Cook makes Top 10 plays for second time by stealing homer; UNC has made segment five times

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — Those homer-stealing Tar Heels keep snagging the spotlight. When redshirt freshman right fielder Casey Cook reached his arm over the wall and stole a two-run home run from Wright State’s Julian Greenwell in the fifth inning of UNC’s 5–0 Saturday victory in the Terre Haute Regional, it earned him the No. 9 play on the ESPN “SportsCenter” Top 10 Plays segment.

Horvath, known as ‘Donkey,’ makes ‘swamp time’ pay off with huge 3-run homer

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — Swamp time was the right time for slugger Mac Horvath and North Carolina. Before the game, he had the words “SWAMP TIME!” written on the tape that was around his left arm, and “Donkey” — as his teammates call him — proceeded to deliver a key three-run homer in the Tar Heels’ 5–0 victory Saturday over Wright State at Bob Warn Field to stay alive in the Terre Haute Regional.

Carlson’s pitching, Cook’s HR stealing and Horvath’s blast lead huge UNC win

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — Challenging Carolina pitchers generally hasn’t gone well for opponents, and that didn’t change Saturday. This time, the umpire questioned the pause in UNC starter Max Carlson’s delivery, but the right-hander took it out on Wright State. There’s no question that this motivated Carlson, who threw 6⅔ one-hit shutout innings as Carolina extended its season with a 5–0 victory Saturday in the Terre Haute Regional at Bob Warn Field over No. 4-seed Wright State.

Struggles at top of order, another short pitching start, send UNC into losers’ bracket

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — A microcosm of why Carolina has struggled at times this season played out in the Tar Heels’ NCAA tournament opener, with the lack of length from starting pitchers and hits with runners in scoring position. Combining those with dominant pitching from Iowa right-hander Marcus Morgan (5–1) and struggles at the top of the Tar Heels’ order dumped them into the losers’ bracket of the Terre Haute Regional but not before making some ninth-inning noise.

UNC starts Knapp in opener vs. Iowa, avoids fireballing All-Big Ten pitcher Brecht

After an impressive performance against No. 11-ranked Virginia last week in the ACC tournament, junior right-hander Jake Knapp will start in Carolina’s NCAA tournament opener on Friday. The Tar Heels (35–22), the No. 3 seed in the Terre Haute Regional, face No. 2-seed Iowa (42–14) at Bob Warn Field at 7 p.m. Friday (ACC Network), with Iowa starting sophomore right-hander Marcus Morgan (4–2, 3.88 ERA).

With two top starters and solid bullpen, UNC has pitching to make postseason run

CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina’s pitching staff has thrown the Tar Heels for a loop many times this season, whether it be short outings from starters or early-season struggles from relievers. After dealing with little stability in the starting rotation most of the season, UNC coach Scott Forbes enters the NCAA tournament confident with the momentum from only two pitchers he knows will start this weekend and a bullpen that has been solid of late.