OMAHA, Neb. - Fourth-seeded North Carolina will look to start the College World Series 2-0 for the first time since 2006 when it faces top-seeded Tennessee Sunday night in the winner's bracket game. The Tar Heels bring a four-game winning streak into its first game with the Vols since 2019. Carolina will be looking to snap a three-game losing streak following an opening round win.
The only time UNC started 2-0 at the College World Series was 2006 when it defeated Cal State Fullerton (7-5) and Clemson (2-0) to move into the championship round. UNC also won its opening round games in 2007, 2008 and 2013, but lost the following game.
Carolina leads the all-time series with Tennessee 5-2. The series originated in 1900, but the teams didn't meet again until 1983 in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels won that game and the following game six years later at Boshamer Stadium. The Volunteers beat UNC twice in Knoxville in 1990 and the squads didn't meet again until the NCAA Tournament five years ago.
PITCHING MATCHUPS
| Sunday | 7 p.m. ET (ESPN2) | |
| Carolina | LHP Shea Sprague (3-1, 4.00 ERA) |
| Tennessee | RHP Drew Beam (8-2, 4.44 ERA) |
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LAST TIME OUT
Vance Honeycutt ripped a two-out, walk-off single to left field Friday to give North Carolina a 3-2 win over Virginia in the opening game of the College World Series. Jackson Van De Brake led off the ninth with a pinch-hit double and moved to second on Alex Madera's sacrifice bunt before Honeycutt came to the plate. The Tar Heels trailed 2-1 after six, but Casey Cook drove in the tying run in the seventh. Cook finished the game 3-for-4 with a double, RBI and run scored. Reliever Dalton Pence tossed 3.1 shutout innings and did not allow a hit, retiring 10 of 11 men faced, including the final seven in order.
CARDIAC CAROLINA
Five of the Tar Heels' last nine wins have come in their final at-bat, including four in the postseason. UNC recorded just four wins in its final at-bat during the regular season (2/23 vs. East Carolina; 3/5 at Campbell, 3/10 vs. Pittsburgh, 5/17 at Duke). Vance Honeycutt has two walk-off hits in the last three games, belting a game-winning home run in Game One of the Super Regional against West Virginia before his game-winning hit against Virginia on Friday.Alex Madera's 10th inning single up the middle drove in the game-winning run against LSU in the Chapel Hill Regional championship game. Gavin Gallaher hit a walk-off grand slam against LIU to give UNC an 11-8 win in game one of the Chapel Hill Regional. The Tar Heels scored six in the ninth to rally from a three-run deficit.
HONEYCLUTCH
Vance Honeycutt has three game-winning hits in the sixth inning or later this season, including two in the last three games. His first such hit was against East Carolina on February 23, belting a solo home run in the eighth to give UNC a 2-1 victory. Ten of his 26 home runs this season have put the Tar Heels ahead, while another tied the game.
FIRST TEAM ALL-AMERICA
The American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) named Honeycutt a First Team All-America outfielder on Friday. He was also named First Team All-America by Perfect Game after being voted Second Team All-America by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA).
HOLD THE LINE
North Carolina has held its opponents to three runs or less in four of seven NCAA Tournament games this season. More than half of the runs scored against the Tar Heels this postseason came in two games as LIU scored eight in the first game of the Chapel Hill Regional and LSU plated eight in the Game Six of the regional. UNC allowed 14 total runs in the five other games combined. The 30 runs allowed by the Tar Heels through the first seven games of the NCAA Tournament are the fewest since giving up a mere 17 runs in their first seven games of the 2011 NCAA Tournament. Carolina has twice as many strikeouts (56) as walks (28), while opponents are hitting just .204. The Tar Heels have given up multiple runs in just six of 63 innings (.095) during the postseason.
SLAMMING THE DOOR
Redshirt sophom*ore Dalton Pence has made five appearances in the NCAA Tournament this season with a 2-0 record, two saves and a 1.26 ERA. Pence has thrown 12.1 consecutive scoreless innings entering the game against Tennessee and hasn't allowed a hit in any of those innings. Pence has thrown 2.0+ innings in each of his five NCAA Tournament appearances. He has a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 3:1 in the postseason (18Ks, 6BB), while holding opposing hitters to a minuscule .104 batting average.
CLOSE CALLS
The Tar Heels are 10-7 in one-run games this season, winning its last three. UNC opened the season 7-2 in one-run games before dropping five consecutive one-run games. Pence has been credited with either a win or save in each of the Tar Heels' last three one-run wins. Four of Carolina's one-run losses were walk-off defeats, losing at East Carolina, at Miami and twice at NC State.
FATHER'S DAY RESULTS
Carolina owns a record of 2-2 all-time on Father's Day with wins over Clemson (2-0, 2006) and LSU (8-4, 2008) and losses to Rice (4-14, 2007) and NC State (1-8, 2013).
