By R.L. Bynum
North Carolina remained No. 2 and Coastal Carolina No. 9 in the latest D1 Baseball poll heading into their showdown at Boshamer Stadium.
The two perennial powers meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday (ACC Network) in the Tar Heels’ fourth game against a top-10 team in two weeks. Carolina ace Jason DeCaro (7–2, 2.17 ERA), a junior right-hander, is likely to pitch in the game.
UNC (36–8–1, 17–7 ACC) comes off a 4–1 week that concluded by taking two of three games at Duke and a 22–5 run-rule, 7-inning thrashing of the Blue Devils on Sunday. DeCaro’s ERA is second in the ACC behind UNC freshman right-hander Caden Glauber (6–0, 2.13 ERA), who got the win on Sunday.
Coastal (30–13) went 2–2 last week, losing 2–1 to UNCW and winning two of three against Texas Tech over the weekend.
Coastal won the 2016 national championship and made the College World Series championship series last season.
In the Baseball America poll, UNC is also No. 2 and Coastal also is No. 9.
UCLA (39–4) remained No. 1 despite a loss to Sacramento State. Georgia Tech (36–7, 19–5), which stayed at No. 3, lost two of three at UNC two weekends ago but has a two-game lead on the Tar Heels in the ACC standings.
Two ACC teams plummeted in the poll after getting swept in conference series over the weekend.
Virginia (29–16, 12–12) fell 13 spots to No. 23 after losing at Pittsburgh 7–5, 11–0 (7 innings) and 7–3. Florida State (29–13, 12–9) slid six spots to No. 14 after falling 4–3, 8–7 (11 innings) and 7–4 at Stanford.
The Panthers (28–14, 10–11) visit UNC May 8–10. Before that, Carolina hosts Queens at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Duke at 2 p.m. Sunday in a non-conference game and Winthrop at 6 p.m. on May 6.
Boston College (33–15, 16–8) moved up two spots to No. 20 after winning two of three at Notre Dame last weekend.
Carolina is 5–4 against teams in the current poll, losing two of three to Virginia and winning two of three against Georgia Tech and Boston College. The Tar Heels have won seven consecutive ACC series since that Virginia series, the best streak since the 2017 team won all 10 conference series.
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D1 Baseball Top 25
| Rank | Team | Record | Previous |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | UCLA | 39–4 | 1 |
| 2 | North Carolina | 36–8–1 | 2 |
| 3 | Georgia Tech | 36–7 | 3 |
| 4 | Texas | 32–9 | 4 |
| 5 | Georgia | 34–11 | 5 |
| 6 | Oregon State | 33–9 | 6 |
| 7 | Texas A&M | 33–8 | 7 |
| 8 | Auburn | 30–13 | 11 |
| 9 | Coastal Carolina | 30-13 | 9 |
| 10 | Mississippi State | 34–10 | 15 |
| 11 | Kansas | 33–11 | 16 |
| 12 | Southern Miss | 31–13 | 18 |
| 13 | Oregon | 32–11 | 19 |
| 14 | Florida State | 29–14 | 8 |
| 15 | Oklahoma | 29–14 | 14 |
| 16 | Nebraska | 33–11 | 20 |
| 17 | Ole Miss | 31–14 | 17 |
| 18 | West Virginia | 28–12 | 12 |
| 19 | Arizona State | 31–14 | 25 |
| 20 | Boston College | 33–14 | 22 |
| 21 | USC | 34–11 | 23 |
| 22 | Arkansas | 29–16 | 24 |
| 23 | Virginia | 29–16 | 10 |
| 24 | Alabama | 29–16 | 13 |
| 25 | Florida | 29–16 | 21 |
ACC standings
| League | GB | Overall | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 3 Georgia Tech | 19–5 | — | 36–7 |
| No. 2 North Carolina | 17–7 | 2 | 36–8–1 |
| No. 20 Boston College | 16–8 | 3 | 33–14 |
| Miami | 12–9 | 5½ | 32–12 |
| No. 14 Florida State | 12–9 | 5½ | 29–14 |
| No. 23 Virginia | 12–12 | 7 | 29–16 |
| Pittsburgh | 10–11 | 7½ | 28–14 |
| N.C. State | 10–11 | 7½ | 27–16 |
| Louisville | 10–11 | 7½ | 26–18 |
| Stanford | 10–11 | 7½ | 1–19 |
| Wake Forest | 11–12 | 8 | 28–16 |
| Virginia Tech | 11–13 | 8 | 22–20 |
| Duke | 9–15 | 10 | 23–23 |
| California | 7–14 | 10½ | 22–20 |
| Notre Dame | 8–16 | 11 | 19–20 |
| Clemson | 6–15 | 11½ | 26–19 |
Thursday-Saturday series
No. 2 North Carolina at Duke — Thursday: UNC 3–1; Friday: Duke 3–1; Saturday: UNC 22–5 (7)
Friday-Sunday series
Wake Forest at No. 3 Georgia Tech — GT swept 6–5, 14–11 and 6–5
No. 20 Boston College at Notre Dame — Friday: ND 12–2; Saturday: BC 16–1 (8); Sunday: BC 7–6
No. 23 Virginia at Pittsburgh — Pitt swept 7–5, 11–0 (7) and 7–3
N.C. State at Virginia Tech — Friday: VT 4–0; Saturday: State 14–7; Sunday: VT 5–4
Clemson at Louisville — UL swept 13–10, 11–6 and 7–5
California at Miami — Friday: Cal 9–2; Saturday: Miami 4–3; Sunday: Miami 4–1
No. 14 Florida State at Stanford — Stanford swept 4–3, 8–7 (11) and 7–4
Monday’s game
UC Davis at Stanford, 9 p.m.
Tuesday’s games
Central Michigan at Notre Dame, 5:30
Appalachian State at Wake Forest, 6 p.m.
James Madison at Virginia Tech, 6 p.m.
George Mason at No. 23 Virginia, 6 p.m.
East Carolina at N.C. State, 6 p.m.
Indiana at Louisville, 6 p.m.
No. 3 Georgia Tech at Kennesaw State, 6 p.m.
California at Saint Mary’s, 6 p.m.
No. 20 Boston College at UMass Lowell, 6 p.m.
No. 9 Coastal Carolina at No. 2 North Carolina, 7 p.m., ACC Network
Wednesday’s games
Norfolk State at No. 23 Virginia, 2 p.m.
South Florida at No. 14 Florida State, 4 p.m.
Queens at No. 2 North Carolina, 6 p.m.
Kent State at Pittsburgh, 6 p.m.
Milwaukee at Notre Dame, 6:30
UC Davis at California, 9 p.m.
Thursday-Saturday series
Louisville at Wake Forest — Thursday: 7 p.m. (ACCN); Friday: 6 p.m.; Saturday: 1 p.m.
Friday-Sunday series
Miami at N.C. State — Friday: 6 p.m.; Saturday: 7:30 (ESPNU); Sunday: 1 p.m.
Pittsburgh at No. 14 Florida State — Friday: 6 p.m.; Saturday: 2 p.m.; Sunday: 1 p.m.
No. 20 Boston College at Clemson — Friday: 6 p.m.; Saturday: 1 p.m. (ACCN); Sunday: noon
Stanford at Notre Dame — Friday: 6:30 p.m.; Saturday: 2 p.m.; Sunday: 1 p.m.
Virginia Tech at California — Friday: 9 p.m.; Saturday: 5:05; Sunday 4 p.m.
Saturday non-conference game
Xavier at No. 3 Georgia Tech, 7 p.m.
Sunday non-conference games
Radford at No. 23 Virginia, doubleheader, 1 p.m.
Xavier at No. 3 Georgia Tech, 1 p.m.
Duke at No. 2 North Carolina, 2 p.m., ACCN
| 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. No. 23 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. No. 20 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. 3 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 |
| 25 | Saturday | 2 p.m. | at Duke | |
| 28 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | vs. No. 9 Coastal Carolina | ACCN |
| 29 | Wednesday | 6 p.m. | vs. Queens | |
| May | ||||
| 3 | Sunday | 2 p.m. (non-conference game) | vs. Duke | ACCN |
| 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 N.C. State | Thurs. ACCN |
| 19–24 | Tues.-Sun. | ACC tournament | Charlotte | ACCN (final ESPN2) |
| 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. |
- Games not on TV stream on ACC Network Extra unless otherwise note.
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics
