North Carolina Opens NCAA Regional Against VCU at 5 p.m. as No. 5 Seed Hosts Tough 4-Team Field
Updated
Updated · 247Sports · May 29
North Carolina Opens NCAA Regional Against VCU at 5 p.m. as No. 5 Seed Hosts Tough 4-Team Field
11 articles · Updated · 247Sports · May 29
5 p.m. Friday is North Carolina's first pitch against VCU at Boshamer Stadium, opening a Chapel Hill Regional the Tar Heels must survive to move one step from a 13th College World Series trip.
No. 5 overall seed UNC enters a bracket many call the tournament's toughest, with Tennessee, East Carolina and VCU all arriving in Chapel Hill for the opening weekend.
22-8 in ACC play, the Tar Heels lean on the league's lowest-ERA pitching staff and a lineup that has heated up late, while ace Jason DeCaro said the club will keep its season-long routine unchanged.
Sixth-year coach Scott Forbes credited a trust-based approach with the team's growth, giving pitchers a longer leash and relying on junior Gavin Gallaher to set the tone for a roster built on a one-game-at-a-time mindset.
With its ace rested, can UNC exploit ECU's exhausted pitching staff in their highly anticipated Saturday showdown?
Will UNC's clutch postseason hero, Gavin Gallaher, ignite another legendary run through the tournament's toughest regional?