By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — Vance Honeycutt was back in the leadoff spot after an early-afternoon conversation with Coach Scott Forbes. He might become a fixture at the top of the order, particularly with many games like Tuesday night.
The talented center fielder lined the first pitch he saw for a double down the left-field line and also launched a 425-foot grand slam over the center-field wall, all in the eight-run first inning.
That was more than enough for sophomore right-hander Cameron Padgett, who pitched a career-high 5+ innings in No. 12 North Carolina’s 13–1 victory over Charlotte at Boshamer Stadium, shortened to 6½ innings under the 10-run rule.
Forbes says he always debates lineups as he lays down at night, and putting Honeycutt at the top of the order was a big part of those deliberations.
“I was deciding if I was going to do it or not. And after I met with him, I was like, ‘I’m definitely gonna do it,’ ” said Forbes, thinking of what the opposing pitching coach might think. “Who would I not want to face to start the game as a pitching coach? It’s Vance Honeycutt because if gets on, he can steal, then you have Casey Cook.”
A key point Forbes and hitting coach Jesse Wierzbicki made to Honeycutt during that meeting was that they didn’t want the speedy junior to change his approach, even when he got a 3–0 or 2–0 count.
“Don’t try to work a walk,” Forbes remembers telling Honeycutt. “Because when he’s at his best, he’s on the fastball and he’s ready to hit. He’ll still walk if he happens to walk. So, I want to make sure he knew, and it’s really just one time a game.”
Honeycutt led off for the first time since April 5 against Virginia and for the fourth time since leading off in the first six games of the season. Honeycutt took the words of his coaches to heart.
“They’re like don’t change anything,” said Honeycutt, who was 2 for 4 with four RBI. “We think this gives us the best chance for runs, and I was all for it. Whatever helps the team win.”
Leading off Honeycutt, which Forbes said he’ll likely continue to do, was only part of the changes made in the order.
Left fielder Cook moved up from his usual third slot to second, first baseman Parks Harber moved from fourth to third and right fielder Anthony Donofrio went from leadoff to fourth. Second baseman Alex Madera swapped usual slots with freshman catcher Luke Stevenson, with Madera going from eighth to sixth.
It meant that UNC (34–11) alternated between right-handed and left-handed hitters all the way through the order until switch-hitting Colby Wilkerson hit ninth. It also distributed the Tar Heels’ speed by putting Madera in the six-hole like Forbes did in 2022 with Mikey Madej.
“I’ve been thinking about it a lot, how to have those three guys somewhere in the top three,” Forbes said of Honeycutt, Cook and Harber.
Harber, a senior transfer from Georgia, quickly validated the move in the first inning with his 50th career homer — a two-run shot. That made Carolina the only program in the country with two current players with at least 50 homers.
Honeycutt’s grand slam was his 54th homer, leaving him three homers away from tying Devy Bell (1984–87) for the most in program history (see list below).
Padgett (winner, 1–0) gave up four hits and struck out three against one walk. He gave way to left-hander Kyle Percival after giving up a leadoff single in the sixth to Shane Taylor. Taylor got the only score off Padgett, an unearned run on a wild pitch. Percival struck out three and gave up two hits in two shutout innings.
(Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics)
“It definitely helps when the guys in the lineup put a big eight-spot in the first inning,” Padgett said. “With the guys that we got in the lineup, it’s very easy to pitch to the other team.”
Charlotte starter Cameron Hansen (loser, 1–7) made a quick exit after getting one out in 26 pitches, giving up six hits and four runs. In addition to the big hits from Honeycutt and Harber, UNC got RBI singles from Madera, third baseman Gavin Gallaher and Wilkerson.
That made for a long break for Padgett, who struck out first baseman Juan Correa looking to get out of a third-inning, bases-loaded jam.
“Three-two, went with a slider and got him out of the strike,” Padgett said. “That’s just a big pitch you got you’re gonna have to make in big moments.”
Wilkerson (2 for 3 with three RBI) added an RBI single in the third and an RBI double in the fifth on a ball that was just fair down the left-field line. Harber walked and scored on a wild pitch and Johnny Castagnozzi, one of four UNC pinch hitters, drew a bases-loaded walk in the two-run sixth inning.
NOTES — UNC plays the last of four games in five days at 6 p.m. Wednesday (ESPN3) against William & Mary (26–18) before a six-day break for final exams, which start on Thursday. Senior right-hander Ben Peterson (0–1, 5.84 ERA) will start for Carolina. … The Tribe has lost seven of its last eight games, including dropping two of three at home last weekend against UNCW, which UNC beat 11–0 in a 7-inning, 10-run-rule game on March 19. … Eighteen Tar Heels played in the game. … The eight-run first inning was the third-highest-scoring inning for UNC after the 11-run first against Princeton on March 1 and the 10-run second against Wagner on Feb. 18. … Carolina freshman ace Jason DeCaro is the ACC Pitcher of the Week, the first Tar Heel to earn the honor since Austin Love did it twice in 2021. … UNC is 14–1 when leading after the first inning. … Carolina, which swept two games from Charlotte last season, leads the all-time series 38–8–1, including 23–4–1 in Chapel Hill.
No. 12 UNC 13, Charlotte 1 (6½ innings)
UNC career home run leaders
| Player | Seasons | Games | Homers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vance Honeycutt | 2022–24 | 176 | 65 |
| Devy Bell | 1984–87 | 205 | 57 |
| Chris Cox | 1990–93 | 192 | 49 |
| Mac Horvath | 2021–23 | 160 | 47 |
| Alberto Osuna | 2022–24 | 176 | 45 |
| Chad Flack | 2005–08 | 267 | 42 |
| Sean Farrell | 2000–03 | 240 | 40 |
| Jarrett Shearin | 1996–99 | 241 | 40 |
| Cookie Massey | 1993–94 | 108 | 40 |
ACC standings
| League | GB | Overall | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 16 Georgia Tech | 19–11 | — | 39–16 |
| No. 6 Florida State | 17–10 | ½ | 37–13 |
| No. 3 North Carolina | 18–11 | ½ | 39–12 |
| No. 22 N.C. State | 17–11 | 1 | 33–18 |
| No. 14 Clemson | 18–12 | 1 | 41–15 |
| Virginia | 16–11 | 1½ | 32–17 |
| Duke | 17–13 | 2 | 36–18 |
| Wake Forest | 16–14 | 3 | 36–19 |
| Miami | 15–14 | 3½ | 31–23 |
| No. 21 Louisville | 15–15 | 4 | 35–20 |
| Notre Dame | 14–16 | 5 | 32–20 |
| Virginia Tech | 12–18 | 7 | 30–24 |
| Boston College | 11–19 | 8 | 26–28 |
| Stanford | 11–19 | 8 | 27–24 |
| Pittsburgh | 10–20 | 9 | 27–26 |
| California | 9–21 | 10½ | 22–30 |
Thursday-Saturday series
No. 16 Georgia Tech at Duke: Thursday: GT 7–6; Friday: Duke 14–4 (7 innings); Saturday: GT 8–2
No. 14 Clemson at Pittsburgh: Clemson swept 6–1, 11–2 and 13–6
Virginia at Virginia Tech: Thursday: Va. 12–2; Friday: VT 5–4; Saturday: Va. 3–1
Stanford at No. 22 N.C. State: Thursday: State 7–2: Friday: Stanford 4–3, 10 innings; Saturday: Stanford 6–3
Wake Forest at Louisville: Thursday: WF 14–4; Friday: WF 5–4; Saturday: UL 14–9
No. 3 North Carolina at No. 6 Florida State: Thursday: UNC 8–3: Friday: UNC 11–1, 7 innings; Saturday: FSU 5–4
Notre Dame at Miami: Thursday: ND 3–2; Friday: Miami 15–1, 7 innings: Saturday: ND 12–2
Boston College at California: Thursday: Cal 8–6; Friday: BC 10–9; Saturday: Cal 4–3, 10 innings
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 |
Photos courtesy of UNC Athletics by Ainsley Fauth
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