC first baseman Parks Harber (Second Team) all NCBWA All-America Honors.

Honeycutt leads the Diamond Heels with 26 home runs and 28 stolen bases, Stevenson has a North Carolina-high 484 putouts behind the plate, Gallaher broke into the starting lineup and is fourth on UNC with a .337 batting average, while Harber leads the Diamond Heels with a .341 average and is one of two players with 60 RBIs (Honeycutt).

Pence carries a team-high 71 strikeouts into the CWS and, among qualified pitchers, a team-best 2.04 earned run average. DeCaro’s six wins are most amongst starters (and second on North Carolina), while Matthijs’ 12 victories lead UNC and has him tied for second in Division I.

Will the Diamond Heels’ All-Americans continue their superstar-level play in Omaha?

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MVP Gavin Gallaher leads four Diamond Heels on Regional All-Tournament Team

Which four Diamond Heels made the Chapel Hill Regional All-Tournament Team?

With the UNC baseball team facing a shocking upset early in the Chapel Hill Regional on Friday night, starting third baseman Gavin Gallaher stepped up to the plate.

Gallaher and his Diamond Heel teammates trailed the LIU Sharks 8-7, but the bases were loaded with one out. On an 0-1 pitch from Justin DeCastro, Gallager blasted a grand slam over the netting in left field, sending Boshamer Stadium into a frenzy not many home games have rivaled.

Thanks to his overall performance in the Chapel Hill Regional – 5-for-17, seven RBIS and two home runs, Gallaher was named the Regionals’s Most Outstanding Player.

Several North Carolina teammates joined Gallaher on the All-Tournament Team – starting right fielder Anthony Donofrio, designated hitter Alberto Osuna and, to no one’s surprise, star closer Dalton Pence, who dominated on the mound in North Carolina’s come-from-behind, 4-3 victory over reigning national champion LSU on Monday, June 3 that advanced it into the Super Regionals.

Donofrio mashed a red-hot 9-for-17 with four RBIs, plus he scored two runs and made a couple game-saving plays in right field.

Osuna hit 5-for-17 with two RBIs, with his best game coming in the Regional Opener against LIU.

Pence hurled 8 1/3 innings, striking out 10 batters and allowing just two runs on three hits. He saved his best game for Monday night, striking out four Tigers and allowing just one hit – through 3 2/3 innings – on a season-high 63 pitches.

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UNC star closer Dalton Pence was the biggest pitching factor in Monday night win

Dalton Pence kept pushing through in Monday night’s Chapel Hill Regional Final, helping deliver UNC an extremely exciting victory.

Before Monday night’s Chapel Hill Regional Final, UNC head baseball coach Scott Forbes said “all his horses would be ready to go.”

In this case, Forbes referred to his star-studded bullpen, which includes 12-game winner Matthew Matthijs and star closer Dalton Pence.

North Carolina ended up starting the game with freshman ace Jason DeCaro, who tossed two innings of 2-hit, 2-run ball, then turned to Matthijs for 4 1/3 innings. After giving up a go-ahead home run to Jared Jones in the third inning, Matthijs only allowed one hit the rest of his outing.

Pence, normally the Diamond Heels’ ninth inning, came into the game with one goal – limit LSU’s power-hitting lineup.

Pence did exactly that, hurling 3 2/3 innings while only allowing one hit and two walks, on a season-high 63 pitches. This included facing the likes of Jared Jones and Jake Brown, who homered for the Tigers earlier in the night.

It’s no surprise to Tar Heel Nation that UNC named Pence its Player of the Game.

Even with how well Pence pitched, it wouldn’t be a postseason baseball game without a little late-inning drama.

Pence quickly retired Tommy White and Steven Milam, then walked Jared Jones, who took second on a wild pitch. Josh Pearson, the possible final out, sent a deep fly ball to center field.

The ball looked like it could’ve gone out of Boshamer Stadium, but North Carolina star center fielder Vance Honeycutt made a great catch to send UNC onto the Super Regionals.

You can bet the Diamond Heels will call on Pence for more clutch situations in the Super Regionals.

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Diamond Heels advance to Super Regionals, come back and beat reigning champs in extras

UNC and LSU provided the college baseball world with an instant classic during Monday night’s Chapel Hill Regional Final.

The UNC baseball team was three outs away from elimination in its own NCAA Tournament Regional on Monday night.

LSU’s bullpen was mowing through the Diamond Heels’ star-studded lineup, which included the powerful bats of Vance Honeycutt, Casey Cook and Parks Harber. North Carolina only managed two hits after the first inning, with both coming against star Tigers reliver Will Hellmers.

Tar Heel Nation hoped, but didn’t necessarily expect based on how Monday’s game went, for what happened in the ninth and 10th innings.

Colby Wilkerson drove in Friday night hero Gavin Gallaher to tie the game at three in the ninth inning, Alex Madera drove in pinch-runner Jackson Van De Brake during the 10th for the go-ahead run, then Dalton Pence – North Carolina’s star closer, baited LSU slugger Josh Pearson into a game-ending flyout that advanced UNC to the Super Regionals with a 4-3 victory.

The Diamond Heels will now host West Virginia, which went 3-0 in the Tuscon Regional, this coming weekend.

With North Carolina facing a 3-2 deficit in the top of the ninth (weird, we know), Gallaher found another clutch hit in his bat with a lead-off double. Madera then struck out by bunting a 1-2 pitch just foul, then Wilkerson worked his way back from an 0-2 count to drive in Gallaher.

Pence then worked around a Hayden Travinski single in the ninth, striking out Paxton Kling to end the Tigers’ threat.

Gage Jump, normally a starter for the Tigers, got two quick outs to start the 10th. UNC pinch-hitter Johnny Castagnozzi mashed a two-out pitch to right field, Jump intentionally walked Gallaher, then Madera drove in Van De Brake for the go-ahead run.

It wouldn’t be a Diamond Heels game without a little final-inning drama. Pence recorded two quick outs, walked Jared Jones, then Honeycutt caught a towering fly ball from Josh Pearson to send Chapel Hill into pandemonium.

On a night where North Carolina pitching excelled, it was the hitting that found a way to come through in crunch time.

As a result, UNC will be hosting a Super Regional for the second time in three years.

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UNC pitchers enjoy much-needed Saturday bounceback against defending champs

Diamond Heel pitchers enjoyed quite the turnaround in Saturday’s Chapel Hill Regional nightcap.

The North Carolina Tar Heels’ unusually shaky bullpen nearly put them in the elimination bracket of their own regional Friday night.

Holding onto a 5-3 lead over Long Island University entering the eighth inning, UNC head coach Scott Forbes brought in star closer Dalton Pence to close things out.

LIU tied the game at five in the ninth, scoring two runs against Pence and opting Forbes to call for reliever Matt Poston. The Sharks took an 8-5 lead into the bottom of the ninth, striking fear and disbelief into the hearts of Tar Heel Nation.

Lucky for the Diamond Heels, their bats came alive in the home half of the ninth, with freshman Gavin Gallagher capping off a 6-run ninth inning by hitting a walk-off grand slam. With UNC now knowing it’d match up against LSU, one had to wonder if North Carolina’s pitching staff would hold up against a significantly stronger offense.

It certainly did.

On Saturday, June 1, a day after giving up eight runs to the now-eliminated NEC Champions, Diamond Heel pitchers allowed just two runs on seven hits. This was a crucial factor in UNC’s 6-2 victory, which advanced them to Sunday’s 6 p.m. Chapel Hill Regional Final.

Starter Shea Sprague’s outing lowered his earned run average to a team-best 3.76. Ben Peterson lowered his ERA to under 5.00, one of 11 North Carolina pitchers to do so, while Pence’s 2 2/3 no-hit innings solidified his back-of-the-bullpen spot.

The Diamond Heels will play either Wofford for the first time – or LSU again – on Sunday at 6 p.m.

Will the UNC pitching staff show up and push them into the Super Regional?

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Two Tar Heels named to Stopper of the Year Midseason Watch List

The UNC baseball program has two Tar Heels named to the Stopper of the Year Midseason Watch List, honoring the nation’s best relief pitcher.

Tar Heels [autotag]Matthew Mathijs[/autotag] and [autotag]Dalton Pence[/autotag] were two of 59 relief pitchers named to the Stopper of the Year Midseason Watch List. 

Stopper of the Year is an award that honors the nation’s best relief pitcher, created by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA). Pence made the preseason watch list, while this was Mathij’s first appearance. 

Both Tar Heels have delivered key moments, contributing to UNC’s success. Mathijs has 40 innings pitched so far this season with a 3.60 ERA and a11-3 record. Meanwhile, Pence has pitched 36 innings, with a 1.75 ERA and four shy from his career high for strikeouts (50) in a season. 

The Tar Heels are an impressive 33-11 and only continue to climb the ranks as they sit 12th in the D1Baseball rankings. They’ve been extra special at home, hosting a 26-2 record at the Bosh. 

UNC also has the best conference record (17-7), leading the Coastal standings. The pitching pair will have good opportunities to further their case for the award, with notable teams like Louisville and Duke remaining on the schedule. 

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