University of North Carolina Athletics
Wednesday, February 25
Chapel Hill
4 PM
North Carolina
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VCU
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North Carolina
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Photo by: AINSLEY E. FAUTH
Carolina Run Rules VCU, 13-3, On Wednesday Afternoon
February 25, 2026 | Baseball
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Erik Paulsen's big day at the plate powered Carolina baseball to a convincing 13-3 run-rule of VCU on Wednesday afternoon in Boshamer Stadium.
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The No. 8 Tar Heels' (8-1-1) offense was in the mood to score in bunches against the Rams, putting up two or more runs in four of the seven innings they played. It is the team's fourth run-rule already this season, on pace to far exceed the most they've had in a season (8, 2025).
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It was a sensational day for Paulsen, who got a hit in all four of his at-bats including a pair of home runs. It's the second career multi-homer game of the first baseman's career dating back to March 9 last season when he was with Stony Brook. He is the first Tar Heel to accomplish the feat this year.
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Coming in to 2026, Paulsen had a total of 13 home runs to his name in his career. He's already recorded four in Carolina blue and shows no sign of slowing down.
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"Really it comes down to timing," Paulsen said on what he's improved since his move to Chapel Hill. "We're back in the cages talking about timing, approach, and it's really really helped and I'm so grateful for [my coaches]."
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It wasn't just Paulsen who was seeing the ball well on Wednesday afternoon. The Diamond Heels' lineup produced a season-high 13 hits, seven for extra bases, while only striking out twice in total.
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Shortstop Jake Schaffner would have come in just behind Paulsen for player of the game, racking up three doubles and two RBIs on the day. Designated hitter Colin Hynek followed up Paulsen's pair of homers with one of his own in the bottom of the fourth, the first of the season for him.
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Carolina's winning pitcher was true freshman Jackson Rose, who put together the best outing of his young career. The Woodstock, Ga., native went 3.0 innings with no runs given up and just one hit and one walk. His fastball topped out at 93 mph, the fastest he's ever thrown.
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Starter Boston Flannery only surrendered one run (unearned) in his 2.1 IP. The highlight of his day though came on the defensive end where he picked off two different Rams' runners to keep his bases clean.
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The Heels next prepare to host a weekend series against DI debutants Le Moyne, though surprisingly not the first time these two programs will have faced off. The series history dates back to 1978 and was most recently played 2003. The 2026 edition kicks off on Friday at 4 p.m. ET in Boshamer Stadium.
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The No. 8 Tar Heels' (8-1-1) offense was in the mood to score in bunches against the Rams, putting up two or more runs in four of the seven innings they played. It is the team's fourth run-rule already this season, on pace to far exceed the most they've had in a season (8, 2025).
Â
It was a sensational day for Paulsen, who got a hit in all four of his at-bats including a pair of home runs. It's the second career multi-homer game of the first baseman's career dating back to March 9 last season when he was with Stony Brook. He is the first Tar Heel to accomplish the feat this year.
Â
Coming in to 2026, Paulsen had a total of 13 home runs to his name in his career. He's already recorded four in Carolina blue and shows no sign of slowing down.
Â
"Really it comes down to timing," Paulsen said on what he's improved since his move to Chapel Hill. "We're back in the cages talking about timing, approach, and it's really really helped and I'm so grateful for [my coaches]."
Â
It wasn't just Paulsen who was seeing the ball well on Wednesday afternoon. The Diamond Heels' lineup produced a season-high 13 hits, seven for extra bases, while only striking out twice in total.
Â
Shortstop Jake Schaffner would have come in just behind Paulsen for player of the game, racking up three doubles and two RBIs on the day. Designated hitter Colin Hynek followed up Paulsen's pair of homers with one of his own in the bottom of the fourth, the first of the season for him.
Â
Carolina's winning pitcher was true freshman Jackson Rose, who put together the best outing of his young career. The Woodstock, Ga., native went 3.0 innings with no runs given up and just one hit and one walk. His fastball topped out at 93 mph, the fastest he's ever thrown.
Â
Starter Boston Flannery only surrendered one run (unearned) in his 2.1 IP. The highlight of his day though came on the defensive end where he picked off two different Rams' runners to keep his bases clean.
Â
The Heels next prepare to host a weekend series against DI debutants Le Moyne, though surprisingly not the first time these two programs will have faced off. The series history dates back to 1978 and was most recently played 2003. The 2026 edition kicks off on Friday at 4 p.m. ET in Boshamer Stadium.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Rose, Jackson (1-0)
L: DiGiacomo, Fenix (0-1)
Batting:
RBI: Maher, Quinn 2 ; Flores, Nick 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Petite, Michael 1 ; Acevedo, Ethan 1 ; Warden, Alec 1
SB: Acevedo, Ethan 1 ; Warden, Alec 1
Batting:
2B: Schaffner, Jake 3 ; Winslow, Macon 1
HR: Hynek, Colin 1 ; Paulsen, Erik 2
RBI: French, Carter 2 ; Schaffner, Jake 2 ; Hynek, Colin 2 ; Black, Sawyer 1 ; Paulsen, Erik 3 ; Gallaher, Gavin 1 ; Hull, Owen 1
SF: Gallaher, Gavin 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Nicholson, Cooper 1 ; French, Carter 1 ; Schaffner, Jake 1 ; Hynek, Colin 2 ; Black, Sawyer 1 ; Paulsen, Erik 4 ; Gallaher, Gavin 1 ; Winslow, Macon 1 ; Hull, Owen 1
SB: French, Carter 1
HBP: Nicholson, Cooper 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
4
H
4
RBI
3
AB
5
R
1
H
3
RBI
2
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
2
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
RHP
/ Baseball
C
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ BaseballINF
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