5 Things UNC Baseball Fans Can Look Forward to in 2022
The Tar Heels' season opener is just a month away
Snow and ice might still cover parts of Chapel Hill this Tuesday morning, but rest assured, North Carolina’s 2022 season is just a month away.
With the Tar Heels’ season-opening series against Seton Hall – set for Feb. 18-20 at Boshamer Stadium – quickly approaching, here are five things to look forward to this spring.
Another year with some familiar faces
UNC received some fortunate news over the summer, as shortstop Danny Serretti and outfielder Angel Zarate elected to return to school for another year instead of sign pro deals. Not only do they both provide valuable experience and play great defense at two premium positions, but they also hit for average and power. Zarate led the team in batting average (.324) and OPS (.921) last season, while Serretti posted an .820 OPS to go along with a team-best 39 RBIs and 30 extra-base hits.
Zarate and Serretti hit second and third, respectively, in the fall exhibitions against Walters State and Vanderbilt, and they’ll likely slot into those spots in the Opening Day lineup.
The Tar Heels also bring back two other seasoned veterans in Clemente Inclan and Caden O’Brien – who, along with Zarate, are the only players remaining from the 2018 College World Series team. O’Brien has found success as both a starter and a reliever, but should work out of the back of the bullpen. Inclan could be a productive platoon player against right-handers, at minimum; his six home runs in 2021 – all of which came off righties – are tied with Zarate for the second most among returnees.
Look for Inclan, O’Brien, Serretti and Zarate to set the tone for UNC.
Some welcome additions
The Tar Heels recently checked in at No. 22 in D1Baseball’s recruiting rankings, thanks in large part to the additions of four key transfers.
Headlining the group is Walters State transfer Alberto Osuna – who, after hitting .459/.530/.870 with 25 homers and 107 RBIs in 2021, should be a fixture in the middle of UNC’s lineup, likely as the designated hitter. Lefty Brandon Schaeffer – who logged a 0.94 ERA and a 79-to-4 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 47 2/3 innings at WVU Potomac State College last season – is the early favorite to be the Tar Heels’ Friday starter. Joining him on UNC’s staff are righties Shaddon Peavyhouse (Coastal Carolina) and Connor Bovair (Siena), both of whom should see a lot of innings as starters or relievers.
While the addition of those four players is a significant reason why the Tar Heels’ recruiting class is ranked so high, it also features some intriguing freshmen, most notably Vance Honeycutt.
Honeycutt showed all fall why the San Francisco Giants picked him in the 20th round of the 2021 MLB Draft, demonstrating a line-drive approach to all fields and wowing everyone with his plus speed and elite outfield defense. The Salisbury, N.C. native figures to be in the starting outfield come Opening Day, perhaps in center.
Other freshman hitters who could see action this spring include infielder/outfielder Casey Cook, whose swing mechanics are similar to Michael Busch, head coach Scott Forbes said; speedy outfielder Reece Holbrook, the son of former UNC assistant and current College of Charleston head coach Chad Holbrook; and infielder/outfielder Joe Jaconski, who showed some pop in the fall from the left side.
On the mound, look for righties Alden Segui – who features a fastball that reaches 95 mph and pairs well with his slider and changeup – and Carson Starnes – who showed a fastball in the high 80s to low 90s as well as a mid-70s slider against Vanderbilt – to pitch a few innings.
Sandy eyeing a comeback
The 2021 season was one to forget for Will Sandy, as the lefty registered a 11.42 ERA in 17 1/3 innings over 10 games (five starts). But coming off an offseason in which he worked to regain his form, the fourth-year junior seems poised for a comeback.
Sandy spent last summer with the Coastal Plain League’s Holly Spring Salamanders, with whom he recorded a 2.22 ERA in 32 1/3 innings over seven games (six starts). He proceeded to take the lessons he learned then into the fall, when he allowed one run while striking out 13 and walking one in the nine innings that I saw him pitch.
If Sandy can carry over what he’s done over the last seven months into the season, then that could be a huge difference-maker for the Tar Heels – whose weekend starters not named Austin Love posted a 7.85 ERA over 78 innings last season.
Although he could be a reliever, Sandy’s stuff tends to play better as a starter. It’s also worth noting that Sandy has made 20 career starts against Division I teams, including 11 against ACC opponents; Connor Ollio ranks second on the team with 12.
Potential breakouts
Of all the players on UNC’s roster, Patrick Alvarez’s 2022 outlook has changed the most over the last seven months.
Limited to just one game last season because of his defensive struggles, the third-year sophomore slashed .313/.446/.477 and committed just one error over 36 games with the Coastal Plain League’s Asheboro Copperheads. As noteworthy as that was, his fall was even more impressive, as he went 11-for-25 with four doubles, three homers and nine RBIs in the eight fall scrimmages that I attended. Behind that performance and his continued progress at second base, he now appears to be a likely starter.
Alvarez isn’t the only Tar Heel, though, on the verge of breaking out.
Another third-year sophomore, Tyler Causey batted .403/.462/.701 in 18 games with the Southern Collegiate League’s Carolina Vipers before turning in a strong fall. In addition to cutting down on his swings and misses, he’s proven to be a capable left fielder for a UNC team that needs to replace two of its starting outfielders – Caleb Roberts and Justice Thompson, both of whom were selected in the MLB draft.
Among the team’s pitchers, the most likely breakout candidate is Davis Palermo. The righty allowed one run on three hits while striking out 17 and walking five in the nine innings that I saw him pitch in the fall. If he can continue to command his fastball – which got up to 97 mph in the fall – and his splitter, he could thrive as the team’s closer. That would also enable the team to use Gage Gillian in a variety of roles, similar to how it employed Brett Daniels in 2018.
Possible sophomore leaps
After showing signs of promise as true freshmen, Johnny Castagnozzi, Tomas Frick and Mac Horvath will be looking to take the next step in their development.
Castagnozzi slashed .241/.311/.389 with four homers in 2021, then continued showing his power potential with five homers in the fall. If he can be more selective and attack pitches up in the zone, then he could be in for a huge season. But what’s just as vital is that the longtime middle infielder continues making strides at first, where he could be a major asset for the Tar Heels should Causey play left field and Osuna DH.
Frick cemented himself as one of the ACC’s best defensive catchers last season while starting 51 of UNC’s 55 games behind the plate. As impressive as that effort was, his knees wore down as the season progressed, which affected his hitting. Frick finished the year slashing .257/.307/.346, a mark he’ll surely improve on with some extra time off behind the plate this season. Look for him to also increase his home run (2) and RBI (16) totals if he can slow the game down with runners in scoring position.
Horvath struggled mightily over his first 24 career at-bats, hitting .042/.148/.042. The third baseman, however, came on strong late last year, batting .292/.366/.556 with five homers in his last 20 games. He ultimately parlayed that into a successful summer in the Northwoods League – where he slashed .287/.437/.434 with four homers and 25 RBIs in 35 games – and then a strong fall. Now, he’ll look to prove himself as one of the ACC’s best hitters.
Other second-year hitters to monitor are Brandon Eike, Hunter Stokely and Colby Wilkerson.