Baseball Set To Open NCAAs Against LIU

Friday, May 31

Chapel Hill, NC

6 p.m.

North Carolina

LIU

Photo by: ANTHONY SORBELLINI

May 30, 2024 | Baseball

Tournament Central

By: UNC Athletics Communications

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Hosting its 12^th NCAA regional in the past 18 seasons, No. 4 seed North Carolina opens postseason play against Northeast Conference Champion LIU on Friday, May 31, at 6 p.m. on ESPN+.

Carolina (42-13) is making its seventh consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and its 36the regional in school history. The Tar Heels have reach the postseason in each of coach Scott Forbes first four seasons and has hosted twice. UNC has an all-time record of 115-78 in postseason play.

The Tar Heels haves posted a 33-8 mark in regional games hosted at Boshamer Stadium and in Cary, N.C. en route to 10 Super Regional appearances, most recently winning to the 2022 Chapel Hill Regional before losing to Arkansas in the Super Regional.

UNC's opening game against LIU marks the first-meeting between the Tar Heels and Sharks.

Pitching Matchups

	Friday \| 6 ET (ESPN+)
Carolina	RHP Jason DeCaro (5-1, 3.80 ERA)
LIU	RHP Garrett Yawn (6-3, 4.08 ERA)
Links	WATCH \| LISTEN \| STATS

VERSUS THE REST OF THE REGIONAL FIELD
Carolina and Wofford have played six times previously with the Tar Heels posting a 5-1 record against the Terriers. However, the border state foes have not met in 106 years, last playing in 1918. UNC and LSU have met five times with the Tar Heels owning a 3-2 lead in the series. Each of Carolina's three win have won in the College World Series with its latest victory occurring in 2013.

LAST TIME OUT
The Tar Heels played an epic 12-inning game against Wake Forest a week ago, falling to the Demon Deacons 9-5. UNC trailed 4-0 in the seventh, but scored two runs in the frame and then posted three runs in the eighth to take ta 5-4 lead on Parks Harber's RBI double. Wake Forest tied the game with two outs in the ninth. The Tar Heels stranded two in the 10th and left bases loaded in the 11^th before succumbing in the 12^th. Luke Stevenson was 3-for-5, while Casey Cook and Vance Honeycutt had two hits.

COASTAL CHAMPIONS
North Carolina won its eighth ACC Coastal Division championship on the penultimate weekend of the regular season with its three-game sweep of UofL. UNC (22-8) finished four games ahead of preseason Coastal division favorite Virginia (18-12) to win its first division title in six years. Carolina claimed the conference's overall best record by two games in front of Clemson (20-10), capturing the ACC's unofficial regular season championship.

A 40-WIN REGULAR SEASON
Carolina posted a 41-12 record prior to the start of the ACC Tournament, collecting over 40 wins before the start of the postseason for the first time since 2017 (44-11). It's the first time that the Tar Heels entered the postseason with 40+ wins under head coach Scott Forbes. UNC's next win will be its 43rd, the most under coach Forbes. Carolina has won 40 or more games in five of the last seven seasons and in 15 of Forbes' 23 years as a member of the Tar Heels' coaching staff.

NATIONAL LEADERBOARDS
The Tar Heels ranks among the top 15 nationally in runs per game (9.0/10^th), base on ball (330/13^th), ERA (4.19/14^th), slugging percentage (.545/14^th) and runs (497/15^th). Carolina owns the top team ERA in the ACC and issues the fewest walks per nine innings in the conference (3.89).

ACC AWARD WINNERS
UNC head coach Scott Forbes was voted ACC Coach of the Year, junior Vance Honeycutt was selected ACC Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season and nine different Tar Heels earned all-conference honors. Honeycutt and Casey Cook were voted first-team all-conference; Harber and pitchers Jason DeCaro and Shea Sprague were named second-team; pitchers Matthew Matthijs and Dalton Pence, along with catcher Luke Stevenson, earned third-team honors. Gavin Gallaher was named to the All-ACC Freshman Team as were DeCaro and Gallaher.

NO PLACE LIKE THE BOSH
The Tar Heels boasted a 32-2 record at Boshamer Stadium during the regular season, winning over 94 percent (.941) of their home games. Only Tennessee (35) and Arkansas (33) had more home wins than the Tar Heels in 2024, and only UC Santa Barbara had fewer losses (25-0). The highest complete season winning percentage at Boshamer Stadium is 92.3 in 2011 (36-3) and 1985 (24-2).

THE BOSH BOMBERS
Carolina has hit 105 home runs this season, three shy of the school record of 108 set in 2002. The Tar Heels have belted 84 home runs over the last 35 games, accounting for 80.9 percent of their season total. UNC began it launch parade on St. Patrick's Day with seven homers at Miami. UNC also hit seven home runs in its series opener against Louisville (5/10). Carolina hit four or more home runs in a game seven times with eight additional three homer games.

MISTER 50-70
Vance Honeycutt is the first player in Carolina and Atlantic Coast Conference history to hit 50 home runs and steal 70 bases during his career. Honeycutt has swiped 75 bases in his career and hit 59 home runs. He is the third 50-50 player in ACC history, joining Florida State's JD Drew and Clemson's Khalil Greene. Honeycutt is one home run shy of becoming the fifth player in ACC history to hit 60 home runs.

TALE OF TWO HARBERS
Senior first baseman Parks Harber enters the NCAA Championship having reached base in 31 of the last 32 games. The only time he didn't reach was against Campbell when he unexpectedly had to leave the game due to an illness. Harber is hitting .398 over the last 32 games with 18 home runs and 48 RBIs. Harber has 16 multi-hit games, including six three-hit games, and six games with four or more RBIs as part of the streak.

RUN PRODUCER
Casey Cook ranks second in the ACC in RBIs entering the NCAA Championship (James Tibbs FSU, 84). Cook has driven in a career-best 76 runs through the first 55 games after collecting 23 RBIs in 60 games a year ago. He ranks 11th among all NCAA Division I players. He has hit 18 home runs in 220 at-bats this season, compared to three in 224 at-bats a year ago. More than15 percent of the Tar Heels' runs (497) have been driven in by Cook.