University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Wake Forest
Baseball Set For Top-15 Series With Wake Forest
March 28, 2024 | Baseball
Friday's series opener (6 p.m.) and Sunday's series finale (1 p.m.) will stream on ACCNX, while Saturday's game will be televised on ACC Network at 7 p.m.
The Tar Heels and Demon Deacons last met in Chapel Hill in 2022, with the UNC winning the series 2-1. Carolina has won five of the last six meetings in the series dating back to 2018, with all six played at Boshamer Stadium. UNC's most recent trip to Winston-Salem to face Wake Forest was in 2016.
Carolina has a commanding 167-126-3 lead in the all-time series.
| Friday | 6 ET (ACCNX) | Saturday | 7 ET (ACCNX) | Sunday | 1 ET (SECN+) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carolina | LHP Folger Boaz (2-1, 4.66 ERA) | RHP Jason DeCaro (1-0, 3.56 ERA) | LHP Shea Sprague (1-1, 3.57 ERA) |
| WFU | RHP Chase Burns (5-0, 1.93 ERA) | LHP Josh Hartle (4-1, 7.14 ERA) | RHP Michael Massey (3-1, 1.08 ERA) |
| Links | WATCH | LISTEN | STATS | WATCH | LISTEN | STATS | WATCH | LISTEN | STAT |
Carolina enters the weekend tied with Clemson, Tennessee, and Texas A&M for most wins in Division I with 22.
LAST TIME OUT
The Tar Heels are coming off a 10-5 win over North Carolina A&T at Boshamer Stadium on Tuesday. Parks Harber hit two home runs and Alberto Osuna added another. Freshman Gavin Gallaher collected three hits and the bullpen tossed 7.0 innings following an 85-minute rain relay.
CAROLINA HURLERS AMONG ACC BEST
With an ERA of 3.90, North Carolina has the second-lowest ERA in the ACC behind Duke (3.46). During its six-game winning streak, the Tar Heels have posted a 3.06 team ERA while holding opposing hitters to a .226 average. UNC's bullpen has a 2.59 ERA during the current six-game winning streak, with 25 strikeouts in 24.1 innings pitched. It has surrendered just eight runs and held its opponents to a .176 batting average. Sophomore Southpaw Matthew Matthijs leads all NCAA Division I players in wins with 10 and ranks second in the league with 14 appearances.
POWERING UP
The Tar Heels have belted 16 home runs over the last six games, accounting for 43 percent of their season total. Parks Harber has hit five home runs in those games, going deep in the previous three games entering the Wake Forest series. He blasted two home runs against N.C. A&T on Tuesday. He has four homers in his last 13 at-bats after hitting two in his first 74 at-bats of the season. Casey Cook has hit half his home runs in the previous six games, hitting two in the series finale at Miami and another in the opener against Georgia Tech. During this stretch, Vance Honeycutt, Alberto Osuna, and Luke Stevenson have each homered twice.
FORCING HIS WAY IN THE LINEUP
Freshman Gavin Gallaher enters the Wake Forest series, riding the team's longest hitting streak at seven games. He is 16-for-29 (.551) with a double, grand slam, three sacrifice flies, and 10 RBIs during his current hitting streak. Gallaher has collected three or more hits in four of the last seven games. He went 4-for-6 in the series finale at Miami with a double and grand slam. Gallaher has started each of the previous seven games, including the last three at third base, after starting the previous four in left field. He has made 12 total starts this season (5 LF, 4 3B, 2 DH, 1 2B). He was the Tar Heels' opening-day starter at second base.
PLATE PRODUCER
Casey Cook ranks among the ACC's top 10 individual leaders in RBIs (3) and hits (7), two off the conference RBI lead. Cook has driven in a career-best 38 runs through the first 26 games after collecting 23 RBIs in 60 games a year ago. He ranks 10th among all NCAA Division I players. He is one of three players in the ACC top 10 in hits and RBIs (Henry Ford, Virginia; Blake Wright, Clemson). Cook has belted six home runs in 105 at-bats this season after hitting three in 224 at-bats a year ago.
RUNNIN' HEELS
Carolina ranks second in the ACC in stolen bases with 47, five behind conference leader Louisville (52). Vance Honeycutt is second in the ACC with 14 stolen bases, one behind JT Benson of Louisville. Anthony Donofrio ranks fifth with 13 steals. Honeycutt had 13 steals through the first 25 games last season, while the Diamond Heels swiped 35 bases through the first one-third of the 2023 campaign.
BOUNCE BACK SEASON FOR BERTO
After enduring the 2023 season marred by hamate bone surgery to start the year, senior Alberto Osuna is flourishing in 2024. Osuna leads the Tar Heels in batting average (.380), slugging percentage (.739), OPS (1.203), and doubles (12) and ranks second in home runs (7) and RBIs (33). He ranks among the ACC leaders in doubles (2), RBIs (8), hits (12th), slugging (14th) and hitting (15th). Osuna has driven home a run in five of the last six games and six of the past 10. He collected an RBI in eight straight games from Feb. 24 - March 5. This season, he has consecutive games with an RBI streaks of eight, five and four (current).
