Baseball Heads West For Series At Cal

Friday, March 13

Berkeley, Calif.

9 PM ET

North Carolina

Cal

Photo by: AINSLEY E. FAUTH

March 12, 2026 | Baseball

Game Notes

By: William Soulé

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The Diamond Heels head west, where they will take on Cal in their first true road trip of the season this weekend.

It will be Carolina's first chance to take on the Golden Bears since the former PAC-12 participants jumped to the ACC. It will also be the program's first trip to Berkeley with all other previous meetings taking place in Chapel Hill or at a neutral site. UNC leads 5-3 in the all-time ledger.

The Heels don't often travel this far from home. It will be the team's first time west of the Rockies since winning an opening weekend series at UCLA in 2016. Carolina is 21-10 all-time in the state of California.

SCHEDULE
Game 1: Friday, Mar. 13 – 9 PM ET – ACCNX – Live Stats
Game 2: Saturday, Mar. 14 – 5 PM ET - ACCNX – Live Stats
Game 3: Sunday, Mar. 15 – 4 PM ET - ACCNX – Live Stats

No. 15 North Carolina Tar Heels (14-3-1)(1-2 ACC)
Head Coach: Scott Forbes
Record at UNC: 214-107-1
Record vs. Cal: 0-0

Cal Golden Bears (13-4)(0-0 ACC)
Head Coach: Mike Neu
Record at Cal: 224-188
Record vs. UNC: 0-0

PROJECTED STARTERS
Friday: RHP Jason DeCaro vs. RHP Oliver de la Torre
Saturday: RHP Ryan Lynch vs. RHP Ethan Foley
Sunday: LHP Folger Boaz vs. RHP Gavin Eddy

SERIES HISTORY
All-Time: UNC 5-3
Current Streak: W2
Chapel Hill: 3-3
Away: 0-0
Neutral Site: 2-0
First Meeting: March 1, 2002

BATTLED THE BISON
➤ The Tar Heels took on Bucknell in the midweek, looking for a tune up before heading out on the road.
➤ UNC came away with a 13-3 win in seven-innings, putting up an eight run bottom of the seventh to secure the team's eight run-rule victory this season. That is already the most they've ever had in a single campaign.
➤ The offensive highlight came from the bat of Macon Winslow. The Carolina catcher launched the team's longest home run of the season 427 feet over the scoreboard in left to put them up 2-0 in the first.
➤ Up two entering the seventh, the Heels put up eight runs to "walk-off" the game thanks to five walks, three hits, and two HBPs. All eight runs were scored with two outs with Colin Hynek's single producing the final blow.
➤ Sophomore reliever Walker McDuffie finished the game and earned the win, throwing 3.0 shutout frames with four strikeouts with just one hit.

NEW FACES, SAME STANDARD
➤ The Carolina offense heavily features new faces, as the team looks to replace 76.3% of its scoring from 2025. Gavin Gallaher (more on him later) is the only returner to have started more than half the games.
➤ So far, 20.3% of the 158 runs produced by the Heels have come from newcomers.
➤ The first to make his name was Jake Schaffner, the new starting shortstop in from North Dakota State, who's bat has popped early in the leadoff spot. He leads the team in batting average, slugging, extra base hits, and stolen bases.
➤ He also currently stands alone as the nation's leader in triples with four. The UNC record is eight from Brian Goodwin in 2010. Kane Kepley came one shy of that mark last season.
➤ Big Erik Paulsen, new from Stony Brook, brings both elite bat and glove to first base. He leads the team in home runs with five, already almost halfway to his career total of 13.
➤ Paulsen and Schaffner both won Defensive Player of the Year awards from their respective conferences in 2025.
➤ Duke transfer Macon Winslow has also quickly gotten comfortable in the better blue, responsible for an 11th inning homer in the finale against Indiana that gave UNC its first opening-weekend walk-off win since 2020.
➤ His catching partner Colin Hynek has also started every game, switching with Winslow between DH and behind the dish.
➤ Hynek knocked what he described as "the first triple I've had in my life" against Indiana before adding another on Friday night against Le Moyne. He also leads the team in doubles.

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