27-05-2025
UNC baseball team stays in Top 5 of USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll
UNC baseball team stays in Top 5 of USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll Can the Diamond Heels finally achieve college baseball immortality?
You'll be hard-pressed to find a college baseball team playing better than UNC, which enters the NCAA Tournament with three consecutive wins and an ACC Tournament Championship in its back pocket.
North Carolina (42-12, 18-11 ACC), which will host Oklahoma, Nebraska and Holy Cross in the Chapel Hill Regional starting Friday, is the fifth national seed. The Diamond Heels will begin their own Regional at 12 p.m. Friday, facing Patriot League Tournament Championship winner Holy Cross (31-25, 17-8).
Just days ahead of its Regional opener, UNC received additional good news, finding itself atop the May 26 USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.
Texas, LSU, Vanderbilt and Arkansas round out the Top Five, while Florida State is the only additional ACC team in the Top 10. Clemson (12) and Georgia Tech (16) also made the Top 25, while NC State dropped out after previously being ranked 24th.
Rankings mean virtually nothing at this point in the season, but being the top-ranked team in one college baseball poll is quite the honor. North Carolina's focus is solely on beating Holy Cross this Friday, but it's difficult to not look ahead at the possibilities.
UNC has not won consecutive Regionals since 2018 and 2019, or made consecutive College World Series Appearances since 2008 and 2009. The 2025 Diamond Heels are fully-equipped for a deep run, though, led by Player of the Year candidate Jake Knapp.
If North Carolina wins Friday, they'll play the winner of Oklahoma and Nebraska on Saturday. UNC got a tough draw for its Chapel Hill Regional, but I have full confidence in a couple victories.
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