Thursday, April 18
Raleigh, N.C.
7 p.m.
North Carolina
at
NC State
Photo by: ANTHONY SORBELLINI
Baseball Heads To NC State For Three-Game Series
April 18, 2024 | Baseball
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – With only four weekend series remaining, No. 11 North Carolina looks to continue to build momentum heading into the postseason this weekend when the Tar Heels travel down I-40 to Raleigh for a three-game series with NC State at Doak Field.
Thursday night's series opener will air on ACC Network at 7 p.m. Games two and three will streak on ACC Network Extra Friday (6 p.m.) and Saturday (3 p.m.)
Despite suffering a one-run loss to No. 19 Coastal Carolina on Tuesday that ended its 27-game home winning streak, UNC is coming off its fourth conference series sweep of the year last weekend, when Tar Heels swept Notre Dame in Chapel Hill. Carolina swept just one ACC series a year ago, defeating NC State (9-8, 9-3, 12-2) in three straight at Boshamer Stadium.
Carolina has won seven of the last eight games in the series, including five in-a-row, since being swept at home by the Wolfpack in 2021. UNC won two of three games at Doak Field in its last visit in 2022 before posting a 9-5 victory in ACC Baseball Championship game. The Tar Heels and Wolfpack have split the last 20 meetings at Doak Field since 2007, 10-10.
UNC leads the all-time series 175-139-1. The Tar Heels have won 92 of the 169 regular season ACC games in the series (92-77).
Pitching Matchups
POLE POSITION
North Carolina is ranked No. 11 in four of the five major college baseball polls and 10th in the other. Perfect Game has the Tar Heels at No. 10 this week.
SCOUTING NC STATE
NC State has won four of its first six ACC series, including a series victory at No. 2 Clemson last weekend. The Wolfpack enters the weekend with an overall record of 20-14 and 10-8 in the ACC (third place in the Atlantic Division). NC State is slashing .277/.388/.463 as a team with 52 home runs in 34 games. The pitching staff has compiled an ERA of 6.63 with 295 strikeouts and 171 walks in 289.1 innings pitched with an opponent's batting average of .269.
LAST TIME OUT
The Tar Heels are coming off their first home loss of the season on Tuesday, falling 5-4 to No. 19 Coastal Carolina. Vance Honeycutt hit two home runs and Alberto Osuna smacked another, but UNC couldn't overcome a 4-0 deficit even though Carolina rallied to tie the game in the eighth.
FIRST PLACE TAR HEELS
North Carolina holds a three-game lead over Duke, Virginia and Virginia Tech, who are all 11-7, for first place in the ACC Coastal Division with a 14-4 record.
SERIES SPEAKING
North Carolina has won six of its nine weekend series this season, posting a three-game sweep in each series triumph. The two ACC series that it lost were on the road, dropping games one and two against Miami and Virginia before winning the finale. UNC won the series opener against East Carolina, but lost the final two away from Chapel Hill.
MISTER 50-60
Vance Honeycutt is the first player in Carolina and Atlantic Coast Conference history to hit 50 home runs and steal 60 bases during his career. Honeycutt has swiped 68 bases in his career and blasted 51 home runs. He is just the third 50-50 player in ACC history, joining Florida State's JD Drew and Clemson's Khalil Greene.
POWERING UP
The Tar Heels have belted 37 home runs over the last 14 games, accounting for 56.0 percent of their season total. Carolina has belted 66 total home runs this season, which ranks them fourth in the ACC and 17th in Division I. UNC is on pace to hit 96 home runs during its 54-game regular season schedule.
THE 40-HR CLUB
North Carolina is the only school in the country with three players on its current roster with 40 or more career home runs: Vance Honeycutt (50), Parks Harber (46), and Alberto Osuna Honeycutt ranks seventh among active players in career home runs and Harber is 12th.
DONOFRIO TAKES OVER THE LEADOFF SPOT
Anthony Donofrio became the fourth different Tar Heel to bat leadoff this season in the series finale at Virginia (Alex Madera 14, Gavin Gallaher 10, Vance Honeycutt 9). In his six games in the leadoff spot, Donofrio is 10-for-26 (.385) with two home runs, a triple, six RBIs, and seven runs scored.
HARBER HEATING UP
Senior first baseman Parks Harber enters the series with NC State having hit safely in 13 of the last 14 games while having reached base in 14 straight games. Harber was hitting .270 when the streak began, raising his average by 74 points to .344.
TOP ROOKIE BACKSTOP
Catcher Luke Stevenson has emerged as one of the top first-year players in the country and was named to the Perfect Game Midseason Freshman All-America Team. He currently ranks sixth among DI freshmen in home runs (10) and RBIs (39). He is ranked among the overall ACC leaders in both categories, tied for 15th in RBIs and 19th in homers. Stevenson is ranked first among all ACC primary catchers in RBIs and second in homers behind Pitt's Jayden Melendez (11).
Thursday night's series opener will air on ACC Network at 7 p.m. Games two and three will streak on ACC Network Extra Friday (6 p.m.) and Saturday (3 p.m.)
Despite suffering a one-run loss to No. 19 Coastal Carolina on Tuesday that ended its 27-game home winning streak, UNC is coming off its fourth conference series sweep of the year last weekend, when Tar Heels swept Notre Dame in Chapel Hill. Carolina swept just one ACC series a year ago, defeating NC State (9-8, 9-3, 12-2) in three straight at Boshamer Stadium.
Carolina has won seven of the last eight games in the series, including five in-a-row, since being swept at home by the Wolfpack in 2021. UNC won two of three games at Doak Field in its last visit in 2022 before posting a 9-5 victory in ACC Baseball Championship game. The Tar Heels and Wolfpack have split the last 20 meetings at Doak Field since 2007, 10-10.
UNC leads the all-time series 175-139-1. The Tar Heels have won 92 of the 169 regular season ACC games in the series (92-77).
Pitching Matchups
| Thursday | 7 PM (ACCN) | Friday | 6 PM (ACCNX) | Saturday | 3 PM (ACCNX) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carolina | RHP Jason DeCaro (2-1, 3.66) | LHP Shea Sprague (2-1, 4.06 ERA) | RHP Aidan Haugh (2-0, 3.08 ERA) |
| NC State | RHP Sam Highfill (3-1, 4.71 ERA) | LHP Dominic Fritton (2-3, 7.85 ERA) | TBA |
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POLE POSITION
North Carolina is ranked No. 11 in four of the five major college baseball polls and 10th in the other. Perfect Game has the Tar Heels at No. 10 this week.
SCOUTING NC STATE
NC State has won four of its first six ACC series, including a series victory at No. 2 Clemson last weekend. The Wolfpack enters the weekend with an overall record of 20-14 and 10-8 in the ACC (third place in the Atlantic Division). NC State is slashing .277/.388/.463 as a team with 52 home runs in 34 games. The pitching staff has compiled an ERA of 6.63 with 295 strikeouts and 171 walks in 289.1 innings pitched with an opponent's batting average of .269.
LAST TIME OUT
The Tar Heels are coming off their first home loss of the season on Tuesday, falling 5-4 to No. 19 Coastal Carolina. Vance Honeycutt hit two home runs and Alberto Osuna smacked another, but UNC couldn't overcome a 4-0 deficit even though Carolina rallied to tie the game in the eighth.
FIRST PLACE TAR HEELS
North Carolina holds a three-game lead over Duke, Virginia and Virginia Tech, who are all 11-7, for first place in the ACC Coastal Division with a 14-4 record.
SERIES SPEAKING
North Carolina has won six of its nine weekend series this season, posting a three-game sweep in each series triumph. The two ACC series that it lost were on the road, dropping games one and two against Miami and Virginia before winning the finale. UNC won the series opener against East Carolina, but lost the final two away from Chapel Hill.
MISTER 50-60
Vance Honeycutt is the first player in Carolina and Atlantic Coast Conference history to hit 50 home runs and steal 60 bases during his career. Honeycutt has swiped 68 bases in his career and blasted 51 home runs. He is just the third 50-50 player in ACC history, joining Florida State's JD Drew and Clemson's Khalil Greene.
POWERING UP
The Tar Heels have belted 37 home runs over the last 14 games, accounting for 56.0 percent of their season total. Carolina has belted 66 total home runs this season, which ranks them fourth in the ACC and 17th in Division I. UNC is on pace to hit 96 home runs during its 54-game regular season schedule.
THE 40-HR CLUB
North Carolina is the only school in the country with three players on its current roster with 40 or more career home runs: Vance Honeycutt (50), Parks Harber (46), and Alberto Osuna Honeycutt ranks seventh among active players in career home runs and Harber is 12th.
DONOFRIO TAKES OVER THE LEADOFF SPOT
Anthony Donofrio became the fourth different Tar Heel to bat leadoff this season in the series finale at Virginia (Alex Madera 14, Gavin Gallaher 10, Vance Honeycutt 9). In his six games in the leadoff spot, Donofrio is 10-for-26 (.385) with two home runs, a triple, six RBIs, and seven runs scored.
HARBER HEATING UP
Senior first baseman Parks Harber enters the series with NC State having hit safely in 13 of the last 14 games while having reached base in 14 straight games. Harber was hitting .270 when the streak began, raising his average by 74 points to .344.
TOP ROOKIE BACKSTOP
Catcher Luke Stevenson has emerged as one of the top first-year players in the country and was named to the Perfect Game Midseason Freshman All-America Team. He currently ranks sixth among DI freshmen in home runs (10) and RBIs (39). He is ranked among the overall ACC leaders in both categories, tied for 15th in RBIs and 19th in homers. Stevenson is ranked first among all ACC primary catchers in RBIs and second in homers behind Pitt's Jayden Melendez (11).
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