Latest news with #LukeStevenson
Associated Press
3 days ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Stokely, Stevenson combine for 9 RBIs and North Carolina routs Arizona 18-2 to open Super Regional
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Hunter Stokely drove in five runs, Luke Stevenson drove in four and North Carolina rolled to an 18-2 victory over Arizona on Friday to open the Chapel Hill Super Regional. Jake Knapp allowed two runs on nine hits in seven innings. He improved to 14-0 with a 2.02 ERA. Tom Chmielewski finished with two scoreless innings. The top-ranked and No. 5 national seed Tar Heels scored eight runs in the first two innings, three on Stokely's home run that made it a 5-1 game in the first inning. Stevenson's three-run home run in the second made it 8-1. Stokely added an RBI-single in the fourth and another in the eighth inning. Stevenson drove in North Carolina's first run back in the first inning. Sam Angelo hit a three-run home run in the eighth and Kane Kepley's solo home run later in the inning made it 18-2. Gavin Gallaher had four hits and scored three runs. Kepley and Jackson Van De Brake each scored four times for the Tar Heels. The first five batters in the order had 13 hits and drove in 12 runs. They scored 15 runs. Adonys Guzman drove in a run with a single in the first inning and Easton Breyfogle added a sacrifice fly in the fourth for Arizona's two runs. Owen Kramkowski (9-6) allowed eight runs in an inning and a third. North Carolina (46-13) is playing in a Super Regional for the 12th time, having advanced eight times previously. It is Arizona's sixth Super Regional and the Wildcats (42-19) have won four of their previous five Super Regionals. ___ AP college sports:
USA Today
10-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
UNC baseball starting catcher selected in first round of MLB mock draft
UNC baseball starting catcher selected in first round of MLB mock draft The North Carolina baseball team has been on fire this season. Currently, they are the No. 4-ranked team on D1Baseball with their sights set on a championship. However, one of their players has received a special future recognition. In the most recent rendition of the 2025 MLB mock draft, USA TODAY has one UNC baseball player going in the first round. In the mock draft, Tar Heels catcher Luke Stevenson was selected with the No. 26 overall pick in the first round by the Philadelphia Phillies, a team with one of the best catchers in all of baseball in JT Realmuto. Here is what Gabe Lacques from USA TODAY Sports had to say: "The best catcher available falls here, though Stevenson's throwing ability is his biggest carrying tool at the moment. Can join Cal Raleigh, Patrick Bailey, and Ryan Jeffers as big league backstops grown in the Tar Heel State." Lacques points out two major components in his analysis. The first is the dominance of Luke Stevenson, calling him the top catcher in the 2025 MLB Draft. Stevenson is batting .280 this season with a .457 on-base percentage. In 164 at-bats, he had 46 hits, eight doubles, 15 home runs, and 44 RBIs. His plate appearances have been getting stronger and stronger as he is able to close out long, professional innings that just get him on base no matter how. The other thing that Lacques pointed out was the prestigious history that Carolina has of producing some of the best catchers in the MLB. He specifically labeled Cal Raleigh from the Seattle Mariners, who is tied for the lead in the MLB with 12 home runs and 25 RBIs this season, Patrick Bailey from the San Francisco Giants, and Ryan Jeffers from the Minnesota Twins. Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
USA Today
26-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
UNC baseball rallies to beat South Carolina
UNC baseball rallies to beat South Carolina The North Carolina Tar Heels' baseball program is coming off their first Atlantic Coast Conference series win over the weekend and are hoping to build some momentum. On Tuesday, the Tar Heels faced a rivalry game, playing South Carolina in Charlotte. And despite blowing a lead in the seventh, the Tar Heels rallied to secure a 13-8 win. South Carolina jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first at Truist Field on back-to-back solo home runs in the frame. UNC answered back in the top of the second, getting a run. With the Gamecocks leading 3-1, UNC responded with three runs in the top of the third with Luke Stevenson hitting a home run and then they got a two-out RBI single that plated two. UNC scored three runs in the sixth to grab a 8-3 lead but the Gamecocks responded back with four runs in the bottom half of the inning. That cut the lead to 8-7. A run in the bottom of the seventh tied the game as UNC gave up the five-run lead. But it didn't last long. A five-run top of the eighth inning gave UNC the 13-8 lead, backed on a two-run homer from Stevenson which was his second of the game. Ryan Lynch got the win to move to 2-0 on the year. UNC is now 19-6 overall and 4-5 in the ACC this season. Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
USA Today
05-02-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
USA TODAY Sports gives UNC baseball program a Top-10 ranking in Preseason Coaches' Poll
While plenty of people will celebrate Valentine's Day on Friday, February 14, the sports world will also celebrate Opening Day for the 2025 college baseball season. The North Carolina Tar Heels, coming off their 12th trip to the College World Series, are lucky enough to host an Opening Day game. UNC welcomes Texas Tech, which has four CWS appearances of its own since 2014, on Feb. 14 for a 4 p.m first pitch. North Carolina will then host the Red Raiders again on Saturday, Feb. 15 at 2 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 16 for a 1 p.m. first pitch. There's plenty to be excited about if you're a Diamond Heels fan. UNC returns one of its deepest pitching staffs in recent memory, headlined by sophomore ace Jason DeCaro. North Carolina will carry arguably the country's best catcher in Luke Stevenson, who received some offseason MLB Draft attention. Here's one more item you should be excited about: in USA TODAY Sports' Baseball Coaches Poll, released on Tuesday, Feb. 4, the Diamond Heels found themselves ranked eighth. UNC is one spot behind Oregon State, which beat the boys in baby blue during the 2006 and 2007 CWS finals, but a spot ahead of Georgia, which lost to NC State in the 2024 Athens Super Regional. Ranking Team Points Last Year 1 Texas A&M 724 (17) 2 2 Tennessee 679 (10) 1 3 LSU 678 (1) 24 4 Virginia 649 (1) 7 5 Arkansas 620 (1) 12 6 Florida State 573 6 7 Oregon State 532 11 8 North Carolina 530 5 9 Georgia 493 10 10 Florida 473 6 11 Clemson 459 9 12 Duke 408 18 13 Texas 369 NR 14 Oregon 341 13 15 Wake Forest 294 NR 16 North Carolina State 290 8 17 Oklahoma State 266 14 18 Vanderbilt 263 NR 19 Mississippi State 186 20 20 Arizona 183 NR 21 Dallas Baptist 173 NR 22 UC Santa Barbara 133 22 23 TCU 93 NR 24 Kentucky 73 3 T-25 Oklahoma 40 15 T-25 Troy 40 NR The Diamond Heels have a golden opportunity to build some early momentum this season, playing 15 of their first 17 games at home. After welcoming Texas Tech to Boshamer Stadium, North Carolina turns right around to host NC A&T on Tuesday, Feb. 18. Can UNC live up to its preseason ranking or even surpass expectations, like it did a season ago? With a much younger – albeit talented – squad, let's see how February shapes up for the Diamond Heels. Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
