By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — Coach Scott Forbes insists that the home runs will come, but No. 6 North Carolina hasn’t needed power to get off to a 4–0 start.
Clutch two-out hitting Tuesday carried the Tar Heels to a 12–9 victory over Kansas State — a Super Regional team a year ago — on a chilly evening at Boshamer Stadium despite the program’s longest power drought in seven seasons.
“I thought that was a really complete team effort,” UNC coach Scott Forbes said. “A game like that helps you in the long run. I thought we fought and found a way.”
Carolina has gone without a home run for four consecutive games for the first time since 2018, when the drought included three games against Duke (May 11–13) and a May 15 game against UNCW. The difference is that the 2018 College World Series team went 1–3 during that span (winning the finale against Duke), while these Tar Heels have won all four games.
“This team reminds me of 2018,” Forbes said. “This team has to have that type of toughness and play with that hard-nose mentality, something to prove. So, yeah, [going without a home run through four games is] the last thing I’m concerned about.”
Stevenson, who was 2 for 5 with three RBI, threatened to hit UNC’s first home run with a drive in the second inning that was caught at the center-field wall, 399 feet away, but said he got a little under that ball. He said although the team knows it has no home runs so far, they aren’t worried about it because it’s still early, and they’re winning.
“We’ve proven that we can generate runs without it, and we still have a lot of power threats on this team that are going to leave the yard, and we’re just doing everything we can to win ball games,” Stevenson said. “We’re just all trying to put up good swings on balls, and every time a runner is in scoring position, we’re doing everything we can to score. Home runs are going to come. We’re all going to hit home runs.”
Shortstop Alex Madera, who was 2 of 3 with two RBI, admitted that it’s “kind of weird” that nobody has hit a home run yet after the team hit a school-record 124 last season.
“Last year, I feel like it was more of a home run or strikeout kind of situation with some of the guys,” Madera said. “With us just putting the ball in play, we find ourselves a little bit of a speedier team, so I feel like we give ourselves a better chance of finding ways to score that way, just putting the ball in play.”
Half of UNC’s season-high 12 runs came with two outs, including when the Tar Heels took control in the seventh inning with two-out RBI singles from senior first baseman Hunter Stokely, senior right fielder Tyson Bass and Stevenson, the latter bringing in two runs.
“We have a lot of guys who can obviously hit the long ball,” Madera said, “but I think it’s definitely something that’s really going to help us, honestly, because we’re showing ourselves that we don’t need the long ball to still generate runs. So, I think it’s going to be big for us in the long run.”
Kansas State (1–4) easily bettered Texas Tech’s run total during UNC’s three-game weekend sweep (six runs), as all five Tar Heels pitchers gave up at least one run. Four gave up two runs, but three had at least three strikeouts.
Junior right-hander Matthew Matthijs was the most effective, striking out four in the final two innings.
“I thought Matty had great stuff at the end,” Forbes said. “He just put those guys away. He had them like, 1-2, 0-2, multiple times.”
UNC starter Folger Boaz (2.1 innings, 4 hits, 2 runs, 3 walks, 3 strikeouts), a sophomore left-hander, made his first appearance since suffering a season-ending elbow injury last April.
He gave up two singles and a walk with one out in the first inning and was one pitch away from escaping the jam. He issued a bases-loaded, two-out walk on a 3–2 pitch for Kansas State’s first run. Keegan O’Connor’s infield single made it 2–0, with a baserunner thrown out on the play between third and home to end the inning.
Boaz retired the Wildcats in order with two strikeouts in the second innings.
“I thought him coming back after that inning, going 1, 2, 3, was big for him. And his command of his off-speed wasn’t where it needed to be, but that’s usually the last thing to come, and there’s no doubt that it will come,” Forbes said. “I’m just impressed that he’s throwing the way he is having surgery not that long ago.”
Carolina took advantage of two Kansas State errors to score four in the bottom of the first inning, getting RBI singles from left fielder Rom Kellis and Madera and a sacrifice fly from third baseman Gavin Gallaher.
Junior right-hander Cameron Padgett (2.2 innings, 2 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts) relieved Boaz after he gave up a single and a walk. Padgett got out of that inning, but gave up a one-out solo home run off the net in left field to shortstop Maximus Martin in the fourth inning.
Kansas State took a 5–4 lead with a pair of runs in the sixth, when junior left-hander Kyle Percival (1 inning, 1 hit, 2 runs, 1 earned) relieved Padgett. Percival only gave up one hit in the inning, but hit a batter. Both runners who scored advanced on a wild pitch and scored on Percival’s throwing error to the plate after a grounder to the mound.
UNC tied it when center fielder Kane Kepley drew a one-out walk, stole second and scored on Stephenson’s line single to right field to beat the shift. Bass’ two-run, two-out bases-loaded single delivered an 8–6 UNC lead.
“He’s the most relaxed kid,” Forbes said of Bass. “He looks like he’s on tranquilizers when he’s standing there. He’s so talented. No moment’s too big. He’s very confident, and he hits the ball really hard. Even our stronger, more physical guys, they’re more physical than him, are sometimes in awe in BP of his exit velocity.”
In freshman right-hander Camron Seagraves’ second outing, taking over for Percival in the seventh, he gave up a leadoff double to third baseman Dee Kennedy, who scored on right fielder Nick English’s ground single just to the left of shortstop Madera as the Wildcats retook the lead at 6–5.
Kansas State responded to UNC’s five-run seventh inning with three two-out runs in the eighth. Matthijs came on after Seagraves (winner, 1–0; 1 inning, 2 hits, 2 runs, 1 earned run, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts) walked the leadoff batter. Third baseman Dee Kennedy hit a two-run double and scored on second baseman Jackson Van De Brake’s error.
Van De Brake atoned for the mistake in the eighth with a double to right-center. After Madera’s sacrifice fly, Gallaher got his first hit of the season, an RBI single up the middle, to score Van De Brake.
NOTES — Carolina opens a three-game, three-city series with East Carolina at 4 p.m. Friday (ESPN+) in Greenville (right-hander Jason DeCaro starts for UNC; 1–0 0.00 ERA), with Saturday’s game at 1 p.m. at Durham Bulls Athletic Park (right-hander Jake Knapp; 0–0, 3.00 ERA) and Sunday’s 1 p.m. finale at Boshamer Stadium (right-hander Aidan Haugh; 0–0, 3.00 ERA). … The Pirates (2–2) lost Tuesday at Campbell 3–2 after taking two of three over the weekend against George Mason. … This is UNC’s second consecutive 5–0 start. Carolina hasn’t begun a season 6–0 since 2022. … It was the second meeting between UNC and Kansas State after the Wildcats won 7–6 on March 15, 1989. … Kansas State coach Pete Hughes, who has coached at Boston College and Virginia Tech, fell to 1–24 against UNC. … Carolina is one of only five remaining unbeaten ACC teams, but the only one with all victories against power conference teams. No. 9 Florida State, Georgia Tech and Stanford are also 4–0, and Pittsburgh is 3–0.
No. 6 UNC 12, Kansas State 9
| Date(s) | Day/ month | Time/ score | Opponent | TV */ 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 | Saturday | 2 p.m. | vs. East Carolina at DBAP | |
| 23 | Sunday | 4 p.m. | vs. East Carolina | |
| 24 | Monday | 5 p.m. | at East Carolina | ESPN+ |
| 26 | Wednesday | 4 p.m. | vs. N.C. A&T | |
| 28 | Friday | 4 p.m. | vs. Stony Brook | |
| March | ||||
| 1–2 | Sat., Sun. | 2 p.m., 1 p.m. | vs. Stony Brook | |
| 4 | Tuesday | 4 p.m. | Coastal Carolina | |
| 5 | Wednesday | 4 p.m. | College of Charleston | |
| 7–9 | Fri.-Sun. | 4, 1, 1 | vs. Stanford | |
| 11 | Tuesday | 4 p.m. | at UNCW | |
| 14–16 | Fri.–Sun. | 6, 2, 1 | at Louisville | ESPN (Sunday) |
| 19 | Wednesday | 6 p.m. | vs. UConn | |
| 21–23 | Fri.–Sun. | 3, 2, 1 | at Boston College | |
| 25 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | vs. South Carolina in Charlotte | ESPN+ |
| 28–30 | Fri.–Sun | 6, 2, 1 | vs. Miami | |
| April | ||||
| 1 | Tuesday | 6 p.m. | vs. Gardner-Webb | |
| 3–5 | Thu.–Sat. | 6, 6, 2 | vs. No. 11 Duke | ACCN (Thurs.) |
| 8 | Tuesday | 6 p.m. | at Elon | |
| 10–12 | Thu.–Sat. | 6, 6, 2 | vs. No. 14 Wake Forest | ACCN/ESPNU (Thur./Sat.) |
| 15 | Tuesday | 6 p.m. | vs. Charlotte | |
| 18–20 | Fri.–Sun. | 7, 3, 1 | at Virginia Tech | ACCN (Sunday) |
| 22 | Tuesday | 6 p.m. | vs. Presbyterian | |
| 25–27 | Fri.–Sun. | 6, 3, 1 | at Pittsburgh | |
| 29 | Tuesday | 6 p.m. | vs. George Mason | |
| 30 | Wednesday | 6 p.m. | vs. Queens | |
| May | ||||
| 6 | Tuesday | 6 p.m. | vs. Campbell | |
| 9–11 | Fri.–Sun | 6, noon, 1 | vs. No. 13 N.C. State | |
| 13 | Tuesday | 6 p.m. | vs. UNCW | |
| 15–17 | Thu.–Sat. | 6, 6, 2 | at No. 9 Florida State | ACCN (Thursday) |
| ACC tournament | ||||
| 20–25 | Tue.–Sun. | Single-elimination event | Durham Bulls Athletic Park | |
| 30–31 | Fri.–Sat. | NCAA regionals | Campus sites | |
| June | ||||
| 1 | Sunday | NCAA regionals | Campus sites | |
| 6–8 | Fri.–Sun. | Super Regionals | Campus sites | |
| 18–30 | Wed.–Mon. | College World Series | Omaha, Neb. |
* Unless otherwise indicated, games only stream on ACC Network Extra.
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics
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