The North Carolina baseball team opened its season in California this past weekend a year older and charged with the increased responsibility of returning the program back to its previous level of success.
After last year’s inexperienced squad missed the College World Series for the first time in four years, this year’s No. 21 Diamond Heels (4-0) think they have the maturity and the depth to make it back to Omaha, Neb.
“We felt a little momentum coming into this season and motivation in the offseason to get back to Omaha,” junior catcher Jacob Stallings said. “We didn’t want to miss it again.”
Last year’s squad featured 17 newcomers who improved as the season progressed, but missed the ACC Tournament for the first time since it switched to its current format in 2006 and lost to Oklahoma in the regional finals of the NCAA Tournament.
Chief among UNC’s flaws a year ago was a young bullpen that at times lost its composure in key spots, most notably a ninth-inning meltdown that resulted in a Georgia Tech sweep.
In four wins this past weekend, one against No. 8 Cal State Fullerton, four freshman relievers helped the bullpen post a sterling 1.17 ERA in 15 1/3 innings pitched.
Leading the charge was senior righty Greg Holt, who earned wins against Cal Poly and CSF in striking out six batters in 4 2/3 innings of scoreless work.
“It’s early, so the jury’s still out,” UNC coach Mike Fox said. “I thought last year we had a young bullpen, we had a thin bullpen. I think our bullpen’s deeper and if it’s deeper, it’s usually going to be fresher.”
The bridge to the bullpen will rely heavily on the performance of junior Patrick Johnson, who will compete for the first starter slot after Matt Harvey was selected in the first round of the MLB draft by the New York Mets.
