Photo by: AINSLEY E. FAUTH
A Dozen Heels In D1 Baseball Preseason Player Rankings
February 13, 2024 | Baseball
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The UNC baseball team landed 12 student-athletes on D1 Baseball's preseason player rankings. The organization ranked the top 50 infielders by position, top 100 outfielders, top 150 starting pitchers, and top 50 relievers.
Two Tar Heels ranked among the top 30 on the list of outfielders. Junior Vance Honeycutt was the highest-ranked Tar Heel, ranking ninth among outfielders. He batted .257 with an OPS of .910, 12 home runs, 43 RBIs, and 19 stolen bases in 2023. D1 Baseball also listed him at No. 11 on its 2024 MLB Draft top college prospects rankings.
Anthony Donofrio, a transfer from Quinnipiac, came in at No. 27 among outfielders. He batted .364, posted an OPS of 1.116, and was an ABCA First-Team All-Northeast Region and All-MAAC selection. He blasted 16 home runs, drove in 64 runs, and stole 31 bases. Donofrio also collected 30 multi-hit games.Â
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Redshirt sophomore Casey Cook made the list of top 100 outfielders, coming in at No. 72, making Carolina one of only six programs to land its entire starting outfield on the list. He was named to the All-ACC Freshman Team last season after hitting .317 with three home runs and 23 RBIs.
The Tar Heels had a player ranked at each infield position. Jackson Van De Brake was No. 13 among second basemen, Alex Madera came in as the No. 30 shortstop, Parks Harber was No. 38 at third base, and Hunter Stokely ranked No. 48 as first baseman.
Van De Brake was a second-team All-ACC performer last season, leading the Tar Heels in on-base percentage (.439) with a .307 batting average, eight home runs, and 48 RBIs.
Madera, a transfer from Division III Arcadia, was a Second-Team All-America shortstop. He hit .458 last season with 16 stolen bases, 20 extra-base hits, 31 walks, and 52 RBIs in 46 games.
As a junior at Georgia in 2023, Harber posted a slash line of .283/.342/.576 with 18 home runs and 56 RBIs. He started 135 games during his three years with the Bulldogs and tallied 34 career home runs and 128 RBIs. Stokely posted career highs in batting average (.317), home runs (6), and RBIs (36) while making 51 starts at first base.
Three starting pitchers and a pair of relievers also appeared in the rankings. Freshmen Folger Boaz and Jason DeCaro were ranked No. 95 and No. 96 among starting pitchers, while Elon transfer Shea Sprague was ranked No. 115.
Sprague was a two-time First-Team All-CAA and compiled a 13-6 record with a 2.36 ERA in 34 career appearances, including 25 starts with the Phoenix.
Dalton Pence and Matt Poston were among the top 15 relievers listed, with Pence coming in at No. 10 and Poston at No. 15. Poston led the Tar Heels with 31 appearances with a team-best 1.90 ERA and five saves in 2023. Pence made 21 appearances and threw 48.2 innings with 50 strikeouts against 19 walks.
Freshman catcher Luke Stevenson was one of seven Tar Heels selected to D1 Baseball's ACC impact freshman list. Stevenson, the 2023 NCBCA 4A Player of the Year, was ranked No. 3 on the list, followed by DeCaro (No. 5), Boaz (No. 9), Boston Flannery (No. 18), Francesco Capocci (No. 26), Olin Johnson (No. 29) and Gavin Gallaher (No. 47).
UNC had the most freshmen of any ACC school on the list and comprised 20 percent of the top 30.
2024 Season Tickets
Season tickets for the 2024 UNC baseball season are on sale now. Call the UNC Athletics Ticket Office at 919-962-2296 or click here to purchase your tickets. Season tickets start at $125 for general admission, with reserved chairback seating at $190. Flex plan and single-game tickets are also available for purchase. The Diamond Heels have 34 games scheduled at Boshamer Stadium this season, hosting NCAA Tournament participants Campbell, Charlotte, Coastal Carolina, East Carolina, and UNCW, in addition to ACC series with Georgia Tech, Louisville, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, and Virginia Tech.
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Follow the Diamond Heels
For the latest information on the UNC baseball team, check out GoHeels.com. You can also find the team on social media, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Fans can also receive updates on UNC Athletics by downloading the GoHeels App from both the App Store and the Google Play Store.
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Two Tar Heels ranked among the top 30 on the list of outfielders. Junior Vance Honeycutt was the highest-ranked Tar Heel, ranking ninth among outfielders. He batted .257 with an OPS of .910, 12 home runs, 43 RBIs, and 19 stolen bases in 2023. D1 Baseball also listed him at No. 11 on its 2024 MLB Draft top college prospects rankings.
Anthony Donofrio, a transfer from Quinnipiac, came in at No. 27 among outfielders. He batted .364, posted an OPS of 1.116, and was an ABCA First-Team All-Northeast Region and All-MAAC selection. He blasted 16 home runs, drove in 64 runs, and stole 31 bases. Donofrio also collected 30 multi-hit games.Â
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Redshirt sophomore Casey Cook made the list of top 100 outfielders, coming in at No. 72, making Carolina one of only six programs to land its entire starting outfield on the list. He was named to the All-ACC Freshman Team last season after hitting .317 with three home runs and 23 RBIs.
The Tar Heels had a player ranked at each infield position. Jackson Van De Brake was No. 13 among second basemen, Alex Madera came in as the No. 30 shortstop, Parks Harber was No. 38 at third base, and Hunter Stokely ranked No. 48 as first baseman.
Van De Brake was a second-team All-ACC performer last season, leading the Tar Heels in on-base percentage (.439) with a .307 batting average, eight home runs, and 48 RBIs.
Madera, a transfer from Division III Arcadia, was a Second-Team All-America shortstop. He hit .458 last season with 16 stolen bases, 20 extra-base hits, 31 walks, and 52 RBIs in 46 games.
As a junior at Georgia in 2023, Harber posted a slash line of .283/.342/.576 with 18 home runs and 56 RBIs. He started 135 games during his three years with the Bulldogs and tallied 34 career home runs and 128 RBIs. Stokely posted career highs in batting average (.317), home runs (6), and RBIs (36) while making 51 starts at first base.
Three starting pitchers and a pair of relievers also appeared in the rankings. Freshmen Folger Boaz and Jason DeCaro were ranked No. 95 and No. 96 among starting pitchers, while Elon transfer Shea Sprague was ranked No. 115.
Sprague was a two-time First-Team All-CAA and compiled a 13-6 record with a 2.36 ERA in 34 career appearances, including 25 starts with the Phoenix.
Dalton Pence and Matt Poston were among the top 15 relievers listed, with Pence coming in at No. 10 and Poston at No. 15. Poston led the Tar Heels with 31 appearances with a team-best 1.90 ERA and five saves in 2023. Pence made 21 appearances and threw 48.2 innings with 50 strikeouts against 19 walks.
Freshman catcher Luke Stevenson was one of seven Tar Heels selected to D1 Baseball's ACC impact freshman list. Stevenson, the 2023 NCBCA 4A Player of the Year, was ranked No. 3 on the list, followed by DeCaro (No. 5), Boaz (No. 9), Boston Flannery (No. 18), Francesco Capocci (No. 26), Olin Johnson (No. 29) and Gavin Gallaher (No. 47).
UNC had the most freshmen of any ACC school on the list and comprised 20 percent of the top 30.
2024 Season Tickets
Season tickets for the 2024 UNC baseball season are on sale now. Call the UNC Athletics Ticket Office at 919-962-2296 or click here to purchase your tickets. Season tickets start at $125 for general admission, with reserved chairback seating at $190. Flex plan and single-game tickets are also available for purchase. The Diamond Heels have 34 games scheduled at Boshamer Stadium this season, hosting NCAA Tournament participants Campbell, Charlotte, Coastal Carolina, East Carolina, and UNCW, in addition to ACC series with Georgia Tech, Louisville, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, and Virginia Tech.
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Follow the Diamond Heels
For the latest information on the UNC baseball team, check out GoHeels.com. You can also find the team on social media, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Fans can also receive updates on UNC Athletics by downloading the GoHeels App from both the App Store and the Google Play Store.
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