Tuesday, February 20
Chapel Hill
4 p.m.
North Carolina
vs
Elon
Baseball Welcomes Elon To The Bosh For Midweek Game
February 20, 2024 | Baseball
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The No. 15 North Carolina baseball team continues its season-opening homestand Tuesday afternoon against Elon at Boshamer Stadium.
The Tar Heels lead the all-time series with Elon, 40-9, and have won 15 consecutive games against the Phoenix. UNC is 33-7 at Boshamer Stadium against its neighbor to the west and has won 12 straight games at home.
Freshman Jason DeCaro will make his Tar Heel debut Tuesday night as the starting pitcher. DeCaro was a two-year letterman at St. Anthony's High School (N.Y.). He ranked No. 96 on the D1 Baseball Top 150 Starting Pitchers list heading into the season – the third highest-ranked freshman.
Florida's Liam Peterson (No. 66) and fellow Tar Heel Folger Boaz (No .95) were the only two other freshmen inside the top 100.
The Tar Heels (3-0) are coming off an opening weekend, three-game sweep of Wagner, scoring 46 runs in the series. UNC put up 20 runs in the series finale Sunday with a school-record-tying 10 stolen bases. Casey Cook, Alex Madera and Alberto Osuna each collected three hits in the 20-6 victory.
During the series, Cook posted a team-high 1.482 OPS with eight hits – including a double and home run – and seven RBIs and a pair of stolen bases. Alberto Osuna also drove home seven runs over the weekend and belted two home runs.
UNC blasted six home runs total, with Vance Honeycutt launching two and freshman Gavin Gallaher hitting the first of his career.
UNC-Elon Connections
• Left-handed pitcher Shea Sprague and catcher Parker Haskin transferred to Carolina from Elon over the summer. Sprague was a two-time All-CAA pitcher for the Phoenix, and Haskin was his battery mate
• Pitcher Justin Szestowicki spent the previous two years with the Tar Heels before transferring to Elon following the 2023 season.
• Assistant coach Jesse Wierzbicki served as an assistant coach at Elon during the 2016 season.
Pitching Matchup
Inside The Rankings
• The Tar Heels remained No. 15 in the D1 Baseball Top 25 poll this week.
• Carolina moved up to No. 14 in the NCBWA poll and up to No. 16 in the Baseball American rankings.
Mid-Week Action
• The Tar Heels will play 15 mid-week games (Tuesday or Wednesday) during the 2024 season, with 12 contests at The Bosh.
• Carolina was 14-4 in midweek games last season, including wins over Charlotte, East Carolina, and UNCW.
Closing in on 3,000
The Tar Heels are two wins away from 3,000 program victories. Only seven teams in NCAA history have surpassed the threshold, with Southern Cal and Arizona State reaching the milestone last season. UNC enters Tuesday night's game with a record of 2998-1648-7.
Approaching 40 Homers
• Junior Vance Honeycutt's next home run will be the 40th of his career, putting him into an exclusive group of Tar Heels. He stole his 50th and 51st career bags on Sunday and is one big fly shy of becoming the second career 40-50 player in school history. Jarrett Shearin (1996-99) hit 40 homers and stole 50 in 238 games during his four years at Carolina.
• Senior Alberto Osuna hit his 32nd career home run Sunday, leaving him eight away from the 40 home-run mark. Only eight players in school history have hit 40 career-long balls.
• Parks Harber hit 34 home runs in 148 career games at Georgia, including 18 as a junior in 2023.
UNC Debuts
• Nine position players and seven pitchers made their UNC debuts this past weekend. Senior Parks Harber, graduate transfer Anthony Donofrio, and freshmen Folger Boaz, Gavin Gallaher, and Luke Stephenson were a part of the opening day starting lineup.
• Graduate transfer Alex Madera has his Carolina debut on Saturday as the starting second baseman after an injury kept him out of Friday's game.
• Longwood transfer Eliot Dix first appeared as a Tar Heel pinch-hitter on Friday. Parker Haskin came in as a defensive replacement at catcher late in the game, but did not get an at-bat. Junior college transfer Aidan Haugh closed out the opener in relief.
• The next wave of debuts occurred Sunday as six pitchers, Olin Johnson, Boston Flannery, Ryan Fisher, Francesco Capocci, and Shea Sprague, took the mound for the first time at The Bosh.
• Freshman Kaleb Cost and junior Ryker Galaska made their UNC debut as a pinch-hitter in the series finale.
Â
The Tar Heels lead the all-time series with Elon, 40-9, and have won 15 consecutive games against the Phoenix. UNC is 33-7 at Boshamer Stadium against its neighbor to the west and has won 12 straight games at home.
Freshman Jason DeCaro will make his Tar Heel debut Tuesday night as the starting pitcher. DeCaro was a two-year letterman at St. Anthony's High School (N.Y.). He ranked No. 96 on the D1 Baseball Top 150 Starting Pitchers list heading into the season – the third highest-ranked freshman.
Florida's Liam Peterson (No. 66) and fellow Tar Heel Folger Boaz (No .95) were the only two other freshmen inside the top 100.
The Tar Heels (3-0) are coming off an opening weekend, three-game sweep of Wagner, scoring 46 runs in the series. UNC put up 20 runs in the series finale Sunday with a school-record-tying 10 stolen bases. Casey Cook, Alex Madera and Alberto Osuna each collected three hits in the 20-6 victory.
During the series, Cook posted a team-high 1.482 OPS with eight hits – including a double and home run – and seven RBIs and a pair of stolen bases. Alberto Osuna also drove home seven runs over the weekend and belted two home runs.
UNC blasted six home runs total, with Vance Honeycutt launching two and freshman Gavin Gallaher hitting the first of his career.
UNC-Elon Connections
• Left-handed pitcher Shea Sprague and catcher Parker Haskin transferred to Carolina from Elon over the summer. Sprague was a two-time All-CAA pitcher for the Phoenix, and Haskin was his battery mate
• Pitcher Justin Szestowicki spent the previous two years with the Tar Heels before transferring to Elon following the 2023 season.
• Assistant coach Jesse Wierzbicki served as an assistant coach at Elon during the 2016 season.
Pitching Matchup
| Tuesday | 4 p.m. | |
| Carolina | RHP Jason DeCaro |
| Elon | RHP Ben Sieracki (0-0, 4.50) |
| Links | WATCH | LIVE STATS |
Inside The Rankings
• The Tar Heels remained No. 15 in the D1 Baseball Top 25 poll this week.
• Carolina moved up to No. 14 in the NCBWA poll and up to No. 16 in the Baseball American rankings.
Mid-Week Action
• The Tar Heels will play 15 mid-week games (Tuesday or Wednesday) during the 2024 season, with 12 contests at The Bosh.
• Carolina was 14-4 in midweek games last season, including wins over Charlotte, East Carolina, and UNCW.
Closing in on 3,000
The Tar Heels are two wins away from 3,000 program victories. Only seven teams in NCAA history have surpassed the threshold, with Southern Cal and Arizona State reaching the milestone last season. UNC enters Tuesday night's game with a record of 2998-1648-7.
Approaching 40 Homers
• Junior Vance Honeycutt's next home run will be the 40th of his career, putting him into an exclusive group of Tar Heels. He stole his 50th and 51st career bags on Sunday and is one big fly shy of becoming the second career 40-50 player in school history. Jarrett Shearin (1996-99) hit 40 homers and stole 50 in 238 games during his four years at Carolina.
• Senior Alberto Osuna hit his 32nd career home run Sunday, leaving him eight away from the 40 home-run mark. Only eight players in school history have hit 40 career-long balls.
• Parks Harber hit 34 home runs in 148 career games at Georgia, including 18 as a junior in 2023.
UNC Debuts
• Nine position players and seven pitchers made their UNC debuts this past weekend. Senior Parks Harber, graduate transfer Anthony Donofrio, and freshmen Folger Boaz, Gavin Gallaher, and Luke Stephenson were a part of the opening day starting lineup.
• Graduate transfer Alex Madera has his Carolina debut on Saturday as the starting second baseman after an injury kept him out of Friday's game.
• Longwood transfer Eliot Dix first appeared as a Tar Heel pinch-hitter on Friday. Parker Haskin came in as a defensive replacement at catcher late in the game, but did not get an at-bat. Junior college transfer Aidan Haugh closed out the opener in relief.
• The next wave of debuts occurred Sunday as six pitchers, Olin Johnson, Boston Flannery, Ryan Fisher, Francesco Capocci, and Shea Sprague, took the mound for the first time at The Bosh.
• Freshman Kaleb Cost and junior Ryker Galaska made their UNC debut as a pinch-hitter in the series finale.
Â
Players Mentioned
LHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF/OF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
1B/DH
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballTar Heel 1ON1: Season 2, Episode 1 (Ryleigh Heck, Dani Mendez, Kaleigh Harden)
Tuesday, September 16
Bill Belichick Pre-UCF Press Conference
Tuesday, September 16
Football Players Pre-UCF Press Conference
Tuesday, September 16
Tar Heels in the Community pres. by NC Electric Co-ops - Dribble for Victory Over Cancer - 9/14/25
Tuesday, September 16