UNC Baseball: Would Tar Heels have advanced further with Honeycutt?

The loss of star outfielder Vance Honeycutt was felt for the UNC baseball program in the postseason.

The University of North Carolina baseball program made its sixth-consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament during the 2023 season, marking its longest streak since a string of 13 straight between the 2002-2014 campaigns.

Making matters more impressive, the Diamond Heels continued this streak without 2023 ACC Defensive Player of the Year, leadoff hitter, starting center fielder and career 100-RBI producer Vance Honeycutt, who missed the season’s final 10 games due to a lower-back injury.

The Tar Heels faced elimination after losing their Terre Haute (Ind.) Regional opener, a 5-4 heartbreaker against the University of Iowa on Friday, June 2. UNC punched back the next day to eliminate Wright State with a 5-0 win, then got another crack at the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Carolina took an early, 2-0 lead on a Casey Cook home run, then saw it disappear. Carolina later sent the game to extras on third baseman Mac Horvath’s bomb, but Iowa scored in the top of the 13th and ended the Heels’ season by holding them scoreless in the home half.

Though the Diamond Heels received plenty of offensive contributions from their starters in this game and continued their postseason streak, one has to wonder: how far would they have made it with Honeycutt?

Before head coach Scott Forbes announced he would miss the regional, Honeycutt had 49 hits in 50 games started. That’s almost a hit per game. He added 12 home runs, 43 RBIs and showcased his speed with 19 stoles bases.  Honeycutt also continued thriving in the field, recording a .986 fielding percentage and continuing to make SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays with his highlight-reel catches.

Patrick Alvarez recorded two hits in the opener against Iowa, then went 0-8 the rest of the regional. Power bat Alberto Osuna notched a team-high three RBIs in the opener, but didn’t drive in another run (or get a hit) in the remainder of the regional. Horvath went 4-for-9 with four RBIs in the final two games of the regional, but started 0-for-4. Tomas Frick and Hunter Stokely were the only two Tar Heels to record hits in each game.

UNC had the offensive talent to advance to win a Regional for the second straight year, but came up just a couple games short.

It’s hard not to wonder if Honeycutt’s bat would’ve aided the Diamond Heels in reaching the next round.

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Vance Honeycutt to miss to miss NCAA regionals

UNC baseball outfielder Vance Honeycutt is expected to miss regional play this week with an injury.

The North Carolina Tar Heels will head to Indiana for the Terre Haute Regional this week, opening play up against Iowa on Friday.

But as the Tar Heels head to Indiana for regional play, they will be without a key player in the lineup and the field. Outfielder Vance Honeycutt is expected to miss this weeks regional in Indiana.

Manager Scott Forbes announced the news in a presser with the media shortly after the field of 64 was announced.  It’s a huge hit for the Tar Heels as the sophomore is one of the top players on the roster and earned the ACC’s Defensive Player of the Year award.

Honeycutt has missed the last seven games with the injury and Forbes clarified that it was a lower-back injury.

There is no word on if Honeycutt will be available if the Tar Heels advance further in the tournament.

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Vance Honeycutt remains day-to-day for ACC Tournament

An injury update for UNC baseball standout Vance Honeycutt as he remains day-to-day ahead of the ACC Tournament.

The North Carolina Tar Heels begin their ACC Tournament title defense on Tuesday as they take on Georgia Tech in the afternoon. As the Tar Heels get set for the opener and an important game, they could be without a ky player.

Sophomore Vance Honeycutt remains day-to-day with what the program calls a lower-body injury. Honeycutt has missed the last four games for the Tar Heels, all losses including a three-game sweep at Clemson.

Manager Scott Forbes didn’t offer much on the situation for Honeycutt but did say there’s a chance he could be ready for Tuesday’s game via Inside Carolina:

“He may not be available today, but he could be available tomorrow,” Forbes said Monday via Inside Carolina. “So we’re just waiting to see. … Sometimes the only healer is rest, and that’s where we are as of today.”

Honeycutt is a key player in UNC’s lineup and in the field. He was just named the ACC’s Defensive Player of the Year for the past season and is coming off another impressive sophomore campaign.

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Mac Horvath and Jackson Van De Brake named to second-team All-ACC

North Carolina Tar Heels Mac Horvath and Jackson Van De Brake were named to second-team All-ACC.

North Carolina Tar Heels Mac Horvath and Jackson Van De Brake have been selected to the All-ACC second team.

Horvath and Van De Brake have been pivotal for the Diamond Heels this year, becoming a force in the ACC. Horvath had a remarkable regular season, writing his name in the history books as the first Tar Heel with 19 RBIs in a four-game stretch. Horvath also became the second ACC player since 1999 to have 20 home runs, 20 stolen bases, and 20 doubles in a single season.

Van De Brake became one of the best second basemen in the ACC this season, finishing with a team-high 68 hits, leading all second basemen in the conference.

The pair joins ACC’s defensive player of the Year Vance Honeycutt as Tar Heels to crack one of the three All-ACC teams. It’s no secret they will be counted on as they look to bring the ACC championship back to Chapel Hill for the second year.

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Vance Honeycutt robs home run with ridiculous catch

UNC outfielder Vance Honeycutt robbed a home run with an awesome catch in the win over Pitt.

The North Carolina Tar Heels baseball program is in a big weekend series at Pitt, their second Atlantic Coast Conference series of the season. After dropping the first series of the year against Virginia, the Diamond Heels need to rebound.

And they had a good start on Saturday.

The Tar Heels took Game 1 of the series in a resumption of Friday’s suspended game. During the game, North Carolina star outfielder Vance Honeycutt made another spectacular play in the outfield to rob a home run with UNC up, 15-7, in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Watch as Honeycutt tracks the ball and robs the home run:

Honeycutt is off to another hot start this season, not only with his bat but also his defense. It’s still very early but if this team can start to click, it could be a big year in Chapel Hill.

And Honeycutt will be the center of that while improving his draft stock as well.

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Diamond Heels take care of business at home

No. 13 UNC blast by VCU in a 10-4 victory on Tuesday night in Chapel Hill.

The North Carolina baseball team was in action Tuesday, and the bats were swinging early.

UNC hosted VCU in perfect 74-degree weather. Junior right-hand pitcher Jake Knapp got the start and was dealing early, with VCU starting with three scoreless innings.

In that same span, North Carolina had their bats hot out the gate, with Tomas Frick getting the first points on the board with a home run blasted to left field. Alberto Osuna matched Frick with a homer of his own in the same inning.

Frick’s bat continued to stay hot, hitting another home run in the third inning, but this time bringing in two runners for a three-run RBI.

The home run party continued in the fourth inning, with Vance Honeycutt getting in on the action. Mac Horvath became the fourth Tar Heel to homer, blasting one to left center in the sixth inning.

North Carolina would homer again in the eighth inning by Honeycutt, capping off a day full of hits. UNC takes it 10-4, improving to 5-3 on the season.

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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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Diamond Heels Vance Honeycutt makes history on Saturday

Diamond Heels true freshman Vance Honeycutt broke Devy Bells’ single-season record for home runs. The phenom will look tack on more as the Heels look even the score in the Super Regionals.

The UNC baseball team made a dramatic turn late in the season going from a team on the cuffs of making the NCAA tournament to winning the ACC tournament and hosting super regionals.

A major reason for the change in play has to do with freshman phenom Vance Honeycutt who already has his name in the UNC history books.

As a true freshman Honeycutt homered 25 times, breaking North Carolinas single-season home run record. Before Honeycutt swung his way into history, the record belonged to Devy Bell, who set the record back in 1986.

On the season, Honeycutt has 73 hits, 57 RBIs, and 29 stolen bases in 63 games.

Honeycutt will look to keep his swing alive as they play in a must-win game two against Arkansas in the Super Regionals. They will try to revenge the 4-1 defeat to force a game three to dance on.

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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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