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CHAPEL HILL — Once West Virginia ace Derek Clark was done, so were the Mountaineers, another victim of Bosh Magic. Junior center fielder Vance Honeycutt finished them off with a game-ending two-run home run to left field with two outs as No. 4-seed North Carolina rallied for an 8–6 victory in the opener of the Chapel Hill Super Regional on Friday night before a packed Boshamer Stadium.
CHAPEL HILL — The two starting pitchers in the Chapel Hill Super Regional opener are like mirror images, other than one being much taller than the other. UNC’s 6–3 junior left-hander Shea Sprague (3–1, 3.76 ERA) immediately noticed it when he watched a video of 5–7 West Virginia senior left-hander Derek Clark (8–2, 2.82 ERA), calling it “pretty uncanny.”
CHAPEL HILL — The demand for tickets to Carolina’s Chapel Hill Super Regional against West Virginia has far exceeded the supply, forcing many to pay high prices on the secondary ticket market. There was no public sale of tickets, and some Rams Club members couldn’t get seats for the best-of-three series that starts at 6 p.m. on Friday.
West Virginia, led by likely top-10 draft pick JJ Wetherholt, comes to Boshamer Stadium after sweeping through the Tucson Regional in three games without facing No. 1 regional seed Arizona.
CHAPEL HILL — When the long drive finally rested in the glove of UNC center fielder Vance Honeycutt, No. 6 North Carolina could finally exhale after surviving a heart-pumping night to oust the reigning NCAA champions.
CHAPEL HILL — Two years after winning a deciding Monday game to win a Chapel Hill Regional, No. 6 North Carolina will have to do it again to extend its season.
CHAPEL HILL — Gavin Gallaher wouldn’t let North Carolina be denied. The freshman third baseman hit his second home run, a game-ending grand slam shot off the scoreboard beyond the left-field wall, as the No. 6 Tar Heels rallied with a six-run ninth inning for an incredible 11–8 victory Friday in their Chapel Hill Regional opener.
CHAPEL HILL — The NCAA didn’t do No. 6-ranked North Carolina any favors by sending reigning NCAA champion LSU to the Chapel Hill Regional, but Wofford nearly blunted the blow of that bad break.
CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina coach Scott Forbes will stick with his regular rotation for the Chapel Hill Regional. Freshman right-hander Jason DeCaro (5–1, 3.80 ERA) will start the 6 p.m. opener for the No. 1 regional seed Tar Heels (42–13) on Friday against No. 4 Long Island (33–23), with junior left-hander Shea Sprague (3–1, 4.02 ERA) going on Saturday against either No. 3 LSU (40–21) or Wofford (41–18).
No. 6-ranked North Carolina is one of five regional hosts in the NCAA baseball tournament that drew a No. 2 seed with a much-higher RPI than is logical for its seed.
CHAPEL HILL — For No. 7-ranked North Carolina, the path to the College World Series goes through Boshamer Stadium, where the Tar Heels are 32–2 this season.
With the NCAA set to reveal the baseball tournament field Monday, No. 7 North Carolina continues to be projected as a high national seed.
CHARLOTTE — A lower-back injury forced center fielder Vance Honeycutt to miss the last 10 games last season, making his absence from No. 7-ranked North Carolina’s lineup on Thursday with back spasms alarming.
CHARLOTTE — Wake Forest saved the best pitcher in the ACC for top-seeded North Carolina, and he can’t wait to face the Tar Heels. The No. 7-ranked Tar Heels’ ACC tournament opener at 3 p.m. Thursday against No. 12 seed Pittsburgh (26–28) will be a meaningless tune-up. Win or lose on Thursday, UNC will make the tournament semifin
CHAPEL HILL — It takes plenty of pitching depth to win the ACC tournament, and No. 7-ranked North Carolina has a quality mix of three solid starters, several good bullpen arms and a potent offense to pull it off.
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