Tag: Parks Harber

Diamond Heels rack up 19 runs in last game before 6-day break

Can the Diamond Heels’ offense carry them to their first College World Series title?

The North Carolina Tar Heels sport one of college baseball’s best offenses, with their bats carrying them through a historic season.

UNC is mashing .307 as a team, which ranks 30th in the nation. Infielder Gavin Gallagher leads the charge with a .374 average, Vance Honeycutt’s 18 home runs make him one of four Diamond Heels in double-digits, while Casey Cook’s 60 RBIs lead nine players in double-digits.

North Carolina had a midweek game against William and Mary on Wednesday, May 1.

If you haven’t guessed it by the way this story started, UNC’s offense carried them against the Tribe.

Jackson Van De Brake was one of three Diamond Heels to hit a home run on Wednesday, a fourth-inning grand slam that drove in North Carolina’s final four runs, as part of a 19-2 domination in seven innings before a 6-day break for exams.

UNC (35-11, 17-7) tied UVA atop the ACC with its 35th win, which is one off its 2023 total.

The Diamond Heels started their offensive barrage with a 9-run first inning, which started with a 3-run round-tripper from Georgia transfer Parks Harber. Coincidentally, Harber drove in Casey Cook for North Carolina’s ninth and final run of the opening frame.

Gallagher brought Alex Madera across home plate with his second-inning single, making it 10-0, then UNC extended its advantage to 15 in the third inning with a Honeycutt home run, Cook scoring on a wild pitch, Luke Stevenson walking and Colby Wilkerson doubling to left field.

The Diamond Heels’ pitching staff deserves a lot of credit for the victory, too, as starter Ben Peterson struck out five batters – and allowed just three hits – in five innings. William and Mary’s only two runs came in garbage time, on a seventh-inning single from center fielder Ben Parker.

North Carolina does not play again until Tuesday, May 7 against Campbell, which kicks off its final homestand of the season. UNC scored four ninth-inning runs to down the Camels (27-16, 8-10 CAA), 7-3, back on March 5 in Buies Creek.

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Diamond Heels tie UVA atop the ACC in wins

Just how many wins will the UNC baseball team end its season with?

Can you believe there are only three more weeks in the college baseball regular season?

Some teams already know they’ll be playing in their conference tournaments, such as our North Carolina Tar Heels, while others (Miami (FL)) are fighting for postseason spots.

UNC (35-11, 17-7) is playing significantly better baseball already in 2024, just one victories off its 2023 win total, in large part due to its team batting average (.307) that ranks 30th in Division-I. Starting infielder Gavin Gallagher is leading the charge with a .371 average,

With the Diamond Heels’ 19-2 victory over William and Mary on Wednesday, their 35 wins tie them atop the ACC with UVA.

William and Mary (26-19, 9-9 Coastal Athletic Association) is no slouch, as it’s one of eight teams in the CAA with 20 wins, but W&M has lost seven of its last eight.

North Carolina will take a rare weekend off after today’s game, then host another CAA school in Campbell on Tuesday, May 7. The last time UNC matched up with the Camels (March 5 in Buies Creek,), UNC scored four runs in the ninth inning for a 7-3 victory.

Just how many win can the Diamond Heels rack up this season?

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Parks Harber picks up three Player of the Week honors

Parks Harber is part of a UNC offense that’s among college baseball’s best in bating average and home runs. Harber more-than-doubled his home run total over the past week.

If you didn’t know Parks Harber’s name before, you’ll definitely know his name after the monster performance he put on last week.

Harber, a Georgia transfer who’s now a starting infielder for UNC, did a little bit of everything at the plate. In four wins (North Carolina A&T, Wake Forest three times), Harber mashed six home runs, registered eight hits and drove in nine runners.

With his six home runs, Harber now leads the Diamond Heels with 10 on the season.

Thanks to his monster weekend against the Preseason Number One team, Harber was named the ACC, D1 Baseball and Perfect Game Player of the Week.

Harber is just one piece of an electric North Carolina offense that ranks 25th nationally in batting average. Seven of the Diamond Heels’ position players are hitting at least .300, led by a torrid .400 mark from Gavin Gallagher.

Not only is UNC doing a phenomenal job at collecting base hits, but players are also hitting the baseball deep. North Carolina is tied for 10th nationally with 51 home runs, as Harber (10), Cook (9), Alberto Osuna, Luke Stevenson and Vance Honeycutt (eight each) lead the team.

With Mac Horvath departing to the MLB Draft last year, Harber has come in as the perfect replacement.

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Only one person picked Diamond Heels to beat Wake Forest

UNC is only being picked by one person to beat Wake Forest in a highly-anticipated, Easter weekend ACC baseball series.

Two of the ACC’s premier baseball programs will face off this weekend in Winston-Salem, NC.

The 14th-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels (22-4, 7-2 ACC), winners of their past six games, will play the Preseason Number One Wake Forest Demon Deacons (17-7, 4-5).

12th-ranked Wake Forest has not lived up to its preseason hype, just fourth in the Atlantic Division and already five losses away from equaling its 2023 loss total. UNC is second in the Coastal Division, largely due to nine of its regular hitters mashing over .300.

Despite both teams’ trajectory already this year, the Demon Deacons are projected by all D1Baseball staff writers – but Pat James – to win the weekend series between the two, in-state rivals which kicks off Friday, March 29 at 6 p.m.

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If you recognize James’ name, he used to be a writer for The Daily Tar Heel and GoHeels.

North Carolina’s most recent game – Tuesday against North Carolina A&T – was interrupted by a rain delay. That break in play appeared to be what UNC needed, as it pulled away for a 10-5 victory behind Parks Harber’s 4-RBI night.

The Demon Deacons were playing good baseball throughout February, but something switched when the calendar turned to March. Wake Forest has lost two of its first three ACC series, but rebounded to take two of three from Louisville last weekend.

A sweep is ideal, but if UNC can take two out of three, that’s a major win early on in conference play.

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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.

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Diamond Heels announce rosters for Fall World Series

The UNC baseball squad, typically among the ACC’s best, just announced teams for its annual, Blue-Navy Fall World Series.

We’re still just under four months away from the start of college baseball season, but the excitement in Boshamer Stadium is already building.

The UNC baseball team, whose season ended at the hands of Iowa in the Terre Haute Regional earlier this year, is concluding its fall practice schedule later this week with an annual favorite – the Blue-Navy Fall World Series.

Team Blue, captained by starting infielder Johnny Castagnozzi and star pitcher Dalton Pence, will also include the likes of outfielder Casey Cook and power-hitting designated Alberto Osuna.

Team Navy, captained by starting first baseman Hunter Stokely, starting shortstop Colby Wilkerson and starting outfielder Patrick Alvarez, include the two Diamond Heels fans are likely itching to see the most – UGA transfer Parks Harber and projected 2024 MLB Draft first-round pick Vance Honeycutt.

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This best-of-three series should get Carolina baseball fans excited. Not only will they get a sneak peek at what should be one of the ACC’s top teams, but the weather is going to be gorgeous.

The temperature is projected to be 75 degrees at first pitch on Wednesday afternoon, 77 on Friday afternoon and a high of 82 on Saturday. Oh – it’s also going to be bright, sunny and FREE for all attendees.

While this is the only World Series that runs through Chapel Hill this fall, Carolina will have its sights set on the College World Series this coming Spring.

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Diamond Heels carry one of nation’s top recruiting classes

UNC has been one of the greatest college baseball programs to never win a title. Will its 12th-ranked recruiting class be enough this year?

UNC is one of the greatest collegiate baseball programs to never win a College World Series.

The Tar Heels have enjoyed plenty of chances, particularly since the turn of the century. Carolina made four straight CWS appearances from 2006-2009, losing to Oregon State in the 2006 and 2007 finals, then re-appeared in 2011, 2013 and 2018.

For whatever reason, UNC can’t seem to close the deal. It’s not for the lack of talent, as the Diamond Heels consistently churn out MLB draft picks.

There’s a bunch of talent coming into Chapel Hill this season, with the hope that influx finally translates into a CWS title.

24 new players will don the baby blue in 2024, giving UNC the nation’s 12th-ranked recruiting class. This also ranks tops in the ACC, ahead of Florida State (18th) and Georgia Tech (19th).

Carolina’s most anticipated recruit is Parks Harber, the University of Georgia recruit who’s expected to take over third base for 2023 MLB Draftee Mac Horvath. The Diamond Heels also bring in, among many others, 2022-2023 NCHSAA Male Athlete of the Year Folger Boaz, Shea Sprague and Parker Haskin from Elon.

One Tar Heel everyone will keep an eye on is Vance Honeycutt, the slick-fielding, speedy, power-hitting center fielder who missed UNC’s final 10 games in 2023 with a lower-back injury. Honeycutt is mocked to go Top 20 in the 2024 MLB Draft.

Is all this talent enough to help Carolina win college baseball’s ultimate prize?

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UNC baseball 2024 recruiting class top of the ACC

After a down 2023 season, the UNC baseball squad gives fans some hope, as it holds the ACC’s top 2024 recruiting class.

The University of North Carolina baseball team has been one of the country’s best programs to never win a College World Series.

Carolina made four straight trips to the CWS between 2006-2009, even reaching the championship game in ’06 and ’07 behind the All-Star arm of pitcher Andrew Miller. The Heels made it back in 2011, 2013 and 2018, each time with no title to show.

UNC won the ACC tournament in 2022 and even advanced to host a Super Regional against Arkansas. The Heels were up 3-2 late, but Arkansas came back to win, 4-3 and advance to the College World Series.

Last year was a bit of a disappointment by Carolina standards, as the Heels went 1-2 in regional action.

Even though the 2024 season doesn’t start until February, UNC baseball fans have a lot to be excited about. According to Tar Heel Tribune, the Heels’ 2024 recruiting class tops the ACC and ranks Top 10 in the country.

This class is led by a pair of players from the Tar Heel state – Wake Forest High School catcher Luke Stevenson and Apex High shortstop Gavin Gallagher. UNC also brings in Cumming, Ga. pitcher Francesco Capocci, one one 13 pitchers in the class.

Carolina also hit the transfer market to find its third baseman of the future, snagging UGA’s Parks Harber. He’ll likely slot in and replace Mac Horvath, who was drafted in the second round of this year’s MLB draft by the Baltimore Orioles.

Fans who want the whole list of transfers can check out this article from Tar Heel Tribune.

All of a sudden, it’s an exciting time again to be a Carolina baseball fan. Maybe it’s the year UNC finally brings a trophy to Boshamer Stadium

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