If it weren’t for Vance Honeycutt’s heroics on Tuesday afternoon, there’s a strong chance the UNC baseball team could be staring its first 2024 loss in the face.
Honeycutt, the ACC’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year and a projected early first-round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, stepped up to the plate in a crucial fifth inning against Elon. The bases were loaded, count was full and North Carolina was down 4-3.
In came the pitch from Itai Spinoza and – boom – Honeycutt went opposite field for his first grand slam on the young campaign.
"How grand is that!" – Dave Nathanhttps://t.co/Obuxm3z8aH pic.twitter.com/beUs6G4oys
— Carolina Baseball (@DiamondHeels) February 20, 2024
Honeycutt’s grand slam was crucial for the Diamond Heels, but it also put him in elite company.
Honeycutt joined Jarrett Shearin, who starred at UNC from 1996-1999 and is the all-time leader in RBIs (214) , as the only two players in program history to hit 40 home runs and steal 50 bases.
https://twitter.com/DiamondHeels/status/1760078019841134921
Honeycutt introduced himself to the college baseball world after a standout freshman season, in which he hit .296 with 25 home runs, 57 RBIs and stole 29 bases. His sophomore campaign was cut short due to injury last year, but Honeycutt still homered 12 times and stole 19 bases.
If Honeycutt stays healthy this season, there’s no reason why the Diamond Heels shouldn’t advance deep into the College World Series.
Just how far can they go?
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