By R.L. Bynum

After recruiting an outstanding transfer and freshman class, Coach Scott Forbes’ fourth North Carolina team will face a challenging schedule.

The schedule, announced Thursday, includes 44 games against teams that finished in the top 65 of the RPI last season and 25 teams that made the NCAA tournament.

Baseball America ranked UNC’s 24-player recruiting class No. 15 in the country. The class includes seven four-year transfers, a group that Perfect Game ranked No. 10 and Collegiate Baseball ranked No. 12.

That talented group of newcomers joins a group led by junior center fielder Vance Honeycutt (top photo).

The Tar Heels, who finished 36–24 and made the NCAA tournament for a sixth consecutive season, play 34 games at Boshamer Stadium, including 19 of their 24 non-conference contests.

Four of UNC’s non-conference home opponents — Campbell, Charlotte, East Carolina and UNCW — were NCAA tournament teams last season.

The season starts with five home games, beginning with a three-game series with Wagner that starts on Friday, Feb. 16.

The Tar Heels will play a three-game, three-city series with East Carolina, facing the Pirates in Chapel Hill on Feb. 23, Fayetteville’s Segra Stadium on Feb. 24 and Greenville on Feb. 25.

UNC will also play home-and-home series with Campbell and UNCW, host Charlotte, Coastal Carolina, Elon, Gardner-Webb, Longwood, North Carolina A&T and William & Mary for single games, and play its annual game at Charlotte’s Truist Field against South Carolina.

Carolina opens ACC play at home March 8 against Pittsburgh, and also plays home league series against Georgia Tech (March 22–24), Notre Dame (April 12–14), Virginia Tech (April 26–28) and Louisville (May 10–12).

UNC’s road league series are against Miami (March 15–17), Wake Forest (March 29–31), Virginia (April 4–6), N.C. State (April 18–20) and Duke (May 16–18).

The Tar Heels won’t play Boston College, Clemson, or Florida State during the regular season.

The site of the ACC tournament May 21–26 hasn’t been announced.

Carolina will only play six regular-season games outside the state, playing three games each at Miami and Virginia.

UNC scores

Date(s)	Day/ month	Scores	Opponent (current rank)	Record
	February
14–15	Fri.-Sat.	W, 5–1; W, 8–3; W, 4–2	vs. Texas Tech	3–0
18	Tuesday	W, 12–9	vs. Kansas State	4–0
22–24	Sat.-Mon.	W, 2–0; W, 11–6; W, 6–4	vs. East Carolina (DBAP, CH, G’ville)	7–0
25	Tuesday	W, 7–4	vs. VCU	8–0
26	Wednesday	W, 13–4	vs. N.C. A&T	9–0
28	Friday	W, 16–2	vs. Stony Brook	10–0
	March
1–2	Sat.-Sun.	W, 6–1; W, 9–5	vs. Stony Brook	12–0
4	Tuesday	W, 6–4 (11)	vs. No. 11 Coastal Carolina	13–0
7–9	Fri.-Sun.	L, 13–9; W, 11–1 (7); L, 7–0	vs. Stanford	14–2, 1–2 ACC
11	Tuesday	W, 7–3 (10)	at UNCW	15–2
14, 16	Fri., Sun.	L, 8–7; W, 6–4; L, 5–0	at Louisville	16–4, 2–4
19	Wednesday	L, 5–1	vs. UConn	16–5
21–23	Fri.-Sun.	W, 5–1; L, 3–2; W, 10–0 (7)	at Boston College	18–6, 4–5
25	Tuesday	W, 13–8	vs. South Carolina in Charlotte	19–7
28–30	Fri.-Sun.	W, 2–0; W, 4–2; L, 4–2	vs. Miami	21–7, 6–6
	April
1	Tuesday	W, 11–1 (7)	vs. Gardner-Webb	22–7
3–5	Thur.-Sat.	W, 4–3; L, 9–5; W, 8–7 (14)	vs. Duke	24–8, 8–7
8	Tuesday	W, 12–10	at Elon	25–8
11–13	Fri.-Sun.	W, 11–1 (7); W, 17–1 (7); W, 3–2	vs. Wake Forest	28–8, 11–7
15	Tuesday	W, 14–4 (8)	vs. Charlotte	29–8
18–20	Fri-Sun.	W, 9–6; L, 10–6: W, 7–5	at Virginia Tech	31–9, 13–8
25–27	Fri.-Sun.	W, 15–5; L, 4–2; W, 6–0	at Pittsburgh	33–10, 15–9
29	Tuesday	W, 13–4	vs. George Mason	34–10
30	Wednesday	W, 14–3	vs. Queens	35–10
	May
6	Tuesday	W, 10–1	vs. Campbell	36–10
8–9	Thurs.-Fri.	W, 8–1; L, 8–5	vs. N.C. State	37–11, 16–10
15–17	Thurs.-Sat.	W, 8–3; W, 11–1 (7); L, 5–4	at No. 7 Florida State	39–12, 18–11
		ACC tournament	Durham
23	Friday	Quarterfinal: W, 7–3	Boston College	40–12
24	Saturday	Semifinal: W, 7–5	No. 7 Florida State	41–12
25	Sunday	Final: W, 14–4	No. 14 Clemson	42–12
		Chapel Hill Regional
30	Friday	W, 4–0	Holy Cross	43–12
31	Saturday	W, 11–5	Oklahoma	44–12
	June
1	Sunday	L, 9–5	Oklahoma	44–13
2	Monday	W, 14–4	Oklahoma	45–13
		Chapel Hill Super Regional	Best-of-3 series
6	Friday	W, 18–2	No. 21 Arizona	46–13
7	Saturday	L, 10–8	No. 21 Arizona	46–14
8	Sunday	L, 4–3	No. 21 Arizona	46–15