Tag: North Carolina Tar Heels Baseball

Mac Horvath earns player of the week honors

Diamond Sports selected Mac Horvath as one of the players of the week.

North Carolina third baseman [autotag]Mac Horvath[/autotag] has been named one of the week’s collegiate baseball players.

Horvath was one of 18 players named by Diamond Sports, with the Tar Heel representing the third baseman. In 17 plate appearances, Horvath delivered three home runs, three doubles, and five RBIs.

The junior was a big part of their success last season, stepping up in a big way to help North Carolina win the ACC tournament.

This season, UNC has gotten off to a sluggish start, 4-3 overall, with their last loss coming against ECU. A slow start is familiar for the Diamond Heels. However, they were on the cusp of fighting for a tournament bid before completely turning their season around.

On Tuesday, North Carolina will be back in action to take on VCU in Chapel Hill.

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Diamond Heels bullpen can’t hold lead again against ECU

The UNC baseball program blew another one-run lead to ECU, losing their second-straight game.

The North Carolina Tar Heels baseball program faced a big series this weekend, taking on No. 11 East Carolina. And in both games, the Diamond Heels had the lead but failed to hold it.

After blowing Friday’s lead late, the Tar Heels wasted another big effort from starter Connor Bovair who pitched 5.2 innings giving up two runs. The Tar Heels took a 5-2 lead into the seventh inning and things were looking good to bounce back from Friday’s one-run loss.

But just like Friday, the Pirates mounted a comeback.

ECU got four runs in the top of the seventh inning to get the 6-5 win and series sweep after Saturday’s game was postponed. ECU closer Carter Spivey retired all three batters he faced in the ninth inning after the Tar Heels attempted to rally.

The Pirates committed an error and then Hunter Stokley was hit by a pitch to put the tying and winning run on. But Spivey came on to get the big save and win for ECU.

Frick led the way with three hits and three RBI’s while Vance Honeycutt got his first home run of the season, a 431-foot bomb that gave UNC a 2-0 lead.

UNC will host VCU on Tuesday and Wednesday in Chapel Hill.

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Diamond Heels extend win streak to four-straight

The UNC baseball program has now four-straight games after shutting out Radford on Wednesday afternoon in Chapel Hill.

The No. 12 North Carolina Tar Heels baseball team is finding its groove early on in the regular season.

After dropping the opening game of the year last Friday to Seton Hall, the Diamond Heels have responded by winning four-straight games including that series against the Pirates. The latest victory came on Wednesday afternoon, a 10-0 win over Longwood in Chapel Hill.

With neither team scoring in the first two innings, UNC struck first with two runs in the third inning. They added a pair in the fifth before breaking it wide open with four in the sixth inning.

Mac Horvath led the way with 3 RBI’s and a home run while Casey Cook drove in two and also had a home run. Vance Honeycutt and Tomas Frick both scored two runs.

Jake Knapp threw 5.2 scoreless innings with four strikeouts and just two walks in his UNC debut. The Tar Heels had four pitchers combined for the shutout.

Next up for North Carolina is a big weekend series against No. 11 East Carolina. The Pirates will host the first two games of the series as they then head to Chapel Hill for Sunday’s matchup.

East Carolina is 3-1 to start the year but fell to Campbell on Tuesday afternoon.

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Senior outfielder Walker Jenkins signs a letter of intent with UNC Baseball

South Brunswick High school senior outfielder Walker Jenkins signs a letter of intent with the North Carolina Tar Heels baseball program.

The North Carolina Tar Heels 2023 baseball class is shaping up nicely, with senior outfielder [autotag]Walker Jenkins[/autotag] signing a letter of intent with the program.

From South Brunswick High school, Jenkins has shown a consistent bat during his three-year varsity status. In 47 games played, Jenkins has 144 at-bats with a .493 batting average. He has 74 runs, 53 RBIs, and 14 home runs during that span.

As one of the best in the nation, Jenkins has racked up awards, winning 2021-22 North Carolina’s Gatorade baseball player of the year.

Bringing in such a talent like Jenkins would significantly boost the program. However, what talent brings is competition, and the highly regarded Jenkins could skip collegiate ball with expectations of hearing his name called in the Major League Baseball draft.

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Diamond Heels get a first look at their ACC championship rings

As the North Carolina baseball team is preparing for the upcoming season, we get a look at the championship ring they earned last season.

The 2022-2023 season is on the horizon for North Carolina’s baseball team, but before entering the new year, they received some bling from last year.

Last season, the Diamond Heels started rocky, but they became a threat in the NCAA by the end. The last stretch of the regular season is when UNC started clicking, going 11-2 in their final 13 games.

That late push built the needed momentum and ranking to give UNC a chance, taking that opportunity and converting it to championship gold.

The Diamond Heels spark grew more prominent in the ACC playoffs, going 4-0 with a 9-2 win over Clemson, 10-0 against Virginia Tech, 7-2 against Notre Dame, and claiming the ACC title in the 9-5 win over NC State.

We finally get a look at North Carolina’s ACC championship rings as they prepare for this upcoming season.

The North Carolina baseball team has won the ACC title eight times.

Vanderbilt pitcher transfers to North Carolina

The UNC baseball program has added a former Vanderbilt pitcher as a transfer for the upcoming season.

The UNC baseball program has added another player to their 2023 roster this week.

After losing a recruit and a transfer player to the MLB draft, Scott Forbes and his team are ready to add more. And on Friday, they were able to snag a valuable pitcher from the SEC.

Vanderbilt pitcher Nelson Berkwich announced he was leaving the program and has decided to join the Tar Heels. He pitched two seasons at Vanderbilt, posting a 3.03 ERA in 29.2 innings pitched. He made 28 relief appearances in two years and was a valuable piece in the bullpen for the program.

For the Tar Heels, they are getting some much-needed help to their bullpen for the upcoming season. After making it to the Super Regionals last season, Forbes and his team have their eyes on making the College World Series.

Berkwich is currently pitching for the Bourne Braves in the Cape Cod League this Summer.

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Cleveland Guardians select two Tar Heels on Day 3 of MLB draft

The Cleveland Guardians have selected two UNC baseball players here in the 2022 MLB draft.

As MLB continues on with All-Star game festivities, the 2022 draft is also wrapping up here on Tuesday. And on the final day of the draft, two former Tar Heels heard their names called by the Cleveland Guardians.

The Guardians selected outfielder Angel Zarate in the 17th round with the 511th overall pick overall. Zarate was a standout for the Tar Heels and will now have the chance to find a role in the big leagues.

The outfielder started in all 64 games for the Tar Heels a year ago, holding down the leadoff spot and hitting a career-high .352. He also had 7 home runs and 40 RBI.

Later in the day, the Guardians went back to that UNC well and drafted pitcher Shawn Rapp in the 20th round with the 601st overall pick.

Rapp is coming off a 2022 season in which he pitched 49.2 innings in 42 appearances.

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UNC baseball commit Brooks Brannon drafted by Red Sox

A key UNC baseball recruit for their upcoming class was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the MLB draft.

The UNC baseball program made a run to the super regional round this past season under Scott Forbes, showing some promise for the program moving forward. With young talent like Vance Honeycutt leading the ay, the Tar Heels are also set to welcome in an impressive recruiting class.

But that class could be short one member.

UNC commit Brooks Brannon heard his name called in the 2022 MLB draft by the Boston Red Sox in the ninth round. The power-hitting catcher out of North Carolina heard his name called earlier than he expected and will likely be an above-slot signing.

That’s great news for Brannon but for the Tar Heels’ class, it’s likely going to take a hit.

Brannon led national high school players with 20 homers and 91 RBIs, showcasing his power potential while being a good catcher behind the dish as well. It’s clear he’s a very good hitter that intrigued the Red Sox and now the move could be made to go pro.

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Vance Honeycutt earns another Freshman All-America honor

UNC baseball star Vance Honeycutt earned more freshman All-American honors for his impressive first year in Chapel Hill.

While the 2022 UNC baseball season came to a disappointing end in the Chapel Hill Super Regional, there was a big bright spot for the Diamond Heels. And one of those bright spots was freshman [autotag]Vance Honeycutt[/autotag].

The outfielder put together a historic season in his first year with the program, becoming the first player in UNC history to steal 20-plus bases and hit 20-plus home runs. With his efforts this year, Honeycutt is racking up some big honors as well.

The latest? Another Freshman All-America honor, the second of the year for the talented outfielder.

The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association announced that Honeycutt earned the first-team honors, being one of the 34 named to the team and one of 17 named to the first team.

Honeycutt finished second among all freshmen in home runs (25), runs (66), and total bases (166) this season.

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Schedule for Chapel Hill Super Regional announced

The UNC baseball program is set to host Arkansas in the Chapel Hill Super Regional beginning on Saturday morning.

The Diamond Heels’ season stayed alive with three-straight wins over the weekend, capped off by a victory over VCU on Monday to punch their ticket to the Super Regionals. And shortly after their win over the Rams, UNC received some good news.

With Arkansas’ win over Oklahoma State in the Stillwater regional, the Tar Heels would now host the Super Regional and welcome the Razorbacks to Chapel Hill. The two teams will do battle this weekend with a trip to the College World Series in Omaha on the line.

On Tuesday, the schedule for the Super Regional was announced with the first game beginning on Saturday morning. Check out the schedule for this best-of-three series:

Game 1

Saturday: UNC vs. Arkansas, 11 a.m. ET (ESPN)

Game 2

Sunday: UNC vs. Arkansas, 1 p.m. ET (ESPN or ESPN2).

Game 3

Monday: UNC vs. Arkansas, TBD (If necessary)

The first game on Saturday is an early one for both teams with a 11 a.m. local start. The second game on Sunday returns to the afternoon format with a 1 p.m. local start. Game 3’s info is still pending.

UNC will release tickets for the series at Noon on Thursday.