Senior Jackson Hesterlee stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the sixth inning. The No. 7 North Carolina baseball team was down, 2-1. There were multiple runners on base and two outs.
For Hesterlee, it was a familiar position.
Last season, Hesterlee came off the bench as a pinch hitter against Georgia Tech with the bases loaded and two outs. The timely hitter came through for the Tar Heels on that day, blasting a grand slam that would send the game to extra innings. Thanks to Hesterlee's clutch hitting, UNC won that game in extras. History repeated itself on Saturday.
The senior pinch hit for first-year right fielder Will Schroeder, who was 0-1 on the day. Hesterlee was down one ball and two stikes in the at-bat, but came through for UNC (2-0) with a triple that snuck down the right field line. The hit scored shortstop Ike Freeman and catcher Brandon Martorano, and paved the way for UNC's 8-3 win over Xavier (0-2).
“I’ve always liked to be in the spotlight, and I’ve always kept my senses about me,” Hesterlee said. “It was just another at-bat.”
Many Tar Heels had a successful first game in the series, but that was not the case for Saturday’s hero. Hesterlee went 0-4 on Friday, prompting head coach Mike Fox to take him out of the starting lineup.
“I knew I didn’t have the best day yesterday, and I knew I had a chance to come off the bench and help my team win,” Hesterlee said. “I was just looking for a good pitch to hit.”
Hesterlee’s one at-bat on the afternoon proved to be more than just another base hit. UNC continued to pepper the ball out of the infield in the team’s remaining two at-bats en route to clinching the series win against Xavier.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, Freeman notched his fifth RBI in two games on a single, and junior Ashton McGee hit a sacrifice fly to extend the Tar Heels' lead to three runs.
