GoHeels Exclusive: Observing Resilience

For 12 weeks, all Gianluca Dalatri could do was watch.

Shut down after two starts because of a stress reaction in his right throwing elbow, Dalatri spent games and practices in the North Carolina dugout, unable to touch a baseball. It was often trying, he said. But at least he could still watch his teammates.

Predominantly from that vantage point, Dalatri saw UNC start the season 7-7. Yet he also noticed, perhaps before any of his teammates, how they never became discouraged, not then nor during any other adverse moments in the team's run to the College World Series.

"Starting off the season like that, it's not really ideal," said Dalatri on Tuesday. "But at the same time, you learn things about your team. That's what Coach (Mike) Fox has said many times is he learned a lot about what we have and what our team is made up of. I think I realized that a lot quicker not playing and just kind of observing everything than I would have if I was on the field.

"I'm pretty proud to be part of a team that's that strong and just relentless."

In many ways, Dalatri embodies those traits.

Dalatri, a member of the Golden Spikes Award preseason watch list, never experienced any arm problems before this season. His durability might have been considered one of his strengths.

But when MRI testing revealed the stress reaction after his start against East Carolina on Feb. 23, he easily could have chosen to sit out the rest of his sophomore season. He'd already been selected in the 40th round of the 2016 MLB Draft by the Colorado Rockies. And with a strong junior season, he figures to be picked significantly higher in 2019.

There was also the chance that if he returned, he'd only pitch in an ACC Tournament and NCAA Regional game. But he knew this team was special from watching it. And he hoped to contribute.

"He was determined after three months that, 'I'm going to pitch. In some way, shape or form, I'm going to try to come back and help this team win in some way,'" Fox said. "I think that just speaks to not only Luca but probably the mentality of our whole team.

"I think that helped (the team) more than anything else, like, 'Wow, after all this time, he's really fighting to still come back at the end of our season.'"

Finally, Dalatri returned on May 19. He surrendered two hits over four scoreless innings against Virginia Tech. And perhaps most importantly, his fastball topped out at 94 mph – one of the reasons that prompted Fox to say, "He looked like the same Luca to me."

Dalatri's next outing came against Georgia Tech in the ACC Tournament on May 25. He allowed two hits and struck out eight over five scoreless innings, leading the Tar Heels to a 9-0 win. But after losing to Pittsburgh two days earlier, Carolina didn't reach the ACC Tournament semifinals.

That result prompted some people to question how UNC would respond when the NCAA Tournament began a week later. But Dalatri already knew the answer.

"After we lost that, we kind of had been there before, and we knew how to react to that," he said. "But that was the first time there was something I could do about it. I could go out on the field, and I could somewhat help the team. And I tried to do that."

In two NCAA Tournament starts against Houston and Stetson, Dalatri surrendered 12 hits and four earned runs across 8 1/3 innings. At times, he labored. His velocity also dropped some. But the Tar Heels still won both games.

Dalatri said his first two starts after his return from injury "were too good to be true." He knew he'd eventually be affected by his extended layoff. But no longer watching from the dugout, he remains determined as Carolina heads to Omaha.

"My past two outings, I've felt good," Dalatri said. "But I haven't done what I'm capable of, and I haven't given this team a chance to win as best as I can. I'm going to keep working, doing everything I possibly can.

"It's not an excuse that I'm only three weeks in. I have to pitch like a pitcher who has been pitching for the whole year and who is pitching in the College World Series."

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