University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
East Carolina
Baseball Begins Three-Game Series With ECU
February 23, 2024 | Baseball
Friday's game will be streamed on ACCNX and Sunday's game will be available on ESPN+. There is no video stream for Saturday's game, but the game can be heard on goheels.com.
UNC and ECU are playing a three-game series during the second weekend of the year for the third consecutive season. North Carolina won the series, 2-1, in 2022 with two victories at Boshamer Stadium while ECU won last year's series, 2-1, with two wins in Chapel Hill.
This weekend's games will be the 94th, 95th and 96th meetings between the Tar Heels and Pirates with UNC holding a 59-34 advantage. All three of last season's game were one-run affairs with Carolina posting a 2-1 win at Clark-LeClair Stadium in the series finale after the Pirates won the each of the first two games 6-5.
Following the completion of the series, UNC will only have three non-conference games away from Boshamer Stadium remaining. UNC will travel to Campbell next month and UNCW pin May with game against South Carolina in Charlotte sandwiched between.
PITCHING MATCHUPS
| Friday | 5 ET (ACCNX) | Saturday | 2 ET | Sunday | 2 ET (ESPN+) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carolina | LHP Folger Boaz (1-0, 1.80 ERA) | RHP Ben Peterson (0-0, 10.80 ERA) | RHP Olin Johnson(0-0, 3.37) |
| East Carolina | RHP Trey Yesavage (1-0, 2.25 ERA) | LHP Zach Root (1-0, 0.00 ERA) | RHP Jake Hunter (1-0, 0.00 ERA) |
| Links | WATCH | LISTEN | LIVE STATS | LISTEN | LIVE STATS | WATCH | LISTEN | LIVE STATS |
LEADOFF HITS
• Carolina's next win will be the 3,000 victory in program history. Only seven other teams have achieved the milestone. UNC is tied with Clemson for the eighth most all-time victories (2,999).
• Redshirt sophomore Casey Cook was the only Tar Heel to hit safely in each of the first four games of the season, collecting 10 total hits. Last season he had five hits in the opening four games. The last Tar Heel to have 10 or more hits in the first four games was Dustin Ackley (11-for-19, 2008).
• After missing the season opener with an injury, graduate transfer Alex Madera has started the last three games at second base, hitting safely in each game.
• Senior Alberto Osuna has homered in each of the last two games and has gone a combined 4-for-7 in those games after going 1-for-8 in the opening two games.
• Junior Vance Honeycutt has a 39-game on-base streak dating back to last season.
• The Tar Heels have been ahead or tied at the end of 35 of 36 innings played this season. They have scored four or more runs in an inning seven times. UNC has scored just two runs in the first inning this season but plated 18 runs in the second.
• Of the Diamond Heels' 36 innings pitched this season, 18.0 (50.0 percent) have been thrown by first-year Tar Heels.
• Carolina's starting pitcher has been a freshman in three of four games this season (Folger Boaz, Olin Johnson, Jason DeCaro).
• Four games into the season, nine position players and eight pitchers have made their Tar Heel debuts.
NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS
North Carolina has compiled a record of 56-24 (.700) against non-ACC opponents under head coach Scott Forbes. The Tar Heels were 11 games over .500 (20-9) against opponents outside the ACC a year ago and 16 games over (23-7) in 2022.
GETTING OUT OF THE GATES QUICKLY
UNC has gotten off to a hot start in each of Coach Scott Forbes' first four seasons. The Tar Heels have opened the 2024 campaign by winning their first four games for third time since 2021. UNC opened the season with six consecutive wins in 2021 and 2022. Carolina opened the 2022 season by winning nine of its first 10 games, and the 2021 and '23 campaigns with 7-3 marks. It won 11 games before ACC play began each of the previous two seasons, going 11-2 in 2022 and 11-3 a year ago.
ONE GAME, TWO RECORDS
The Tar Heels set and tied a pair of team records in Sunday's series finale against Wagner. Carolina drew a school record 18 base on balls, breaking the school record of 16 which happened on three previous occasions. UNC also stole 10 bases, matching the school record set against Maine in 1995.
