UNC baseball turns up level of urgency

The North Carolina baseball team didn’t dwell on its last series of the regular season — where it was swept in three games by Virginia. The Tar Heels simply didn’t have time.

A disappointing showing against the Cavaliers landed UNC in a play-in game in the ACC Tournament against Virginia Tech.

But North Carolina chose not to wallow with the way they ended the regular season. Instead, they viewed it as an opportunity — a clean slate.

“We turned the page very quick,” said senior reliever Trevor Kelley. “It’s a brand new season in our eyes, and we’re playing every game like its our last.”

The feeling entering Tuesday’s play-in game against the Hokies was simple: If the Tar Heels dropped the game against Virginia Tech — which would have been its seventh loss in eight games — the chances of an NCAA regional appearance for the team were slim to none.

Coach Mike Fox hinted at this fact as well after UNC’s final contest against UVa., calling the game a do or die situation.

With that in mind, the Tar Heels entered Tuesday’s game with the same mentality — win or go home — and delivered with a 5-3 win.

North Carolina was able to execute on the things that plagued them during its series against the Cavaliers, especially from the plate.

In its three games against Virginia, the Tar Heels went 1-of-20 with runners in scoring position. Tuesday, the team was able to come up with big hits in those situations, something that sophomore pitcher Zac Gallen said contributed to the win.

“Today we just manufactured runs, which is something we’re getting better at,” he said. “When the runs start pushing across the board, as a pitcher you just kind of feel that weight come off of your shoulders.”

Gallen combined with Kelley to pitch Tuesday’s game. Both pitchers were able to work out of jams and limit the damage when the Hokies strung together a few hits, something the pitching staff was unable to do against UVa.

With the win, the Tar Heels advanced to Pool A, where they will compete in a round-robin with No. 1 seed Louisville, Florida State and Clemson.

North Carolina will face a tough task in playing all three teams, especially Louisville and Florida State, whom the team did not play during the regular season.

But with the way they played against Virginia Tech, the Tar Heels showed that they can correct their past mistakes. This, Fox said, will need to continue if the team wants to challenge for an ACC Championship.

“The good teams get (runners) in and extend the lead and don’t make it so scary in the ninth inning,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of learning opportunities with that, so hopefully we’ll get better.”

UNC played Louisville Wednesday night after press time.

sports@dailytarheel.com