By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — It’s a testament to No. 12 North Carolina’s depth and the influx of offseason talent that three starters from a year ago, including a co-captain who was second-team All-ACC last season, have had trouble getting onto the field.
Senior infielder Jackson Van De Brake got his chance Wednesday and didn’t waste it. He came off the bench to hit a grand slam to left field in the fourth inning as UNC walloped William & Mary 19–2 at Boshamer Stadium.
“It felt really, really good,” Van De Brake said of his first home run of the season. “Not really much else to say.”
It was the fifth win for UNC (35–11) that was shortened under the 10-run rule and the second in as many nights after it pounded Charlotte 13–1 on Tuesday.
Van De Brake started all but one game last season, mostly at second base, while hitting .307 and blasting eight home runs. But his playing time has been scarce because Arcadia graduate transfer Alex Madera (hitting .331) earned the second-base job, and freshman Gavin Gallaher (with a team-high .374 batting average) is entrenched at third base.
Van De Brake has embraced his co-captain role and has a positive attitude that is unlike how many others might deal with similar situations. All he knows is the team is winning, and that’s enough for him.
“I’m a competitor, and I try to be the best teammate I can be,” Van De Brake said. “And if we’re winning games, there’s not much you can really say. But I’m not worried about myself. I’m gonna keep being that same guy.”
Van De Brake recognizes that he’s one of the older players on a team full of young talent.
“I just need to be as good of an example as I can be for those guys,” Van De Brake said. “Just whenever the time comes, be ready to get in there. And if not, be the best guy in the dugout.”
UNC coach Scott Forbes said Van De Brake has been a “phenomenal kid” in supporting his teammates even though he hasn’t played as much, saying it was “karma” when he planted a pitch over the left-field wall.
Van De Brake, Patrick Alvarez and Johnny Castagnozzi all started frequently last season and have settled into reserve roles. All three got into Wednesday’s game. A fourth starter last season, first baseman Hunter Stokely, hasn’t played since the first week of the season because of a hand injury.
“If their attitude stinks, it’ll sink the ship in the locker room, and it’ll kill your culture. It will kill your coaches,” Forbes said. “Credit those guys for understanding what we’re about and supporting us as well.”
If there are injuries, Forbes has plenty of options.
“You can put somebody in there, and they’re pretty dang good,” Forbes said. “And that’s a good feeling. And it also is called competition. And when you have competition, all of our best teams, guys on the bench that are really good. And they get back on the field eventually because they have great attitudes.”
After the top three batters in Forbes reconfigured batting order each had two hits in the nine-run first inning and combined for eight hits and eight RBI in the first three innings, he took out five starters.
Leadoff man Vance Honeycutt and two-hole hitter Casey Cook went 3 for 3 with two RBI and Parks Harber went 2 for 2 with a three-run homer and four RBI in the first three innings.
Honeycutt moved two home runs away from tying Devy Bell’s program career record (see list below). A shot in the five-run third inning went 401 feet and just inside the left-field foul for his 55th career blast.
For the second straight night, UNC got a career-long outing from its starting pitcher. Senior right-hander Ben Peterson (winner, 1–1) tossed five three-hit shutout innings with one walk and a career-high five strikeouts.
(Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics by Ainsley Fauth)
“Pitching set the tone,” said Forbes, adding that Peterson earned the start after a good live session about a week ago after starting the season in the weekend rotation but having a tough time finding his rhythm. “So happy for him. He looked sharp. He deserved to start today, and that’s another big arm for us.”
Peterson said he’s talked with pitching coach Bryant Gaines about commanding the off-speed pitch, and he did that well against the Tribe. He added a curveball this season and said he’s throwing more four-seam and two-seam fastballs.
His impressive outing came despite being off the mound for long periods while Carolina had big innings.
”It’s not easy, but it’s always something you’re going to take,” Peterson said. “There’s never too many runs. As long as we’re scoring, I don’t really care.”
His longest previous outing was 4⅓ innings against South Carolina as a freshman at Appalachian State in 2021.
Unlike the Charlotte starter the night before, who only got one out, lasted 26 pitches and gave up six of the eight first-inning runs, William & Mary starter Hank Lippman (loser, 0–1) made it through the first inning before exiting. He threw 56 pitches, and his ERA went from 9.82 to 15.12.
After Gallaher’s RBI single in the second, UNC scored five in the third and four in the fourth.
Freshman right-hander Olin Johnson threw a hitless sixth with one walk. Freshman right-hander Boston Flannery gave up two hits, a walk and two runs in ⅔ of an inning before sophomore right-hander Will Simmons got the final out.
The Tribe (26–19), which has lost eight of its last nine games, committed four errors.
NOTES — With 35 wins, UNC is already one short of last season’s victory total. … UNC also had 10-run-rule wins over UNCW, Miami and Notre Dame. … Carolina, which played 23 players, was 8 of 11 with runners in scoring position. … With final exams starting Thursday, UNC is off until it welcomes Campbell for a 6 p.m. Tuesday home game (ESPN3). The Tar Heels beat the Camels 7–3 in Buies Creek on March 5. The Camels (27–16), who lost at Liberty 14–9 on Wednesday night, have wins at No. 20 N.C. State (11–7 in 12 innings on April 16) and vs. No. 10 Duke (18–4 in a 6½-inning 10-run-rule win on April 23). … In D1 Baseball’s latest bracket projection, UNC is the No. 6 overall seed. … Carolina, 4–0 this season against CAA teams, leads the all-time series with William & Mary 15–2. It was the first meeting since 2016.
No. 12 UNC 19, William & Mary 2, 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 |
UNC scores
| Date(s) | Day/ month | Times | Opponent (current rank) |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | |||
| 13–15 | Fri.-Sat. | 4, noon, 1 | vs. Indiana |
| 17 | Tuesday | 4 p.m. | vs. Richmond |
| 18 | Wednesday | 4 p.m. | vs. Longwood |
| 20–22 | Fri.-Sun. | 4 (Greenville), 2 (DBAP), 2 (CH) | vs. East Carolina |
| 24 | Tuesday | 4 p.m. | vs. N.C. A&T |
| 25 | Wednesday | 4 p.m. | vs. VCU |
| 27–28 | Fri., Sat. | 4 p.m., 2 p.m. | vs. Le Moyne |
| March | |||
| 1 | Sunday | 1 p.m. | vs. Le Moyne |
| 3 | Tuesday | 4 p.m. | vs. Elon |
| 6–8 | Fri.-Sun. | 4, 2, 1 | vs. Virginia |
| 10 | Tuesday | 4 p.m. | vs. Bucknell |
| 13–15 | Fri.-Sun. | 9, 5, 4 | at California |
| 18 | Wednesday | 4 p.m. | vs. UNCG |
| 20–22 | Fri.-Sun. | 8, 2, 1 | vs. No. 8 Louisville |
| 24 | Tuesday | 6:30 | vs. South Carolina in Charlotte |
| 27–29 | Fri.-Sun. | 6:30, 3, 1 | at Notre Dame |
| 31 | Tuesday | 8 p.m. | vs. Campbell |
| April | |||
| 2–4 | Thur.-Sat. | 6, 6, 2 | vs. Boston College |
| 7 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | vs. Charlotte |
| 10–12 | Fri.-Sun. | 6, 2, 12:30 | at No. 19 Clemson |
| 14 | Tuesday | 6 p.m. | vs. UNCW |
| 17–19 | Fri-Sun. | 6, noon, 1 | vs. No. 5 Georgia Tech |
| 21 | Tuesday | 6 p.m. | vs. High Point |
| 23–25 | Fri.-Sun. | 7, 6, 3 | at Duke |
| 28 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | vs. No. 6 Coastal Carolina |
| 29 | Wednesday | 6 p.m. | vs. Queens |
| May | |||
| 3 | Sunday | 2 p.m. (non-conference game) | vs. Duke |
| 6 | Wednesday | 6 p.m. | vs. Winthrop |
| 8–10 | Fri.-Sun. | 6, noon, 1 | vs. Pittsburgh |
| 12 | Tuesday | 6 p.m. | at UNCW |
| 14–16 | Thurs.-Sat. | 7, 6, 1 | at No. 17 N.C. State |
| 19–24 | Tues.-Sun. | ACC tournament | Charlotte |
| 29–31 | Fri.-Sun. | NCAA Regionals | Campus sites |
| June | |||
| 5–7 | Fri.-Sun. | NCAA Super Regionals | Campus sites |
| 12–22 | Fri.-Mon | College World Series | Omaha, Neb. |
Photos courtesy of UNC Athletics by Ainsley Fauth
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