The North Carolina baseball team will finally get another swing at a season on Friday, Feb. 19, after last season was cut short in March due to COVID-19.
The Tar Heels will make their return to Boshamer Stadium for a three-game series against the SEC's Kentucky Wildcats. The last time UNC took the field for a competitive game was on March 11, 2020. Here's a look at how the Tar Heels and Wildcats stack up entering opening weekend.
North Carolina
UNC will enter the season unranked with a whopping 22 first-years or redshirt first-years listed on its roster, which can partially be attributed to the extra year of eligibility that was granted to spring sport athletes after last season.
The Tar Heels will also be under a new coaching regime with head coach Scott Forbes, who was named the successor to legendary skipper Mike Fox last August after spending 19 years as an assistant coach in Chapel Hill.
The Tar Heels return a solid group of pitchers with a mix of experience and young talent. The pitchers will be under the guidance of a familiar face in second-year pitching coach Bryant Gaines. Gaines will be heading into his 11th season in Chapel Hill after spending four years as a player for the Tar Heels and is in his second stint on the coaching staff.
Leading the way for the pitchers is junior Joey Lancellotti, who had a 2.22 ERA in a team-high 24.1 innings of action last spring. Lancelotti also saw time at the plate, starting in 18 out of 19 games while hitting .233 with 10 RBIs and two home runs.
Sophomore Will Sandy, who was second in total innings pitched, will also return to the mound for the Tar Heels, giving them a formidable one-two punch to lead the rotation.
To round out the staff, the Tar Heels also return some key pieces in redshirt junior Chris Joyner, redshirt sophomore Austin Love, sophomores Kyle Mott and Caden O'Brien, first-year Connor Ollio and redshirt first-year Max Alba. All of these pitchers threw 10 or more innings last season.
