University of North Carolina Athletics
Friday, February 9
Rock Hill, S.C.
12 p.m.
North Carolina
vs
NC A&T
Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
Softball Kicks Off 2024 Campaign On Friday
February 7, 2024 | Softball
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – A new era of Carolina softball kicks off on Friday.
Megan Smith Lyon will take the field as the Tar Heels' head coach, the first time that Carolina has been led by someone other than former head coach Donna Papa, who retired in the spring, since 1985.
Smith Lyon, a 1999 North Carolina graduate, will be leading her alma mater and looking to set a new standard in Chapel Hill.
The Tar Heels will get their first opportunity of the season this weekend, traveling to Winthrop for a four-game slate in Rock Hill, S.C. Carolina will play NCA&T and Winthrop twice.
There will be no streaming available.
Winthrop Tournament Schedule
Rock Hill, S.C. - Terry Field
Friday, Feb. 9th
vs. NC A&T - 12:00 p.m.
vs. Winthrop - 5:00 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 10th
vs. NC A&T - 11:00 a.m.
vs. Winthrop - 1:30 p.m.
Series Breakdown
vs. NC A&T
Series History: UNC leads the series 22-4 and is 8-1 in neutral site games against the Bulldogs
Last Time: The Tar Heels defeated NC A&T 10-2 in Chapel Hill on Feb. 23, 2022, in five innings
vs. Winthrop
Series History: UNC leads the series 33-8 and is 5-1 in Rock Hill
Last Time: The Tar Heels defeated Winthrop 7-1 in Chapel Hill on Feb. 28, 2023
The 2024 Tar Heels
The Tar Heels' 2024 roster is made up of 25 student-athletes: 14 returners and 11 newcomers. Three of the newcomers are transfers: Autumn Owen (Marshall), Alex Coleman (Marshall) and Britton Rogers (Georgia) and eight are freshmen.
At the plate, the Tar Heels return 2023 RBI leader (35) and 2023 All-ACC First team selection Abby Settlemyre who hit .351 with nine home runs last season. Senior Skyler Brooks hit a career-best .329 as a junior, third highest on the team, and was 14-for-14 in stolen bases.
Autumn Owen, who played for Smith Lyon and with Coleman at Marshall, was a 2023 Sun Belt All-Conference First Team selection. She led the Sun Belt in batting average (.444), RBI (71), home runs (19), slugging percentage (.887), on-base percentage (.557), OPS (1.444) and walks (40) last season.
Alex Coleman, who started 55 games last season, finished as the Sun Belt's leader in hits (79), which ranked fifth-nationally in the regular season in 2023.
In the circle, the Tar Heels return four pitchers from a season ago: Bailey McCachren, Kenna Raye Dark, Carlie Myrtle and Talia Hannappel. Dark pitched 87.1 innings as a freshman, the most of all returners, making 28 appearances and 11 starts.
After spending three seasons at Georgia, Britton Rogers joined the Tar Heels this season. Rogers, a 5-foot-10 right-handed pitcher, has pitched 125 innings with 100 strikeouts in her career.
Freshmen Janelle Wilson and Nikki Harris round out the Carolina pitching staff.
Stay up to date with Carolina Softball by following the Tar Heels on Twitter and Instagram.
Megan Smith Lyon will take the field as the Tar Heels' head coach, the first time that Carolina has been led by someone other than former head coach Donna Papa, who retired in the spring, since 1985.
Smith Lyon, a 1999 North Carolina graduate, will be leading her alma mater and looking to set a new standard in Chapel Hill.
The Tar Heels will get their first opportunity of the season this weekend, traveling to Winthrop for a four-game slate in Rock Hill, S.C. Carolina will play NCA&T and Winthrop twice.
There will be no streaming available.
Winthrop Tournament Schedule
Rock Hill, S.C. - Terry Field
Friday, Feb. 9th
vs. NC A&T - 12:00 p.m.
vs. Winthrop - 5:00 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 10th
vs. NC A&T - 11:00 a.m.
vs. Winthrop - 1:30 p.m.
Series Breakdown
vs. NC A&T
Series History: UNC leads the series 22-4 and is 8-1 in neutral site games against the Bulldogs
Last Time: The Tar Heels defeated NC A&T 10-2 in Chapel Hill on Feb. 23, 2022, in five innings
vs. Winthrop
Series History: UNC leads the series 33-8 and is 5-1 in Rock Hill
Last Time: The Tar Heels defeated Winthrop 7-1 in Chapel Hill on Feb. 28, 2023
The 2024 Tar Heels
The Tar Heels' 2024 roster is made up of 25 student-athletes: 14 returners and 11 newcomers. Three of the newcomers are transfers: Autumn Owen (Marshall), Alex Coleman (Marshall) and Britton Rogers (Georgia) and eight are freshmen.
At the plate, the Tar Heels return 2023 RBI leader (35) and 2023 All-ACC First team selection Abby Settlemyre who hit .351 with nine home runs last season. Senior Skyler Brooks hit a career-best .329 as a junior, third highest on the team, and was 14-for-14 in stolen bases.
Autumn Owen, who played for Smith Lyon and with Coleman at Marshall, was a 2023 Sun Belt All-Conference First Team selection. She led the Sun Belt in batting average (.444), RBI (71), home runs (19), slugging percentage (.887), on-base percentage (.557), OPS (1.444) and walks (40) last season.
Alex Coleman, who started 55 games last season, finished as the Sun Belt's leader in hits (79), which ranked fifth-nationally in the regular season in 2023.
In the circle, the Tar Heels return four pitchers from a season ago: Bailey McCachren, Kenna Raye Dark, Carlie Myrtle and Talia Hannappel. Dark pitched 87.1 innings as a freshman, the most of all returners, making 28 appearances and 11 starts.
After spending three seasons at Georgia, Britton Rogers joined the Tar Heels this season. Rogers, a 5-foot-10 right-handed pitcher, has pitched 125 innings with 100 strikeouts in her career.
Freshmen Janelle Wilson and Nikki Harris round out the Carolina pitching staff.
Stay up to date with Carolina Softball by following the Tar Heels on Twitter and Instagram.
Players Mentioned
INF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
LHP
/ Softball
P/UTL
/ Softball
C/INF
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
P/UTL
/ SoftballUNC Field Hockey: Tar Heels Blitz Cornell, 8-1
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