Regional preview: UNC's 2017 success has been a team effort with a boost from one group in particular

It’s accurate to say North Carolina baseball’s success this season is the result of a team effort.

The Tar Heels won 47 games and earned the No. 2 national seed in the NCAA Tournament, but it wasn't because of the heroics of just a player or two.

There’s been the unlikely emergence of Josh Hiatt as a shutdown closer. Players like Tyler Lynn and Michael Busch have come up with multiple clutch hits, too. Early enrollee Ashton McGee put together a campaign worthy of ACC Freshman of the Year honors when he should still be in high school, and fellow first-year Gianluca Dalatri has established himself as a solid Saturday starter.

But it's also accurate to say the Tar Heels, who open the Chapel Hill Regional on Friday night against Atlantic 10 champion Davidson at Boshamer Stadium, have found success largely because of the play of their junior class.

J.B. Bukauskas, already a dominant pitcher, became even better with the continued development of his slider and change-up to complement his lethal fastball. The duo of Brian Miller and Logan Warmoth have been great at the top of the Tar Heel lineup and in the field, too.

Each of those guys, all of whom earned All-ACC First Team honors, came to UNC as first-years in 2015 expecting to continue the winning legacy that exists in Chapel Hill.

What followed was a pair of disappointing seasons that concluded without any NCAA Tournament appearances.

But this season, UNC has returned to its vintage self. The Tar Heels won each of their 10 ACC regular-season series and seem to have a little bit of everything — pitching, defense and hitting —  needed for a deep postseason run. They’ve dominated certain opponents, while also showing they can come from behind and play well in tight contests.

After two underwhelming years to start their college careers, UNC’s juniors are hoping to make the most of their first tournament experience.

“Just the respect and love that I’ve had my whole life for this program, I just want to see us be the last team standing," Miller said, who's batting .340 with a team-high 22 stolen bases. "To make it and be a national seed after not making it the past two years is really special."

Head coach Mike Fox said Bukauskas, the ACC Pitcher of the Year, will take the mound against Davidson.

Like Warmoth and Miller, Bukauskas is expected to be a high draft pick in the upcoming MLB Draft. Baseball America’s latest mock draft has him getting picked sixth overall by the Oakland Athletics. His statistics illustrate why that’s the case.

Through 14 starts, Bukauskas has a 2.02 ERA with 111 strikeouts. The Tar Heels haven’t lost when he’s taken the mound.

Against Davidson, Bukauskas will be facing a group of hitters which shouldn’t be taken lightly. Less than a month ago, UNC had to rally late to top the Wildcats, 7-6, in 10 innings in a midweek contest.

Warmoth, who went just 1-5 in that game, said there’s no way UNC can look past Davidson.

“You can’t look too far into the future," he said, "because if you lose Game One then there’s so many what-ifs. So you can’t have a what-if in a playoff situation.”

But unlike Davidson's game against UNC on May 9, the Wildcats will have to to go up against Bukauskas this time.

“I definitely feel pretty bad for Davidson having to face him,” Miller said.

Regardless of the outcome against the Wildcats, UNC will face either Florida Gulf Coast, the Atlantic Sun conference tournament champions, or Michigan on Saturday.

Fox thinks UNC’s ability to play well in the postseason will come down to simply executing the way it's done all year.

“You don’t need to change anything at this point,” he said. “Practice is pretty much overrated at this point in the year.”

@brennan_doherty

sports@dailytarheel.com