By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — Playing in a baseball conference stacked with ranked teams requires stacking talent to stay competitive, and fourth-year North Carolina coach Scott Forbes brought in an impressive collection of newcomers to do that.
The Tar Heels are ranked No. 15 in the preseason D1 Baseball poll, but five ACC teams are ahead of them: No. 1 Wake Forest, No. 10 Clemson, No. 12 Duke, No. 13 N.C. State and No. 14 Virginia.
UNC (36–24 last season), which opens Feb. 16 at home against Wagner, lost a pair of leaders in third baseman Mac Horvath, catcher Tomas Frick as well as ace Max Carlson. But D1 Baseball ranks Forbes’ 14-player freshman class No. 3 in the country, and his 10-player transfer class No. 20.
“This is an older group, a great mix,” Forbes, who called the 25 newcomers the deepest and most talented he’s brought in since he became head coach, said Thursday at the team’s media day. “It’s an exciting group. I’m excited for them.”
Three of those transfers — graduate shortstop Alex Medera (.455 with 42 RBI and 16 steals at Division III Arcadia), corner infielder Parks Harber (.283 with 18 homers, 58 RBI at Georgia) and right fielder Anthony Donofrio (.364 with 16 homers, 64 RBI, 31 steals at Quinnipiac) — are expected to start, as is freshman catcher Luke Stevenson (.527, 17 homers, 58 RBI at Wake Forest High School). Medera, Donofrio and Stevenson are all left-handed hitters.
They all join junior center fielder Vance Honeycutt (.257, 12 homers, 19 steals), who battled a back injury last season and missed the last 10 games. But he is healthy again and poised to put together a huge season and be among the top picks in June’s draft.
“I think we have one goal, and that’s to win a national championship,” said Honeycutt, who has a life-changing few months ahead of him. “This is the spot you want to be in, the spot you’ve worked your whole life for. It’s the fun part. You put all the work in prior, and now you get to go out and play with your boys and just kind of have a lot of fun.”
Taking over leadership roles as captains are senior Jackson Van De Brake (.307, eight homers, 48 RBI), who likely plays a lot at third base after playing second last season, and junior right-hander Jake Knapp (5–4, 5.04 ERA), UNC’s Friday starter.
“We feel great about our leadership, but you don’t truly find out how good your team chemistry is until you get rolling into that season and probably until you have a little bit of adversity,” Forbes said.
Forbes is debating between Medera, Donofrio and Honeycutt as his lead-off man.
Some of the freshmen could have made a lot of money by signing pro contracts but opted to play at least three seasons at Carolina, even though Forbes said some pro teams “made some hard runs at them.”
“I lost some years, those three days during the draft,” Forbes said. “They were all here in summer school. And that’s a great thing about UNC and our school supporting us and bringing these guys in for summer school because they fall in love with the place.”
Stevenson will join Tim Federowicz and Chris Iannetta as UNC catchers starting as freshmen. Forbes said Stevenson has power, can handle a pitching staff, and can shut down a running game. Elon graduate transfer Parker Haskin will back up Stevenson.
“Luke is a different player,” Forbes said, comparing Stevenson to Frick. “He’s just a bigger, more physical kid — left-handed hitter and just naturally more powerful than Tomas. You don’t see many kids at Luke’s age who are gifted naturally with his arm, with his receiving ability.
“He runs the show, which is impressive,” Forbes said. “When you go watch Luke Stevenson, he’s going to talk. He’ll have energy. He’s got a good arm.
Redshirt sophomore Casey Cook (.317, 23 RBI) will shift from right field to second base, a position he played in high school, to make way for Donofrio, which shifts Van De Brake to third base. Senior Patrick Alvarez (.347, 18 RBI) will likely start in left field.
“I’ve played a lot of middle infield in my career, not a lot at third,” Van De Brake said. “So, as of right now, it’s kind of a matter of just getting reps [at third base].”
Senior designated hitter Alberto Osuna (.223, 11 home runs, 26 RBI) battled a hamate injury last season but has recovered. He’s also slimmer after a rigorous seven-week offseason sugar-free chicken-and-rice diet.
Osuna said that he’s confident he could hold his own at first base.
“It’s gotten a lot better,” he said. “It’s definitely helped out a lot, losing a little bit of weight. I feel like I can move a little bit better. I will have more mobility over there.”
Harbor is projected as the starter at first base. There is so much talent that two seniors — first baseman Hunter Stokely (.317, 15 home runs, 36 RBI) and corner infielder Johnny Castagnozzi (.269, five home runs, 30 RBI) — aren’t projected to start, but will still be counted on for production.
“Everyone has to understand that it’s nothing personal,” Cook said. “We’re all here for the same reason. And if you keep that vision, I think that’s the way you have good chemistry, and you work well together. We have our eyes straight on our ultimate goal of winning games.”
Another freshman who is part of the infield mix is Gavin Gallaher of Apex, who could see time at second base.
Redshirt sophomore left-hander Dalton Pence (4–3, 3.33, two saves) is expected to be the closer, with senior right-hander Matt Poston (3–3, 2.22, 5) also in the back end of the bullpen
Other than Knapp as the ace, the rest of the rotation is to be determined.
In the mix to start on Saturdays and Sundays are three freshmen — left-hander Folger Boaz (9–1, 1.15 ERA as a high school senior), right-hander Boston Flannery and right-hander Olin Johnson — senior right-hander Ben Peterson (3–0, 5.49 ERA) and junior left-handed Elon transfer Shea Sprague (7–3, 2.69 ERA, 82 strikeouts in 90⅓ innings).
“Boston Flannery is 96, 97 [mph],” Knapp said. “I wasn’t like that at that age. They’re very impressive for their age, and they all bring something a little different to the table. So, different personalities, different styles of pitching. Very talented.”
It’s a good problem, but Forbes must make some hard choices before the opening series.
“These guys are ultra, ultra-talented freshman class arms,” Forbes said. “It’s a matter of if they’re throwing well enough in the preseason and they earn it, you just throw them in the fire because you don’t really know until they’re out there.”
Senior right-hander Connor Bovair (4–4, 5.57 ERA) made 14 starts last season but will work out of the bullpen.
“We do feel like we return some older arms that, if we can get them in the right roles, they can all work together to hopefully help our team win,” Forbes said.
Forbes said that two-sport player freshman Kaleb Cost, who stole over 80 bases in high school, isn’t expected to miss many games while participating in spring football. He’ll be productive if he can hit the baseball as hard as he hit West Virginia receivers during the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.
Cost is behind the rest of the team because he battled through mononucleosis.
“The main thing is going to be getting him ready to pinch-run for us, to play left field, and then hopefully the bat can catch up,” Forbes said. “It’s just a matter of him getting [at-bats].”
Carolina has added a pitching lab. Forbes said they don’t call it that; instead, he referred to it as TCS but wouldn’t say what initialism stood for.
“We feel like we’ve got one of the best, if not the best, new indoor facilities in the country,” Forbes said, crediting donors for making that happen. “We redid the whole indoor.”
The pitchers have more tools to work through issues and get better.
“You see the slow-motion cameras, the one right over top,” Forbes said. “You see the release point. We needed it. Our plans were maybe to wait and build a developmental center in left [field], but we couldn’t wait. I recognized that we got to do something immediately.”
Carolina also redid the outdoor bullpen at Boshamer Stadium.
But the most important change Forbes hopes to see is getting further in the NCAA tournament.
UNC roster
Key departures: Third baseman Mac Horvath, catcher Tomas Frick and pitches Max Carlson and Kevin Eaise
Key additions: Transfers Parks Harber (corner infielder from Georgia), Alex Madera (shortstop from Division III Arcadia), Anthony Donofrio (right fielder from Quinnipiac), Shea Sprague (left-handed pitcher from Elon); and freshmen Luke Stevenson (catcher), Folger Boaz (left-handed pitcher) and Boston Flannery (right-handed pitcher).
Key Diamond Heels
At media day, Forbes named his lineup if UNC played today; their positions are bolded.
| Position | Player | Hgt | Wgt | Year | B/T | BA/HR/RBI/SB |
| C | Luke Stevenson | 6–1 | 200 | Freshman | L/R | Z — .529/17/58 |
| C | Y — Parker Haskin | 5–9 | 185 | Graduate | L/R | .369/4/24 |
| 1B/DH | Hunter Stokely | 6–3 | 240 | Senior | L/R | .317/15/36/0 |
| 1B/3B/DH | Johnny Castagnozzi | 6–2 | 205 | Senior | R/R | .269/5/30/1 |
| 2B/3B | Jackson Van De Brake | 6–1 | 195 | Senior | R/R | .307/8/48/1 |
| SS | V — Alex Madera | 5–10 | 175 | Graduate | L/R | .455/3/52/16 |
| 2B/SS | Colby Wilkerson | 5–10 | 180 | Senior | S/R | .248/2/29/2 |
| 1B/3B | W — Parks Harber | 6–3 | 225 | Senior | R/R | .283/18/58/1 |
| LF/INF | Patrick Alvarez | 5–7 | 165 | Senior | R/R | .347/3/18/1 |
| LF/2B | Casey Cook | 6–0 | 195 | RS Soph. | L/R | .317/3/23/2 |
| 2B | Gavin Gallagher | 6–1 | 185 | Freshman | R/R | |
| CF | Vance Honeycutt | 6–3 | 205 | Junior | R/R | .257/12/43/19 |
| RF | X — Anthony Donofrio | 6–3 | 195 | Graduate | L/R | .364/16/64/31 |
| DH | Alberto Osuna | 6–1 | 245 | Senior | R/R | .223/11/26/0 |
| Pitchers | Player | Height | Weight | Year | Record | IP/ERA/K/BB |
| RH starter | Jake Knapp | 6–5 | 255 | Senior | 5–4 | 64⅓/5.04/36/65 |
| LH starter | Folger Boaz | 6–2 | 190 | Freshman | 9–1 | Z — 54⅔/1.15/112K |
| LH starter | Y — Shea Sprague | 6–3 | 195 | Junior | 7–3 | 90⅓/2.69/19/82 |
| RH starter | Boston Flannery | 6–4 | 220 | Freshman | ||
| RH starter | Olin Johnson | 6–6 | 220 | Freshman | ||
| RH | Ben Peterson | 6–3 | 217 | Senior | 3–0 | 35/5.49/21/31 |
| RH | Jason DeCaro | 6–5 | 225 | Freshman | 4–3 | Z — 43/2.31/11/59 |
| RH | Connor Bovair | 6–1 | 210 | Senior | 4–4 | 72⅔/5.57/22/57 |
| RH | Matthew Matthijs | 6–2 | 225 | Soph. | 0–1 | 21/3.86/18/28 |
| RH | Cameron Padgett | 6–3 | 185 | Soph. | 2–1 | 37⅔/5.73/16/28 |
| LH | Dalton Pence (2 saves) | 6–2 | 215 | RS Soph. | 4–3 | 48⅔/3.33/19/50 |
| RH | Matt Poston (5 saves) | 6–4 | 235 | Senior | 3–3 | 42⅔/2.22/23/49 |
| Date | Day/ month | Time/ score | Opponent/event (current ranks) | TV/ record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February | ||||
| 16 | Friday | W, 10–3 | vs. Wagner | 1–0 |
| 17 | Saturday | W, 16–5 | vs. Wagner | 2–0 |
| 18 | Sunday | W, 20–6 | vs. Wagner | 3–0 |
| 20 | Tuesday | W, 8–7 | vs. Elon | 4–0 |
| 23 | Friday | W, 2–1 | vs. No. 7 East Carolina | 5–0 |
| 24 | Saturday | L, 7–4 | vs. No. 7 East Carolina in Fayetteville | 5–1 |
| 25 | Sunday | L, 10–9 | at No. 7 East Carolina | 5–2 |
| 27 | Tuesday | W, 8–2 | vs. VCU | 6–2 |
| 28 | Wednesday | W, 12–3 | vs. Longwood | 7–2 |
| March | ||||
| 1 | Friday | W, 12–2 | vs. Princeton | 8–2 |
| 2 | Saturday | W, 11–2 | vs. Princeton | 9–2 |
| 3 | Sunday | W, 13–6 | vs. Princeton | 10–2 |
| 5 | Tuesday | W, 7–3 | at Campbell | 11–2 |
| 8 | Friday | W, 2–1 | vs. Pittsburgh | 12–2, 1–0 ACC |
| 9 | Saturday | W, 7–3 | vs. Pittsburgh | 13–2, 2–0 ACC |
| 10 | Sunday | W, 6–5, 10 innings | vs. Pittsburgh | 14–2, 3–0 ACC |
| 12 | Tuesday | W, 13–7 | vs. Rutgers | 15–2 |
| 13 | Wednesday | W, 9–8 | vs. Rutgers | 16–2 |
| 15 | Friday | L, 14–1 | at Miami | 16–3, 3–1 ACC |
| 16 | Saturday | L, 2–1 | at Miami | 16–4, 3–2 ACC |
| 17 | Sunday | W, 18–6 | at Miami | 17–4, 4–2 ACC |
| 19 | Tuesday | W, 11–0, 7 innings | vs. UNCW | 18–4 |
| 22 | Friday | W, 5–4 | vs. Georgia Tech | 19–4, 5–2 ACC |
| 23 | Saturday | W, 11–5 | vs. Georgia Tech | 20–4, 6–2 ACC |
| 24 | Sunday | W, 9–2 | vs. Georgia Tech | 21–4, 7–2 ACC |
| 26 | Tuesday | W, 10–8 | vs. N.C. A&T | 22–4 |
| 29 | Friday | W, 6–5 | at No. 8 Wake Forest | 23–4, 8–2 ACC |
| 30 | Saturday | W, 10–6 | at No. 8 Wake Forest | 24–4, 9–2 ACC |
| 31 | Sunday | W, 14–10 | at No. 8 Wake Forest | 25–4, 10–2 ACC |
| April | ||||
| 4 | Thursday | L, 14–11 | at No. 14 Virginia | 25–5, 10–3 ACC |
| 5 | Friday | L, 7–2 | at No. 14 Virginia | 25–6, 10–4 ACC |
| 6 | Saturday | W, 12–7 | at No. 14 Virginia | 26–6, 11–4 ACC |
| 9 | Tuesday | L, 2–1 | vs. No. 24 South Carolina in Charlotte | 26–7 |
| 12 | Friday | W, 13–0, 6½ innings | vs. Notre Dame | 27–7, 12–4 ACC |
| 13 | Saturday | W, 7–2 | vs. Notre Dame | 28–7, 13–4 ACC |
| 14 | Sunday | W, 10–3 | vs. Notre Dame | 29–7, 14–4 ACC |
| 16 | Tuesday | L, 5–4 | vs. No. 13 Coastal Carolina | 29–8 |
| 18 | Thursday | L, 9–8 | at No. 21 N.C. State | 29–9, 14–5 ACC |
| 19 | Friday | L, 5–4 | at No. 21 N.C. State | 29–10, 14–6 ACC |
| 20 | Saturday | W, 14–3 | at No. 21 N.C. State | 30–10, 15–6 ACC |
| 23 | Tuesday | W, 5–2 | vs. Gardner-Webb | 31–10 |
| 26 | Friday | W, 8–1 | vs. Virginia Tech | 32–10, 16–6 ACC |
| 27 | Saturday | W, 6–3 | vs. Virginia Tech | 33–10, 17–6 ACC |
| 28 | Sunday | L, 4–3 | vs. Virginia Tech | 33–11, 17–7 ACC |
| 30 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | vs. Charlotte | ACCN |
| May | ||||
| 1 | Wednesday | 6 p.m. | vs. William & Mary | ESPN3 |
| 7 | Tuesday | 6 p.m. | vs. Campbell | ESPN3 |
| 10 | Friday | 6 p.m. | vs. Louisville | ESPN3 |
| 11 | Saturday | 2 p.m. | vs. Louisville | ESPN3 |
| 12 | Sunday | 1 p.m. | vs. Louisville | ACCN |
| 14 | Tuesday | 6 p.m. | at UNCW | FloSports |
| 16 | Thursday | 6 p.m. | at No. 6 Duke | ACCN |
| 17 | Friday | 6 p.m. | at No. 6 Duke | ESPN3 |
| 18 | Saturday | 1 p.m. | at No. 6 Duke | ESPN3 |
| 21–26 | Tuesday- Sunday | TBA | ACC tournament in Charlotte | ACCN |
| 31 | Friday | TBA | NCAA Regional | TBA |
| June | ||||
| 1–3 | Saturday- Monday | TBA | NCAA Regional | TBA |
| 7–10 | Friday- Monday | TBA | NCAA Super Regional | TBA |
| 14–24 | Friday- Monday | TBA | College World Series in Omaha, Neb. | TBA |
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics
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