Tag: Vance Honeycutt. 

UNC baseball falls short to Wake Forest in a classic for the ages

The UNC baseball program falls short of Wake Forest in a classic game, ending their ACC championship hopes.

The North Carolina baseball program had a monstrous comeback against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons Friday night, rallying from four runs down to electrify the sold-out crowd and tie the game. But in the end, it was Wake Forest’s comeback in the ninth and then four runs in extra innings to push them through. 

The Demon Deacons outlasted North Carolina for a 9-5 win in 12 innings, eliminating the Tar Heels and moving on in the ACC Baseball Championship.

It was a slow start for the Tar Heels, falling behind early to Wake Forest, giving up two runs in the third and fourth innings while struggling to muster up any runs. To make matters worse for UNC, the demon Deacons followed up in the seventh inning to grab a 4-0 lead.

It was looking like Wake Forest had full control of the outcome, but in UNC fashion, the Tar Heels would swing themselves back into the ball game in the bottom of the seventh, scoring three runs to find themselves down 4-3.

UNC followed up the late game surge in the bottom of the eighth after holding Wake, adding two more runs to take the lead 5-4, started by a huge double to right center by [autotag]Vance Honeycutt[/autotag] that brought Jackson Van De Brake in.

Just when the game seemed like it was the Tar Heels for the taking, Wake Forest kept the game alive with first baseman Nick Kurtz doing his best Honeycutt impression with a double to right center RBI of his own to even things, eventually causing extra innings.

It would take three extra innings before a run would be scored, and unfortunately, it wasn’t off the bat from UNC, instead, it was Wake’s Kurtz, who ultimately finished the job with a home run, bringing in Marek Houston in the process. Wake wouldn’t be done, adding two more insurance wins to ultimately win 9-5.

Next up for UNC is finding out what seed and region UNC end up with as they prepare for the NCAA tournament.

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Diamond Heels complete series sweep over Notre Dame

The Diamond Heels had a dominating weekend, completing a series sweep over Notre Dame.

It was a breeze of a weekend for the UNC baseball program, as they finished off the sweeping of Notre Dame Sunday.

After a rocky loss to South Carolina Tuesday, failing to get their offense going, UNC found their swing in the series against Notre Dame. Each game showcased the dominant season the Tar Heels have had, combing for 30 runs to the Fighting Irish’s 5 in the three game series and it all started in game one.

Game 1: UNC 13, Notre Dame 0

The bats were hot in game one, and UNC’s defense matched. The Diamondheels scored a run every inning they took the field except for the fifth, scoring 6 of 13 runs in the 6th inning.

On the flip side, Jason Decaro pitched lights out for UNC, giving up three hits and one walk in six innings pitched. The dominant performance from the mound was the ideal start to the weekend series.

Game 2: UNC 7, Notre Dame 2

Game two echoed game one success, dominating at the plate and securing wins on the mound. UNC finished with seven runs on 11 hits, nearly scoring in every inning outside the third and fourth.

Notre Dame did a better job getting hits, but couldn’t muster runs, finishing with two runs on nine hits. Shea Sprague secured his second win of the year, dishing out four strikeouts in 5.2 innings pitched.

Game 3: UNC 10, Notre Dame 3

Game three put an exclamation point on the statement UNC sent, with another dominating performance on both sides of the ball. Aidan Haugh had a solid outing on the mound with six strikeouts and no runs in five innings pitched.

UNC’s hitting stayed on par with the rest of the weekend, exploding in the fourth inning with five runs scored. [autotag]Vance Honeycutt[/autotag] had three hits, including his 49th career homerun, which moved him second all-time for home runs in UNC history.

It was a perfect series win, adding to their promising season.

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Vance Honeycutt ranked 6th on Baseball America’s Top 100 Prospects

UNC Baseball standout Vance Honeycutt ranked 6th on 2024 Baseball America’s Top 100 Prospects.

North Carolina Tar Heel [autotag]Vance Honeycutt[/autotag] has cracked the top 10 of Baseball America’s Top 100 Prospects, coming in at No.6th.

Honeycutt has been a big part of UNC’s success, becoming a household name in a two-year span. Since his arrival, Honeycutt has 122 hits, 37 home runs, 100 RBIs, and 48 stolen bases. Last season, Honeycutt was named ACC defensive player, ranked second on the team in runs (51) and stolen bases (19) despite missing the final ten games due to a lower-back injury.

Honeycutt has already inked his name in UNC history, becoming the first Tar Heel to have 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in a single season.

The Diamond Heels will be counting on Honeycutt again this season as they hope to bring the ACC and National championship back to Chapel Hill.

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Diamond Heels Vance Honeycutt named to Freshman All-American team

UNC Baseball outfielder Vance Honeycutt named to D1 Baseball Freshman All-American team.

UNC freshman [autotag]Vance Honeycutt[/autotag] swung his way into Carolina fan’s hearts this season and that swing has paid off.

It has been announced that Honeycutt was named to the D1 baseball Freshman All-American first team. The outfielder had a historic season in his Carolina blue threads, breaking the North Carolina single-season home run record (25) that dates backs to 1986.

He also became the first player in program history to hit 20-plus home runs and steal 20-plus bases in a season.

Honeycutt appeared in 64 games this season, seeing the plate 247 times. At those 247 plate appearances, Honeycutt connected for 73 hits, with 66 runs and 57 RBI’s. He also had 10 doubles, four triples, and stole base 29 times.

This is just another honor for Honeycutt who has been receiving his flowers during the off-season after a firework of a freshman season. The Salisbury native joins Aaron Sabato as Tar Heels that have been honored by at least five publications.

As fans await next season, one thing is for sure… Many will be anticipating more Honeycutt bombs to the parking lots.

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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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Vance Honeycutt earns freshman All-America honors

UNC Baseball outfielder Vance Honeycutt earned some national recognition for his impressive freshman season.

As the UNC baseball program prepares for their Super Regional series against Arkansas this weekend, one Tar Heel is earning national recognition.

Outfielder [autotag]Vance Honeycutt[/autotag] was named to the 2022 Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-America Team on Wednesday. The honor is a huge one for Honeycutt who has been fantastic for the Tar Heels in his first season in Chapel Hill, helping the program capture the ACC Title and advance to the Super Regional along the way.

Honeycutt has appeared and started in all 62 games for the Tar Heels this season, hitting .292 with an OPS of 1.063 and a slugging of .663. He has 24 home runs, 56 RBI and 71 total hits on the year.

He also became the first player in UNC history to have a 20-plus home run and 20-plus steal season.

In addition to this award, Honeycutt was named the ACC Tournament MVP and to the ACC All-Freshman team.

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Diamond Heels survive Georgia, will face VCU

The UNC Baseball program has kept its season alive with an elimination game win over Georgia on Sunday.

The Diamond Heels are still alive but there is work to be done.

UNC won their first game of the day on Sunday in the Chapel Hill Regional, outlasting a late run by Georgia to win 6-5. The win moves UNC into another “win or go home” game for the program on Sunday night against VCU, a team that beat them on Saturday night.

The Tar Heels got on the board early in this one, taking a 1-0 lead in the second inning when [autotag]Johnny Castagnozzi[/autotag] had a two-out RBI single. UNC added three more runs in the third inning as Mikey Madej hit a two-run single with two outs. That was followed by a wild pitch that scored another run to give UNC a 4-1 lead.

Georgia added a run in the bottom half of the inning.

The Tar Heels and Bulldogs would each plate a run in the sixth inning and UNC’s seventh-inning run would be the deciding factor. Georgia scored three in the bottom of the ninth on a three-run home run with one out to make things very interesting.

And then [autotag]Vance Honeycutt[/autotag] saved the day.

The freshman outfielder robbed Georgia of a game-tying solo home run in the ninth, recording the second out of the inning. The play may have just saved UNC’s season:

The Tar Heels will now take on VCU at 6:06 p.m.  A win forces an elimination game on Monday night, while a loss ends the Tar Heels season.

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Vance Honeycutt named ACC Tournament MVP

UNC freshman outfielder Vance Honeycutt earned ACC Tournament MVP honors after Sunday’s win over NC State.

UNC baseball freshman [autotag]Vance Honeycutt[/autotag] is having a season to remember in Chapel Hill.

After a two home run game in Sunday’s Atlantic Coast Conference title game win over NC State, Honeycutt became the first player in program history to reach 20+ home runs and 20+ steals in a single season. And shortly after, he was rewarded for his play in the tournament.

Honeycutt was named the ACC Tournament MVP following the Tar Heels title run over the past four games, the league announced shortly after Sunday’s game.

The freshman outfielder went 6-15 with four home runs, 10 RBI, five runs, and four walks over the four games and was the best player on the field in all four of those UNC wins.

Honeycutt is having a fantastic season for the Tar Heels, opting to play in Chapel Hill after being selected in the 20th round of the 2021 MLB Amateur Draft by the San Francisco Giants.  He’s hit 21 home runs on the year.

He was also named First-Team All-ACC for the tournament.

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Diamond Heels take down Wolfpack for ACC Championship

The Diamond Heels jumped all over NC State early on to claim the 2022 Atlantic Coast Conference baseball title.

The UNC Baseball program just might have the hottest team in America right now and it’s coming at the right time.

On Sunday, North Carolina fell behind 1-0 to NC State in the top of the first inning in the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship Game. But after that, it was all Tar Heels as they beat NC State 9-5 to win the title.

Freshman [autotag]Vance Honeycutt[/autotag] continued his hot streak with two home runs on Sunday driving in five RBI’s in the win including a two-run shot in the first and then a three-run shot in the second. He became the first player in UNC history to have 20+ home runs and 20+ steals in a single season.

After falling behind 1-0, UNC jumped on NC State to grab a 5-1 lead and never looked back. The Tar Heels added some insurance runs later on and eventually held off a late Wolfpack rally.

The win was huge for the Diamond Heels as they have now won 15 of their last 17 games and will be hosting a regional next week.

Max Carlson got the win to improve to 3-2 on the year, working five innings allowing six hits and three runs. It was his second win of the ACC Tournament.

Honeycutt was also named MVP of the tournament following the game.

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Vance Honeycutt makes history early in ACC Championship Game

UNC freshman Vance Honeycutt made history for the Diamond Heels in the ACC Championship Game.

The UNC baseball program is red hot right now, winning 14 of their last 16 games to reach the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship game on Sunday. During the game, freshman [autotag]Vance Honeycutt[/autotag] made some history early on.

Honeycutt hit a two-run home run in the first inning to give UNC a 2-1 lead and then followed it up with a three-run shot in the bottom of the second to extend the lead to 8-1. In the process, Honeycutt reached the 20+ home run and 20+ steals milestone, becoming the first freshman in NCAA history to do so in the BBCOR since 2011.

MLB.com and UNC writer Pat James pointed out the stat on Sunday:

Honeycutt has been fantastic in his first season with the Diamond Heels after being selected in the 20th round of the MLB Draft by the San Francisco Giants a year ago. And UNC is happy that he decided to head to Chapel Hill instead of the pros.

The Tar Heels are in line to host a regional this week in the postseason.

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