Three wins, split weekend series with NC State moves UNC slightly up USAT Coaches Poll
The North Carolina Tar Heels have just one more regular season baseball series to win a crowded ACC, but they'll need some assistance from fellow conference opponents.
UNC hosted a pair of games against NC State over the weekend, winning Thursday but losing Friday. North Carolina (37-11, 16-10 ACC) had a chance to win its seventh-straight series on Mother's Day, but rain canceled that series finale and forced a split.
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The Diamond Heels also had a Tuesday, May 13 in-state clash with UNC-Wilmington, but that game is cancelled. One thing is clear in Chapel Hill: postseason ball is almost here.
In the May 12 USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, UNC rose one spot – to fourth. North Carolina trails just LSU, Florida State and Texas, plus one spot ahead of Arkansas.
That one series we mentioned in the first graph? The Diamond Heels will travel to Tallahassee, Fla. and begin a 3-game series against Florida State on May 15.
The Seminoles (36-11, 16-8) lead UNC by just one game, but there's a logjam atop the ACC between FSU, NC State, Georgia Tech and UNC. North Carolina needs to beat FSU twice for a shot at winning the ACC, while the Wolfpack host Stanford for a 3-game series. Georgia Tech will play Duke in Durham this weekend.
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Winning the ACC Regular Season Championship would be great for the Diamond Heels, but winning a College World Series is the ultimate focus. UNC hasn't appeared in Omaha consecutive years since 2008 and 2009, both years after they finished as the 2006 and 2007 runner-ups to Oregon State.
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: Diamond Heels climb one spot – to fourth – in USAT Sports Coaches Poll
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