Sixth-straight ACC series victory vaults UNC baseball into Top 5 of April 28 Coaches Poll
The North Carolina Tar Heels continue to showcase their winning ways on the baseball diamond, nabbing their sixth-consecutive ACC series victory by taking two games from Pitt over the weekend.
UNC started its weekend series with a 15-5, record-setting domination of the host Panthers (20-21, 6-15 ACC), then broke back into the winning column with a 6-0 shutout victory on Sunday. Gavin Gallaher tied North Carolina's (33-10, 15-9 ACC) single-game home run record in Friday's blowout, then Jason DeCaro hurled seven shutout innings on Sunday.
Advertisement
The Diamond Heels maintained their positioning near a crowded top of the ACC, finding themselves 1.5 games behind rival NC State for first place.
With another successful weekend, it should come as no surprise that UNC climbed in the latest rankings. North Carolina launched itself five spots in the April 28 USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, trailing just LSU (second) and top-ranked Texas.
The Diamond Heels are also the highest-ranked ACC team, just a spot ahead of Clemson and five spots ahead of Florida State.
UNC has midweek games on Tuesday, April 29 against George Mason and the following day against Queens, then off this coming weekend before hosting Campbell on May 6.
Advertisement
Whereas North Carolina won a majority of its 2024 games due to a loaded offense, the story of 2025 is starting pitching. Jake Knapp, Aidan Haugh and Jason DeCaro all have earned run averages under 4.00, while Knapp's nine victores are the second most in Division I.
Can the Diamond Heels maintain their successful brand of baseball in the postseason? We're hoping so, as UNC looks to make its second-consecutive College World Series appearance.
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 ranked third in April 28 USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
What channel is UNC-Arizona on? Time, TV schedule for Chapel Hill Super Regional Game 2
What channel is UNC-Arizona on? Time, TV schedule for Chapel Hill Super Regional Game 2 Here's all the broadcasting information you need to know for Game 2 of the Chapel Hill Super Regional between UNC and Arizona. The North Carolina Tar Heels and Arizona Wildcats faced off Friday afternoon in the Chapel Hill Super Regional from Boshamer Stadium, with each baseball program looking to inch one step closer to the College World Series. UNC entered Game 1 off a dominant, 14-4 victory over Oklahoma in Monday's winner-take all game of the Chapel Hill Regional. Arizona entered Game 1 red-hot, having previously won its last eight contests. Something had to give – and one team left fighting for its life. Thanks to scoring eight runs in the first two innings against Wildcats starter Owen Kramkowski, North Carolina left their home field ecstatic with an obliterating, 18-2 victory. Arizona (42-19) actually started the scoring part in its half of the first inning, thanks to an Adonis Guzman single. Guzman was a lone bright spot for the Wildcats on Friday, hitting a perfect 4-for-4. The Diamond Heels quick punched back in their half of the first inning, tying the score on a Luke Stevenson single. Gavin Gallaher continued his tear with an ensuing single, giving UNC a 2-1 lead it never relinquished, while Hunter Stokely delivered a 3-run home run for the eventual, game-winning runs. Though offense was the name of North Carolina's game, we need to give Jake Knapp his flowers. The Diamond Heels' ace escaped some early trouble, allowing just two runs through seven innings. If UNC can replicate some of Friday's success during Game 2 Saturday, it'll be heading to Omaha for the second-consecutive season. If the Wildcats win, there will be a winner-take all Game 3 on Sunday. Are you lucky enough to watch Game 2 in person? Have a blast and continue filling the stands with Carolina Blue. If you're watching on TV, your favorite streaming device, listening on the radio or placing bets like most fans, keep reading below for more broadcast information. What channel is North Carolina vs. Arizona on Saturday? Time, TV schedule, radio TV Channel: ESPN2 Time: 12 p.m. ET Radio: SiriusXM (Channel 193) Announcers: Eric Frede (play-by-play) and Jensen Lewis (analyst) Website: WatchESPN Where to watch UNC vs. Arizona on live stream Watch UNC vs. Arizona live on Fubo TV UNC vs. Arizona prediction, picks, odds Scoring 18 runs in any game is difficult, no matter the opponent. The fact North Carolina embarrassed Arizona, which entered as arguably the hottest team in college baseball, means the Chapel Hill Super Regional could be over fairly quickly. I think the Wildcats respond with a valiant effort on Saturday, making it more of a game. The Diamond Heels, buzzing with excitement and determined to get back to Omaha, win again and send The Bosh into a cheering frenzy. Score prediction: UNC 8, Arizona 6 All College Baseball Odds via BetMGM SPREAD: UNC -.3.5 MONEYLINE: Arizona +250, North Carolina -350 O/U TOTAL: 12.5 Full UNC baseball schedule Feb. 14-15: vs. Texas Tech (W 5-1, 8-3, 4-2) (3-0 overall) Feb. 18: vs. Kansas State (W, 12-9) (4-0) Feb. 22-24: vs./at ECU (W 2-0, 11-6, 6-3) (7-0) Feb. 25: vs. VCU (W 9-4) (8-0) Feb. 26: vs. North Carolina A&T (W 13-4) (9-0) Feb. 28-March 2: vs. Stony Brook (W 16-2, 6-1, 9-5) (12-0) March 4: vs. Coastal Carolina (W 5-4) (13-0) March 7-9: vs. Stanford (L 13-9, W 11-1, L 7-0) (14-2, 1-2 ACC) March 11: at UNC-Wilmington (W 7-3) (15-2) March 14-16: at Louisville (L 8-7, W 6-4, L 5-0) (16-4, 2-4 ACC) March 19: vs. UConn (L 5-1) (16-5) March 21-23: at Boston College (W 5-1, L 3-2, W 10-0) (18-6, 4-5 ACC) March 25: vs. South Carolina in Charlotte, NC (W 13-8) (19-6) March 28-30: vs. Miami (FL) (W 2-0, 4-2, L 4-2) (21-7, 6-6 ACC) April 1: vs. Gardner-Webb (W 11-1) (22-7) April 3-5: vs. Duke (W 4-3, L 9-5, W 8-7) (24-8, 8-7 ACC) April 8: at Elon (W 12-10) (25-8) April 11-13: vs. Wake Forest (W 11-1, 17-1, 3-2) (28-8, 11-7 ACC) April 15: vs. Charlotte (W 14-4) (29-8) April 18-20: at Virginia Tech (W 9-6, L 10-6, W 7-4) (31-9, 13-8 ACC) April 25-27: at Pitt (W 15-5, L 4-2, W 6-0) (33-10, 15-9 ACC) April 29: vs. George Mason (W 13-4) (34-10) April 30: vs. Queens (Charlotte) University (W 14-3) (35-10) May 6: vs. Campbell (W 10-1) (36-10) May 8-9: vs. NC State (W 8-1, L 8-5) (37-11, 16-10 ACC) May 15-17: at Florida State (W 8-3, 11-1, L 5-4) (39-12, 18-11 ACC) May 23: vs. Boston College in ACC Tournament at Durham Bulls Athletic Park (W 7-2) (40-12) May 24: vs. Florida State in ACC Tournament at DBAP (W 7-5) (41-12) May 25: vs. Clemson in ACC Tournament at DBAP (W 14-4) (42-12) May 30: vs. Holy Cross in NCAA Tournament Chapel Hill Regional (W 4-0) (43-12) May 31: vs. Oklahoma in NCAA Tournament Chapel Hill Regional (W 11-5) (44-12) June 1: vs. Oklahoma in NCAA Tournament Chapel Hill Regional Final (L 9-5) (44-13) June 2: vs. Oklahoma in NCAA Tournament Chapel Hill Regional (W 14-4) (45-13) June 6: vs. Arizona in NCAA Tournament Chapel Hill Super Regional (W 18-2) (46-13) We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, though, and this doesn't influence our coverage.
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
2026 4-star CB and Texas A&M commit has canceled his future visits
2026 4-star CB and Texas A&M commit has canceled his future visits Texas A&M's recruiting success under coach Mike Elko, who is entering his second season at the helm, has already matched that of former head coach Jimbo Fisher, except for the historic 2022 recruiting class, which, despite its struggles, remains a historical achievement. In the 2026 cycle, Elko has landed 12 commitments, including four-star cornerback Camren Hamiel, who is the highest-rated prospect in Arizona. Landing Hamiel, whose instincts and decisive play makes him a candidate for early playing time as soon as his freshman season, is completely locked in with the program, as Texas A&M recruiting insider Jaxson Callaway (AggiesToday) reported that Hamiel has cancelled his future visits to competing programs, and has moved up his official visit to College Station to Friday, June 12. This has become a trend for several Texas A&M commits, as the news that Mike Elko will call defensive plays and 2025 and beyond is good news for players like Hamiel who possess elite athleticism and versatility, while playing with a high motor at a position that has been an issue for the Aggies over the past two seasons. This summer is critical for Elko and his staff to lock down a majority of the 12 commits in the cycle, and they are looking to flip five-star wide receiver Tristen Keys, who is currently taking an official visit with the Aggies this weekend. Hamiel's dedication to the program is a great sign, and Elko deserves credit for building a foundation that will (hopefully) result in on-field results for years to come. Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Nebraska hosted 7 on 7 tournament praised by players and coaches
Nebraska hosted 7 on 7 tournament praised by players and coaches Nebraska Football hosted the Battle of the Boneyard 7 on 7 tournament on Friday, and it is proving to be a success. Multiple 7 on 7 coaches have confirmed that other events have already reached out to learn how Nebraska is running the weekend. This was reported by Tim Verghese on Friday. Verghese also noted that this is the first-ever sponsored brand tournament on the Nebraska campus. The tournament itself was sponsored by Adidas. Class of 2027 Nebraska football quarterback commit Trae Taylor elected to be part of this, playing on the Miami Raw team. He had a productive day on Friday and was able to connect with fellow 2027 recruit Ahmad Hudson for multiple touchdowns. Hudson is the top tight end in the 2027 class per Rivals rankings. Several prominent figures in the NFL circle showed up as well. Former Carolina Panthers and New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton came to Lincoln, as his 7 on 7 team, C1N was present. Former Nebraska football running back Ameer Abdullah also made an appearance on Friday. All in all, this appears to be another successful venture organized by the football program and athletic department. There should be a ton of news to come out of this weekend. Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes, and opinions.
