Battle of the Carolinas at NCAA Super Regional delayed due to weather

UPDATE: The Chapel Hill Super Regional between UNC and South Carolina has been postponed due to weather. The series was supposed to started Friday at 1 p.m. but will instead begin Saturday and continue through Monday if necessary.

The Florida Atlantic baseball team nearly snuck into this weekend’s Super Regional matchup.

But North Carolina rallied twice — once in the ninth and once in the 12th — to overcome deficits and ultimately defeat the Owls 12-11 in Monday’s 13-inning eliminaton game.

Now in the Super Regional round of the NCAA baseball tournament, No. 1 overall seed UNC will host Columbia Regional winner South Carolina beginning Friday in a best-of-three series. The winner will advance to the College World Series.

Here’s a look at how the Tar Heels and the Gamecocks match up.

At the plate

On paper, UNC packs quite a bit more offensive punch than the Gamecocks.

UNC is second in the country in scoring with 8.1 runs per game, while South Carolina ranks 64th at six runs per contest.

Chapel Hill Regional MVP Cody Stubbs has carried the UNC offense of late, batting .372 with eight home runs and a .593 slugging percentage. ACC player of the year Colin Moran (.348, 13 home runs, 10 RBI) and freshman Skye Bolt (.341, six home runs 49 RBI) have struggled in recent games after being run producers in the middle of the order for most of the season.

The offense showed its potency in Monday’s game against FAU, overcoming two multiple-run deficits and smacking 21 hits.

For South Carolina, switch-hitting designated hitter L.B. Dantzler (.322, 15 home runs) and shortstop Joey Pankake (.313, 10 home runs) provide plenty of pop in the middle of the South Carolina batting order.

The Gamecocks punished Liberty 19-3 on Saturday, so the Tar Heel pitchers won’t be able to take them lightly.

On the mound

With the exception of Monday’s UNC bullpen implosion against FAU, both North Carolina and South Carolina pitched well in regional action.

But fatigue could play a factor for UNC with all three starters pitching in Monday’s do-or-die battle with the Owls. Ace left-hander Kent Emanuel (11-3, 2.70 ERA) threw 51 pitches in relief Monday after throwing 124 on Saturday in a 7.2-inning five-run performance.

Benton Moss (8-1, 3.78 ERA) will look to rebound after a less-than-steller regional, and Hobbs Johnson (4-0, 2.09 ERA) will look to pick up where he left off after pitching six no-hit innings against FAU on Sunday.

Gamecock starters Nolan Belcher (7-5, 2.25 ERA), Jordan Montgomery (5-1, 1.67) and Jack Wynkoop (7-3, 2.92 ERA) combined to allow just three runs as the Gamecocks blew past their competition for three straight wins in the Columbia Regional.

In the back end of the bullpen, both UNC and South Carolina are set with Tar Heel starter-turned-closer Trent Thornton (1.17 ERA, eight saves) and closer Tyler Webb (1.36 ERA, 17 saves) shutting down offenses throughout the season.

Contact the desk editor at sports@dailytarheel.com.