By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — Hot starts are becoming routine for Carolina baseball, so it’s no surprise that Coach Scott Forbes’ No. 10 Tar Heels are at it again.
UNC knocked off Longwood 5–3 on Wednesday at Boshamer Stadium behind two hits and three RBI from catcher Colin Hynek, marking the fifth time in six seasons they’ve won the first five games after winning the first 13 last season.
Forbes said the early success isn’t about chasing outcomes, but sticking to the daily work.
“No secret,” Forbes said. “We’re so process-oriented here, at least I am. I don’t want outcomes to be a distraction. I just want our team to get better every single day in some way, shape or form.”
Hynek, a transfer from Georgia State, said his strong start at the plate, hitting .412 with a team-leading seven RBI, reflects the work he put in during the offseason.
“I feel great,” Hynek said. “Everything I worked on since I’ve been here [has helped]. We made a lot of changes, to hit for a higher average, but also kind of keep the slug, and right now, it just everything feels good at the plate.”
The two pitchers who will be counted on to close this season, sophomore Walker McDuffie and Matthew Matthijs, showed off why in the victory.
McDuffie (1–0) came in to get out of a mid-inning jam for the second time in five games, this time earning the victory with 1⅓ shutout innings with two strikeouts.
Matthijs entered in the ninth inning to protect a two-run lead and converted the team’s first save chance of the season, but not without drama.
He loaded the bases by walking two batters and hitting another before inducing a game-ending fly out. Forbes credited his poise in tight moments.
“He’s got ice water in his veins,” Forbes said of Matthijs, who didn’t get the benefit of pitching during the fall season. “The more he’s out there, the better he’s going to get.”
Carolina batted around in the four-run first inning, leaving the bases loaded after Michael Maginnis delivered a two-run single through the left side and Hynek followed with a two-run single to right. Longwood starter Jake Chadwell (0–1) lasted seven batters and ⅔ of an inning.
Longwood (3–1) got its lone run off Boston Flannery (2 innings, 1 hit, 1 unearned run, 3 walks, 5 strikeouts), in his third college start, after he gave up a single and a walk. Tre Keels scored from second after a strikeout but a throwing error by Hynek.
Hynek noted Flannery’s ability to respond in an outing that was only cut short because Forbes wanted him ready for this weekend’s series with East Carolina.
“Once he kind of got hit a little bit, he was able to kind of throttle it back up,” Hynek said. “[He says] ‘Here’s my stuff. What are you going to do with it?’ ”
Cameron Padgett (2⅔ innings, 5 hits, 1 earned run) gave up a double and an RBI single with two outs in the fifth inning, but McDuffie struck out Keels swinging to end the inning.
Longwood cut its deficit to one in the seventh inning with two hits, including an RBI single by Lucas Johnson, off fireballer Caden Glauber (2 innings, 3 hits, 1 run, 0 walks, 4 strikeouts). The freshman (top photo), who began his college career a year early, hears jokes from teammates about missing his senior prom to pitch for UNC.
He’s quickly embraced the jump to college baseball.
“Completely different,” Glauber said. “It was so different compared to high school, the atmosphere, the players. There’s just nothing I’ve ever been in. But getting my feet wet and learning from the guys that I have around me, there’s no place I want to be.”
Helping him along the way has been McDuffie, who Glauber watched dominate last season.
“He’s definitely the biggest leader to me right now,” adding, “He leads by example, vocal, and he’s always in it for me. And I love it.”
UNC quickly got the run back when Maginnis reached on an error and scored on Hynek’s double down the right-field line. Hynek praised Glauber’s ability to settle in after giving up an early run.
“His stuff’s electric,” Hynek said. “It was awesome to see him fill up the zone. Especially giving up a hit early, gives up a run, and he’s able to bounce back and get us a huge zero.”
Glauber said pounding the strike zone has been a point of emphasis in his early outings.
“If I can pound the zone and get that weak contact and not walk people,” Glauber said. “It’s just so critical for those innings pitched.”
Glauber got up to 96 mph with his fastball, and left a runner stranded in the eighth inning with a two-out strikeout on an 84-mph curve, then came off the mound with visible emotion.
“I was so pumped,” he said. “It’s so easy to get competitive with these guys. Just me being out there and having the crowd just roar and give me the confidence to do it, I have to give it back and yell. It was awesome.”
Hynek and Macon Winslow, a Duke transfer, form a productive tandem of everyday players, with the two swapping catching and DH duties from game to game.
“I love catching, but it’s very nice to be fresh,” Hynek said. “Being a catcher, you’re playing 56 games in the regular season. If you’re catching every day, you’re getting beat up. You roll into those later weeks and those kind of things can impact you at the plate and in other areas, even if you don’t want to admit it. It absolutely will.”
Right fielder Tyler Howe threw a bullet to third base to cut down a runner and help Padgett escape the fourth inning, a play Forbes pointed to as the difference in a tight midweek game.
“You got to make plays. Gotta limit mistakes,” Forbes said. “Tyler Howe made a big play.”
UNC will now turn its attention toward a tougher test ahead, with Forbes emphasizing the importance of continuing to improve as the season builds.
“For me,” he said, “it’s just about our players understanding the importance of just getting better every single day.”
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Notes
— UNC begins a three-game, three-city series with East Carolina at 5 p.m. Friday (ESPN+) in Greenville, with Saturday’s 2 p.m. game at Durham Bulls Athletic Park and Sunday’s 1 p.m. series finale at Boshamer Stadium. The Pirates (2–3) beat Northern Illinois on Wednesday 11–5.
— Center fielder Owen Hull made a nice catch on a fifth-inning drive that looked like it might get past him.
— Third baseman Cooper Nicholson slid to the nine spot in the order after going 0 for 9 with five walks while batting sixth in the first three games, and went 1 for 3.
— After UNC swept Indiana in a 3-game opening series, the Hoosiers run-ruled Bradley 15–3 in its home opener Tuesday.
— Carolina has won all five meetings against the Lancers and has outscored them 43–7 under Forbes.
No. 10 UNC 5, Longwood 3
| Date(s) | Day/ month | Times/ scores | Opponent (current rank) | Record/ TV * |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February | ||||
| 13–14 | Fri., Sat. | W, 9–4; W, 12–2 (7); W, 4–3 (11) | vs. Indiana | 3–0 |
| 17 | Tuesday | W, 10–0 (7) | vs. Richmond | 4–0 |
| 18 | Wednesday | W, 5–3 | vs. Longwood | 5–0 |
| 20–22 | Fri.-Sun | W, 10–0 (8); L, 10–3; T, 3–3 | vs. East Carolina | 6–1–1 |
| 24 | Tuesday | W, 9–1 | vs. N.C. A&T | 7–1–1 |
| 25 | Wednesday | W, 13–3 (7) | vs. VCU | 8–1–1 |
| 27–28 | Fri., Sat. | W, 16–3 (7); W, 12–2 (7) | vs. Le Moyne | 10–1–1 |
| March | ||||
| 1 | Sunday | W, 21–1 (7) | vs. Le Moyne | 11–1–1 |
| 3 | Tuesday | W, 5–1 | vs. Elon | 12–1–1 |
| 6–7 | Fri., Sat | L, 13–3 (7); L, 9–2; W, 8–7 (12) | vs. Virginia | 13–3–1, 1–2 ACC |
| 10 | Tuesday | W, 13–3 (7) | vs. Bucknell | 14–3–1 |
| 13–15 | Fri.-Sun. | W, 8–1; W, 6–2; W, 10–2 | at California | 17–3–1, 4–2 |
| 18 | Wednesday | W, 8–2 | vs. UNCG | 18–3–1 |
| 20–22 | Fri.–Sun. | W, 11–1 (8); L, 2–0; W, 7–6 | vs. Louisville | 20–4–1, 6–3 |
| 24 | Tuesday | W, 9–1 | vs. South Carolina in Charlotte | 21–4–1 |
| 28, 29 | Sat., Sun | W, 6–5; W, 13–7; W, 15–10 | at Notre Dame | 24–4–1, 9–3 |
| 31 | Tuesday | W, 5–4 (14) | vs. Campbell | 25–4–1 |
| April | ||||
| 2–4 | Thur.-Sat. | L, 6–1; W, 5–2; W, 8–7 | vs. Boston College | 27–5–1, 11–4 |
| 7 | Tuesday | W, 8–4 | vs. Charlotte | 28–5–1 |
| 10–12 | Fri.–Sun. | L, 9–5; W, 6–4 (14); W, 12–5 | at Clemson | 30–6–1, 13–5 |
| 14 | Tuesday | W, 14–5 | vs. UNCW | 31–6–1 |
| 17–19 | Fri.-Sun. | W, 5–2; W, 14–4 (8); L, 5–2 | vs. No. 2 Georgia Tech | 33–7–1, 15–6 |
| 21 | Tuesday | W, 9–2 | vs. High Point | 34–7–1 |
| 23–25 | Thur.–Sat. | W, 3–1; L, 3–1; W, 22–5 (7) | at Duke | 36–8–1, 17–7 |
| 28 | Tuesday | L, 12–2 | vs. Coastal Carolina | 36–9–1 |
| May | ||||
| 3 | Sunday | W, 13–0 (7) (non-conference game) | vs. Duke | 37–9–1 |
| 8–10 | Fri.-Sun. | W, 4–1; W, 12–2 (8); W, 7–3 | vs. Pittsburgh | 40–9–1, 20–7 |
| 12 | Tuesday | W, 13–7 | at UNCW | 41–9–1 |
| 14–16 | Thur.-Sat. | W, 9–4; W, 17–7 (8); L, 7–2 | at N.C. State | 43–10–1, 22–8 |
| ACC tournament | Charlotte | |||
| 22 | Friday | W, 10–4 | Quarterfinal vs. Virginia Tech | 44–10–1 |
| 23 | Saturday | W, 13–5 | Semifinal vs. Pittsburgh | 45–10–1 |
| 24 | Sunday | L, 13–6 | Championship vs. No. 2 Ga. Tech | 45–11–1 |
| NCAA tournament | ||||
| Chapel Hill Regional | ||||
| 29 | Friday | W, 8–0 | VCU | 46–11–1 |
| 30 | Saturday | 5 p.m. | East Carolina | ESPN2 |
| 31 | Sunday | noon or 5 p.m. | TBD | TBD |
| June | ||||
| 1 | Monday | TBD | (if needed) | TBD |
| 5–7 | Fri.-Sun. | Super Regionals | in Chapel Hill (if UNC advances) | TBA |
| 12–22 | Fri.-Mon | College World Series | Omaha, Neb. | TBA |
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics
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