Diamond Heels Host Pair Of Midweek Contests

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The Tar Heels are set to host a duo of midweek contests against George Mason and Queens before the team takes a weekend off. It will end a streak of eight straight weeks with an ACC matchup.

Tuesday afternoon will see Carolina face off against the Patriots of George Mason in what will be the 10th all-time meeting of the two programs. UNC has won all of the previous nine, last squaring off in 2014.

Wednesday night's meeting with Queen's will only be the second time the Heels have faced the Royals, who hail from down the road in Charlotte. North Carolina won that game 10-6 back in 2023. In the combined 10 previous contests against the two teams, nine of them were played in Boshamer Stadium.

SCHEDULE
Game 1: George Mason - Tuesday, April 29 - 4 PM ET
Game 2: Queen's - Wednesday, April 30 - 6 PM ET
Watch: ACCNX
Listen: GoHeels.com/WCHL 97.9

#4 North Carolina Tar Heels (33-10, 15-9 ACC)
Head Coach: Scott Forbes
Record at North Carolina:187-99 (5th Season)
Career Record: Same
Career vs. GMU: 0-0
Career vs. Queens: 1-0

George Mason Patriots (29-15, 14-7 A10)
Head Coach: Shawn Camp
Record at GMU: 87-74 (3rd Season)
Career Record: Same
Career vs. UNC: 5-10

Queens Royals (6-35, 4-17 ASUN)
Head Coach: Jake Hendrick
Record at Queens: 20-76 (2nd Season)
Career Record: 182-231 (9th Season)
Career vs. UNC: 0-1

PUSHIN P
➤ Carolina traveled up to the Steel City to face off with the Pitt Panthers and came away with their sixth straight ACC series win, taking the games on Friday and Sunday with relative ease.
➤ Friday's contest was an explosive 15-5 affair that saw the Tar Heels launch a season-high seven home runs. Gavin Gallaher knocked out three long balls in consecutive at-bats while Luke Stevenson added two of his own.
➤ Stevenson had an incredible Friday night overall. He wound up going 3-for-3 with four runs scored, three RBIs, and a pair of walks (once intentionally, right before Gallaher's third home run).
➤ The bats went cold on Saturday as temperatures in Pittsburgh dropped into the 40s in late April. The 4-2 loss ended a nine game wining streak for the Tar Heels over the Panthers.
➤ UNC got back right on Sunday with a 6-0 shutout. Jason DeCaro put together one his best performances in ACC play with 7.0 innings allowing just four hits and no runs.

BOSH BOMBERS GO NUCLEAR IN PITTSBURGH
➤ Carolina's bats went berserk on a windy Friday night in the Steel City, launching a season-high seven home runs to take a 15-5 victory over the Panthers.
➤ It was just the sixth time this century a Tar Heel team had done so in a single game, twice doing so in the 2024 season.
➤ They are just the second team this year to reach that mark in an ACC contest and one of 24 teams to have done so nationally.
➤ It is by far the most long balls hit by Carolina this season, the previous high being four on multiple occasions.
➤ The night's final three home runs were sent out by sophomore Gavin Gallaher, who tied the school record for most in one game in the process. He is the 10th player in program history to hit the benchmark.
➤ As if that weren't impressive enough, he did so in three consecutive at-bats. The Apex, N.C., native reset the clock on a number of last time categories including: three-home run game (Parks Harber, 3/30/24), six-RBI game (himself vs. LIU, 5/3/24), and 12+ total bases (Parks Harber, 3/30/24).

YOUNG BUCKS BRING THE HEAT
➤ Carolina has called upon three true freshman arms to deliver in big spots this season.
➤ First to appear was the Lee County legend Walker McDuffie. He has thrown 18 times, striking out 54 batters, earning three wins, and logging four saves.
➤ His save was the first by a Carolina true freshman since Shawn Rapp's against Elon on Feb. 18, 2020.
➤ Flamethrower Ryan Lynch currently holds the lowest ERA of the regular relievers at 2.37. He recently picked his second save and holds a 3-0 record.
➤ It is the first time UNC has multiple freshmen with more than one save in a season since at least 1997.
➤ The last true freshman Heel to record more than one save in a season was Trent Thornton, who had eight in 2013.
➤ Lynch's seven strikeouts were the most by a Carolina pitcher in their collegiate debut since Max Carlson racked up eight on Feb. 20, 2021.
➤ Ellerbe, N.C. native Camron Seagraves has 13 appearances and the only one of the trio to get a start thus far. He has recorded a win and 21 Ks.
➤ Punching out two to finish off history, he is the first freshman on record to be involved in a UNC no-hitter.
➤ The trio, alongside the young Jason Decaro, own 13 of the Tar Heels' 31 wins so far this year. Lynch is the oldest of the group while DeCaro, the sophomore, is the youngest player on the team.

A-MAD DASH
➤ Carolina's shortstop has been on a tear as of late, coinciding with the team's resurgence at the plate.
➤ In his last 11 games, he's hitting .435 with 20 hits, 10 runs scored, seven RBIs, and nine walks.
➤ He recently overtook Stokely for the team's best batting average (.327) and has been at the top of the list for multi-hit games (16) all year.
➤ The highlight of his current run came in the bottom of the 14th against Duke when he capped off a four-hit evening with a walk-off single to take the series.
➤ A close second on the highlight list would have to be hitting his first home run of the year as part of the seven long ball night for the Heels against Pitt. It wasn't a cheap shot that squeaked over the fence either, going 369 feet and pinging off the scoreboard in left.

NO PLACE LIKE THE BOSH
➤ The Tar Heels boasted a 37-3 record at Boshamer Stadium last season, winning a program record 92.5 percent of its games at home.
➤ The previous highest complete season winning percentage at Boshamer Stadium was 92.3 in 2011 (36-3) and 1985 (24-2).
4UNC opened the season with 23 consecutive wins before suffering its first home loss (4/16 vs. Coastal Carolina), setting a program record for most consecutive home wins to start a season.
4The 23 victories were a part of a school record 27 straight wins at Boshamer Stadium, including the final four games of the 2023 campaign.
➤ Only Tennessee (40) had more home wins than the Tar Heels in 2024, and only UC Santa Barbara and Oregon State had fewer losses (2).
➤ It was the 13th time in program history the Tar Heels won 30 or more home games.
➤ The Tar Heels have won 77.3 percent of their home games since 2021, going 133-39.

NON-CON COMBAT
➤ The Heels have compiled a 94-31 (.752) record in games against non-ACC opponents under Forbes. The 2024 team was 24-6 outside of conference play.
➤ Since 2020, UNC has won 11 of its 12 three-game non-conference weekend series with a 29-6 mark in that span.

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Players Mentioned

Jason DeCaro

Gavin Gallaher

Parks Harber

Ryan Lynch

Walker McDuffie

Camron Seagraves

Luke Stevenson