Baseball Back Home To Face Notre Dame

Friday, April 12

Chapel Hill

6 p.m.

North Carolina

Notre Dame

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Photo by: AINSLEY E. FAUTH

April 11, 2024 | Baseball

By: UNC Athletics Communications

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – After a seven-game road swing, No. 13 North Carolina returns home this weekend to host Notre Dame in a three-game series beginning Friday, April 12.

All three games will stream on ACC Network Extra, with Friday night's opener scheduled for 6 p.m. Games two and three of the series will begin Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m.

Carolina (26-7, 11-4 ACC) is hosting Notre Dame (15-15, 2-13 ACC) for the first time since 2020 as the Tar Heels look to remain undefeated at home this season. UNC is 20-0 at Boshamer Stadium this season and has won 24 consecutive games at home dating back to last season. The Fighting Irish are 10-11 on the road this season but winless away from South Bend in ACC play, 0-9.

The Tar Heels took two of the three from Notre Dame last season in South Bend (W 10-8, W 5-2, L 1-9), but they haven't beaten the Fighting Irish at home since 2016 after UND swept the series at Boshamer Stadium in 2020. Overall, UNC is 9-13 against Notre Dame and 2-4 at Boshamer Stadium.

Pitching Matchups

	Friday \| 6 ET (ACCNX)	Saturday \| 2 ET (ACCNX)	Sunday \| 1 ET (ACCNX)
Carolina	RHP Jason DeCaro (1-1, 4.20 ERA)	LHP Shea Sprague (1-1, 4.22 ERA)	TBA
Notre Dame	RHP Matt Bedford (1-4, 4.78 ERA)	RHP Jack Radel (2-1, 3.07 ERA)	RHP Rory Fox (1-0, 5.60 ERA)
Links	WATCH \| LISTEN	WATCH \| LISTEN	WATCH \| LISTEN

POLL POSITION
This week, the Tar Heels peaked at No. 12 in the Perfect Game and USA Today Sports Coaches polls. D1Baseball and NCBWA ranked UNC No. 13, while Baseball America ranked Carolina No. 14.

ABOUT THE IRISH
Notre Dame is 15-15 overall this season and 2-13 in ACC play. Through 30 games, the Fighting Irish are slashing .271/.369/.492 with 50 home runs and a 6.31 ERA. UND is averaging and allowing 7.7 runs per game. Notre Dame has a .983 fielding percentage, which is the second-highest in the ACC.

LAST TIME OUT
North Carolina played its 10th one-run game of the season Tuesday and fell victim to South Carolina, 2-1, at Truist Field in Charlotte. The Gamecocks held the Tar Heels to just six hits and turned three double plays. Colby Wilkerson drove in the Tar Heels' lone run. Aidan Haugh came out of the bullpen to strike out seven in 3.0 innings pitched and combined with four other UNC hurlers for 15 strikeouts.

WINNING CLOSE GAMES
The Tar Heels are 7-3 in one-run games this season following Tuesday night's loss to South Carolina.

FIRST PLACE TAR HEELS
North Carolina holds a one-game lead over Virginia Tech (10-5) and a two-game lead over Virginia (9-6) and Duke (9-6) for first place in the ACC Coastal Division with an 11-4 record. Virginia Tech is on the road at Georgia Tech (5-7), while Duke travels to Pitt (3-12), and Virginia plays at ACC Atlantic division rival Louisville (6-6).

H2O
North Carolina is one of only two teams in the country with three players that have hit 36 or more career home runs: Vance Honeycutt (47), Parks Harber (45), and Alberto Osuna (39). Osuna is one homer shy of becoming the 10th player in school history with 40 home runs, while Honeycutt's next homer will move him into sole possession of second place on the program's all-time list.

HARBER IS HEATING UP
Harber enters the series with Notre Dame on a 10-game hitting streak with a .476 batting average and 1.678 OPS. He has nine home runs and 19 RBIs during the streak. He has seven multi-hit games, including a trio of three-hit games, and four games with four or more RBIs.

BERTO IS DOUBLING UP
Osuna is tied with Duke's Ben Miller for the ACC lead in doubles with 15, equaling his career total entering the season. He ranks seventh among NCAA Division I players. He doubled in five consecutive games from Feb. 28 to March 5 and three straight from March 10 to 13. Osuna had a pair of doubles in the win over Miami.

MATTHIJS HAS THE MOST WINS
Sophomore right-handed pitcher Matthew Matthijs leads all NCAA Division I players with 11 victories this season, four more than the next five. Chase Burns (Wake Forest) and Jamie Arnold (Florida State) are tied for second in the ACC with six. Matthijs is tied for the league lead in appearances (19).

HAUGH MOWING 'EM DOWN
Junior college transfer Aidan Haugh has struck out 14 in his last 7 1/3 innings pitched. He fanned a career-high seven in three innings against South Carolina after fanning three in 2 1/3 innings against Virginia and four in two innings at Wake Forest.