By R.L. Bynum
After a pair of blowout nonconference victories last week, North Carolina moved up one spot to No. 11 in the D1 Baseball Top 25.
The Tar Heels (35–11, 17–7 ACC), who didn’t play a league game last week because of the final exams break, enter the home stretch of the regular season leading the ACC Coastal Division by three games and sharing the best league record with No. 2 Clemson (36–10, 17–7), which moved up two spots in the poll.
The team with the best league record will earn the No. 1 seed in the ACC tournament, which is set for May 21–26 at Charlotte’s Truist Field. Carolina owns the tiebreaker entering this week’s games because it swept Georgia Tech on March 22–24, while the Tigers only won two of three against the Yellow Jackets last weekend.
UNC is No. 8 (down one spot) in the Baseball America Top 25 and No. 12 in the Perfect Game Top 25.
Last week, UNC earned a pair of 6½-inning, 10-run-rule wins, beating Charlotte 13–1 on Tuesday and William & Mary 19–2 on Wednesday.
The Tar Heels, No. 6 in the RPI, return from a six-day break at 6 p.m. Tuesday night at Boshamer Stadium against slumping Campbell (27–19), which has lost six consecutive games after getting swept last weekend at UNCW. UNC plays host to Louisville (29–18, 13–11) this weekend beginning at 6 p.m. Friday. The Cardinals have won four straight games after a weekend sweep at Boston College.
Other ACC teams in the D1 Baseball poll are No. 8 Florida State (35–10, 14–9; down one spot), No. 9 Duke (32–14, 14–10; up one spot), No. 10 Virginia (35–12, 14–10; up one spot), No. 12 Wake Forest (32–16, 12–12; up one spot) and No. 13 N.C. State (26–18, 13–10; dropped three spots after a 1–2 week).
UNC has played 10 games against teams in the top 13, losing two of three to No. 6 East Carolina (37–9; down one spot) and Virginia, sweeping a three-game series at Wake Forest and losing a game in Charlotte to No. 13 South Carolina (31–15; up two spots).
D1 Baseball Top 25
| Rank | Team | Record | Previous |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tennessee | 39–9 | 3 |
| 2 | Clemson | 36–10 | 4 |
| 3 | Texas A&M | 40–8 | 1 |
| 4 | Kentucky | 35–10 | 8 |
| 5 | Arkansas | 40–9 | 2 |
| 6 | East Carolina | 37–9 | 5 |
| 7 | Oregon State | 35–12 | 6 |
| 8 | Florida State | 35–10 | 7 |
| 9 | Duke | 32–14 | 10 |
| 10 | Virginia | 35–12 | 11 |
| 11 | North Carolina | 35–11 | 12 |
| 12 | Wake Forest | 32–16 | 13 |
| 13 | South Carolina | 32–15 | 15 |
| 14 | Mississippi State | 32–16 | 16 |
| 15 | Georgia | 35–12 | 19 |
| 16 | UC Irvine | 34–10 | 9 |
| 17 | Arizona | 29–17 | 21 |
| 18 | Oklahoma | 29–17 | 22 |
| 19 | Oklahoma State | 32–16 | 14 |
| 20 | Indiana State | 34–10 | 24 |
| 21 | Troy | 34–15 | NR |
| 22 | Louisiana | 34–15 | 18 |
| 23 | N.C. State | 26–18 | 20 |
| 24 | Oregon | 32–15 | NR |
| 25 | UC Santa Barbara | 31–12 | NR |
Dropped out: Vanderbilt, Alabama and Utah
ACC standings
| Coastal Division | League | Overall |
|---|---|---|
| XY — No. 7 North Carolina | 21–8 | 40–12 |
| No. 18 Virginia | 17–12 | 39–14 |
| No. 11 Duke | 16–13 | 35–17 |
| Virginia Tech | 14–15 | 32–19 |
| Georgia Tech | 14–15 | 30–21 |
| Miami | 11–17 | 25–27 |
| Pittsburgh | 8–20 | 24–27 |
| Atlantic Division | League | Overall |
|---|---|---|
| X — No. 4 Clemson | 19–10 | 39–13 |
| No. 10 Florida State | 17–11 | 39–13 |
| No. 17 N.C. State | 17–11 | 31–19 |
| No. 8 Wake Forest | 15–14 | 36–18 |
| Louisville | 17–14 | 33–22 |
| Notre Dame | 9–22 | 27–26 |
| Boston College | 8–21 | 22–30 |
(Unless otherwise indicated, games only stream on ESPN3)
Thursday’s results
No. 11 Duke 5, No. 7 North Carolina 3
Louisville 5-5, Notre Dame 3-1
No. 18 Virginia 7, Virginia Tech 3
No. 4 Clemson 12, Boston College 10
No. 10 Florida State 8, Georgia Tech 3
Miami 5, Pittsburgh 3
No. 17 N.C. State 14, No. 8 Wake Forest 3
Friday’s games
No. 7 North Carolina 6, No. 11 Duke 4
No. 18 Virginia 13, Virginia Tech 3, 7 innings (10-run rule)
No. 4 Clemson 11, Boston College 6
No. 10 Florida State 11, Georgia Tech 3 (first game of doubleheader)
Louisville 14, Notre Dame 6
No. 17 N.C. State 2, No. 8 Wake Forest 1
Pittsburgh at Miami, 7 p.m.
Saturday’s games
No. 7 North Carolina at No. 11 Duke, noon
Boston College at No. 4 Clemson, noon
Pittsburgh at Miami, 1 p.m.
No. 8 Wake Forest at No. 17 N.C. State, 3 p.m.
Virginia Tech at No. 18 Virginia, 5 p.m.
ACC Tournament at Charlotte’s Truist Field
Tuesday through May 26
| 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. 13 East Carolina | 5–0 |
| 24 | Saturday | L, 7–4 | vs. No. 13 East Carolina in Fayetteville | 5–1 |
| 25 | Sunday | L, 10–9 | at No. 13 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, 7 innings (10-run rule) | at Miami | 17–4, 4–2 ACC |
| 19 | Tuesday | W, 11–0, 7 innings (10-run rule) | 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. 18 Virginia | 25–5, 10–3 ACC |
| 5 | Friday | L, 7–2 | at No. 18 Virginia | 25–6, 10–4 ACC |
| 6 | Saturday | W, 12–7 | at No. 18 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 (10-run rule) | 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. Coastal Carolina | 29–8 |
| 18 | Thursday | L, 9–8 | at No. 17 N.C. State | 29–9, 14–5 ACC |
| 19 | Friday | L, 5–4 | at No. 17 N.C. State | 29–10, 14–6 ACC |
| 20 | Saturday | W, 14–3 | at No. 17 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 | W, 13–1, 6½ innings (10-run rule) | vs. Charlotte | 34–11 |
| May | ||||
| 1 | Wednesday | W, 19–2, 6½ innings (10-run rule) | vs. William & Mary | 35–11 |
| 7 | Tuesday | W, 16–10 | vs. Campbell | 36–11 |
| 10 | Friday | W, 13–4 8 innings (10-run rule) | vs. Louisville | 37–11, 18–7 ACC |
| 11 | Saturday | W, 6–4 | vs. Louisville | 38–11, 19–7 ACC |
| 12 | Sunday | W, 16–7 | vs. Louisville | 39–11, 20–7 ACC |
| 16 | Thursday | L, 5–3 | at No. 11 Duke | 39–12, 20–8 ACC |
| 17 | Friday | W, 6–4 | at No. 11 Duke | 40–12, 21–8 ACC |
| 18 | Saturday | Noon | at No. 11 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 by Ainsley Fauth; graphic via @ACCBaseball
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