Tar Heels start NCAA Tournament run at home

For the fifth time in six seasons, the NCAA selection committee tabbed the North Carolina baseball team as one of its top-eight national seeds.

As a result, the No. 6-seeded Tar Heels (44-14) will host a regional starting June 1. Should they advance, the Tar Heels would also host the super regional the following weekend.

By now, coach Mike Fox knows how to handle the opening week of the NCAA tournament.

“Hang out together,” Fox said. “Keep the girlfriends away and try to enjoy this week. Try not to rush it.”

Coming to Chapel Hill for the double-elimination regional will be the Ivy League champion Cornell (31-15-1) and two other teams UNC is much more familiar with.

East Carolina (35-22-1) and Big East champion St. John’s (37-21) will also be in the Chapel Hill regional and both of those teams have already suffered loses at Boshamer Stadium this season.

In February, the Red Storm lost to UNC 8-4 with the help of some late RBI from Cody Stubbs.

“We had a close game with them,” Fox said. “They got within 5-4 in the eighth and we scored some runs late … They’re very, very well coached and very tough.”

The Tar Heels match up with ECU was just more than a month ago and it took 10 innings to decide the outcome. Chaz Frank provided the lone run in walk-off fashion with a single.

“(The Pirates) are used to being here and being in a regional here so they’re going to come in here extremely ready,” Fox said. “I think it’s a tough regional for us we’re going to have to play well.”

But UNC is more than prepared to play postseason baseball. Not only do the Tar Heels have regional experience, they got a little taste of that frantic postseason atmosphere Saturday night in the ACC Tournament.

UNC beat the Wolfpack 4-0 in a 12-inning game in front of more than 10,000 fans Saturday — breaking the record for the largest crowd at a college baseball game in the state by more than 3,000.

“We were definitely glad to play in an Omaha-like atmosphere against N.C. State,” senior catcher Jacob Stallings said. “Playing in front of 10,000 fans, that was really cool. It was definitely an Omaha-type feeling game and to get that type of atmosphere under our freshmen’s belt is really beneficial.”

That proved true as freshman right-handed pitcher Benton Moss talked about how his nerves have diminished throughout his freshman campaign. He was admittedly nervous for his first start of the season, but for his start Saturday night, not so much.

“Out there but in front of 10,000 people it felt like there was nobody there — it was just Jake (Stallings) and I,” Moss said. “I feel like I’ve gotten used to the crowds. But it was a fun atmosphere.”

And as the Tar Heels’ road to Omaha runs through, and only through, Chapel Hill, they are hoping to bring some of that atmosphere to Boshamer.

“It’s always an advantage playing at home,” Stallings said. “We’re excited. Hopefully we can get a good crowd out here for the regional and hopefully we can play well for them.”

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@dailytarheel.com.