Baseball Set To Host Pitt In Final Regular Season Home Series

Friday, May 8

Chapel Hill

6 PM

North Carolina

Pitt

Buy tickets

Matthew Matthijs
University of North Carolina Baseball v Boston College
Boshamer Stadium
Chapel Hill, NC
Thursday, April 2, 2026

Photo by: AINSLEY E. FAUTH

May 8, 2026 | Baseball

Game Notes Know Before You Go

By: William Soulé

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The Diamond Heels welcome Pitt to Boshamer Stadium for the final regular season home series of the year. The program will honor 16 support staff, former and current players who will graduate over the weekend.

The Panthers are the only team not named Duke or NC State that UNC head coach Scott Forbes has faced in all six of his seasons at the helm. His team has claimed four of five series and the lone postseason matchup in that time. Carolina has won 10 of the last 11 matchups.

SCHEDULE
Game 1: Friday, May 8 – 6 PM – ACCNX – Live Stats
Daniel Bard Bobblehead Giveaway | Fireworks Night
Game 2: Saturday, May 9 – 12 PM - ACCNX – Live Stats
Trading Cards Pack 4 Giveaway | Shoes4Hope Game
Game 3: Sunday, May 10 – 1 PM - ACCNX – Live Stats
Senior Day

No. 2 North Carolina Tar Heels (37-9-1)(17-7 ACC)
Head Coach: Scott Forbes
Record at UNC: 237-112-1
Record vs. Pitt: 11-5

Pitt Panthers (28-18)(10-14 ACC)
Head Coach: Mike Bell
Record at Pitt: 189-192
Record vs. UNC: 6-12

PROJECTED STARTERS
Friday: RHP Jason DeCaro vs. LHP Antonio Doganiero
Saturday: RHP Ryan Lynch vs. TBA
Sunday: LHP Folger Boaz vs. Drew Lafferty

SERIES HISTORY
All-Time: UNC 22-12
Current Streak: W1
Chapel Hill: 13-2
Away: 8-8
Neutral Site: 1-2
First Meeting: March 8, 2014

ONE MORE FOR GOOD MEASURE
➤ Carolina welcomed their crosstown rivals to the Bosh for a non-conference clash, running away with a 13-0 seven-inning shutout victory on Sunday to claim the season series in a year where the two played four regular season contests for the first time since 1952.
➤ The Tar Heels picked up where they last left off against the Blue Devils, scoring in nine straight innings across the two run-rule victories won by a combined score of 35-5.
➤ Macon Winslow, the former Blue Devil, was the star at the plate with a final stat line of 3-for-4 with a career-high five RBIs and three runs scored. His second inning home run was the highlight, taking his former teammate Marcello Mastroianni 416 feet off the photo tower in center field.
➤ With a weekend off due to finals, the heavy artillery took the mound for Carolina on Sunday as head coach Scott Forbes deployed Jason DeCaro, Ryan Lynch, and Caden Glauber to earn the team's third shutout of the year. The trio combined for 10 punchouts and gave up just three hits and two walks.

ARM TALENT
➤ The strength of this team lies with the Carolina Arm Barn, who have solidified themselves as the best unit in the conference in recent years and 2026 has proved to be no different.
➤ The Heels have led the ACC in ERA each of the last two seasons and are looking to be the first to go three in a row since Louisville's five year stretch from 2015-19. It would be the first time in UNC's history they had the best ERA three years in a row.
➤ Additionally, on an individual level, ACC and National Pitcher of the Year in 2025 Jake Knapp led the ACC in ERA. With two weekends left, Tar Heels currently occupy the No. 1, 2, and 4 spots as DeCaro, Glauber, and McDuffie battle at the top.
➤ It would be the first time UNC pitchers have gone back-to-back years atop the conference since Robert Woodard and Jonathan Hovis did it in '05/'06.
➤ The dynamic duo of Glauber and McDuffie sit at No. 1 and 2 in a number of conference categories, including batting average against, hits allowed, runs allowed, and doubles allowed.

DYNAMITE BEHIND THE DISH
➤ Carolina's dynamic duo at catcher have been elite offensively and defensively, living up to the billing Coach Forbes gave as one of the best one-two punches behind the plate since Cody Roberts and current undergraduate assistant Brandon Martorano in '17/'18.
➤ Through 47 games, Winslow and Hynek have allowed just 15 steals on 26 attempts. That is tied with 2016 for the fewest stolen bases surrendered in that amount of games by UNC this century.
➤ Their 26 attempts faced in that stretch is the least since totaling the least this century (23) in 2012.
➤ And its not like they've faced teams that don't run.
The Heels have seen the ACC's top-3 in stolen bases: Duke, Boston College, and Louisville.
➤ Those three teams, who have over 430 attempts between them, went a combined 3-8 against Carolina.
➤ It was BC's only blank weekend of 2026 and it was the fewest for Louisville since 2024. Both BC and Duke have set their program's single season records for steals this year.
➤ Carolina leads the ACC in SBA by a wide margin. Louisville has the second fewest allowed with 29.

DOUBLE 'EM UP
➤ Carolina's defense has been one of its biggest strengths in the 2026 season, as the Heels hold the ACC's best fielding percentage (No. 14 NCAA).
➤ One of their biggest weapons this year has been the double play. UNC currently has the 8th most DPs in the NCAA with 42, second only to Pitt (46) in the conference.
➤ In three games this season the Heels have successfully turned two three times in one contest. They have converted multiple DPs in 10 games.
➤ A lot of credit for the defensive efficiency can be given to the men up the middle. Gallaher and Schaffner have been a part of 24 and 22 of the double plays respectively.
➤ Gallaher leads all second basemen in the nation in Defensive Runs Saved with a 12.55 rate and is No. 13 overall.
➤ Carolina has also gotten seven DPs from their outfield, including a rare unassisted two-out play from Owen Hull on a line drive to center against Cal.