Three keys for UNC baseball's success as it faces West Virginia in the super regional

As junior center fielder Vance Honeycutt drifted back deep to center field in the bottom of the tenth inning against LSU, the celebrations began. 

With Honeycutt recording the final out in UNC’s game seven of the Chapel Hill Regional, the Tar Heels advanced to the super regional round for the second time in three years in a come-from-behind win. The Tar Heels will take on West Virginia, who advanced out of the Tucson Regional with a 10-6 win over Grand Canyon in the regional final.  

Here are three keys for the Diamond Heels as they look to advance to the College World Series for the first time since 2018:

Get production from the top of the order

This past weekend, North Carolina’s 1-2-3 hitters — Honeycutt, redshirt sophomore left fielder Casey Cook and senior first baseman Parks Harber — went 12-49, making them combine for a batting average of just under .245 compared to their combined average of .338 throughout the season. 

During Sunday’s game against the Tigers, Honeycutt went 0-5 with three strikeouts. Despite being on an eight-game hitting streak, Cook did not record an RBI all weekend. Harber also failed to bat a single runner in. 

“We said we don’t think our at bats were that bad,” Cook said. “They really weren’t. We lined out a ton. We didn’t have any runners in scoring position. We had a few opportunities, but I think that’s a credit to our team because if you can get it done without the top of your order coming through, then you’re in a really good spot.”

For the Tar Heels to advance to the College World Series, more production from the top of the order and getting leadoff runners on base will be key. 

Increase innings out of starting pitchers

The Diamond Heels’ starting pitchers struggled to go deep during the Chapel Hill Regional. No Tar Heel starting pitcher went further than four and a third innings, forcing head coach Scott Forbes to heavily rely on the bullpen. Over the weekend, UNC’s two top bullpen options, sophomore Matthew Matthijs and redshirt sophomore Dalton Pence, threw 94 and 117 pitches, respectively.

With first-year pitcher Jason DeCaro starting both Friday against Long Island and Monday against LSU, junior Shea Sprague is in line to start game one against the Mountaineers on Friday. But Forbes is not concerned about the length of his starters. 

“When you get down to this, it [starters going deep] is important,” Forbes said. “But it’s a bonus when you have a bullpen like ours and you have four or five guys down there that you’re really confident in.”

Securing length from the starters will ensure that the bullpen stays intact.  

Shut down West Virginia’s JJ Wetherholt; jump on pitcher Derek Clark early

West Virginia’s star shortstop JJ Wetherholt is ranked as the No. 7 overall prospect by Major League Baseball. Despite missing 24 games due to a hamstring injury, Wetherholt boasts a .345 batting average with eight home runs on the year. During his sophomore year, Wetherholt slashed a whopping .449/.517/.787 and was named the Big 12 Conference Player of the Year. 

“You just gotta embrace it,” Sprague said. “We’ve thrown against good hitters all season. Wetherholt’s obviously an incredible player, getting a lot of hype. I think once he’s touching the box, you kind of just gotta go right at him. You can’t be intimidated or afraid.”

While North Carolina needs to contain Wetherholt, it also needs to jump on pitcher Derek Clark early on Friday night. In West Virginia’s win over Dallas Baptist last week, Clark pitched a complete game, giving up just four hits and one run on 101 pitches. 

“What I tell our guys this time of year [is] you’re more important than what you’re getting ready to face,” Forbes said. “Go in there and be confident, keep your rhythm, and you know, we’re going to be on the attack like we always are.”

As the Tar Heels look to make the trip to Omaha, Neb. next week, these three keys, as well as continuing their dominance at home this year — where they boast a 35-3 record — can earn the program's 11th appearance in the College World Series. 

@mdmaynard74

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