UNC baseball climbs four sports in March 31 USA TODAY Sports Coaches
After a rough stretch in which they lost five of eight games earlier in March, the North Carolina Tar Heels appear to be back in a winning groove of late on the baseball diamond.
UNC lost two of three games to Stanford during its first ACC series of the season, then suffered a questionable loss to UConn on March 19. North Carolina responded and took two of three from Boston College on the road, exploded for 13 runs in a 13-8 win over South Carolina on March 25, then won two of three against the Miami (FL) Hurricanes over the weekend.
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Due in particular to their success over the past week-and-a-half, the Diamond Heels jumped in the March 31 USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, climbing four spots to 14th.
UNC (21-7, 6-6) finds itself sandwiched between UC Irvine (13th) and UCLA (15th), both of which are on long winning streaks. The Anteaters are winners of their last 10 games, while the Bruins have victories in their past six contents.
North Carolina also rose two spots in this week's D1Baseball Rankings, climbing two spots to 21st. The Diamond Heels are between ACC rival Louisville (18th) and Troy (20th), now in the Sun Belt but a former, 2-time Division II National Champion.
Through nearly 30 games this season, the story of UNC baseball is undoubtedly starting pitching. Jake Knapp looks phenomenal in his first season back from a UCL tear, currently sporting a 5-0 record and 1.63 earned run average. Aidan Haugh is 3-2 with a 1.69 ERA as another member of the Diamond Heels' rotation, while Jason DeCaro is 4-2 with a 3.86 ERA.
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North Carolina next hosts Gardner-Webb on Tuesday, before turning around to host archrival Duke for a 3-game weekend series starting on Thursday.
Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC baseball rises to 14th in March 31 USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll
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