Game Day: UNC vs. ECU Series Preview
Tar Heels renew rivalry with Pirates
Looking to continue its hot start to the 2022 season, North Carolina opens a three-game series against No. 25 East Carolina at 4 p.m. Friday at Boshamer Stadium.
Here’s what you need to know ahead of the series, which will continue at 2 p.m. Saturday in Chapel Hill before concluding at 4 p.m. Sunday in Greenville.
Matchup: UNC (4-0) vs. ECU (1-3)
UNC ranks: No. -/-/- (Baseball America, D1Baseball, USA Today Coaches Poll)
ECU ranks: No. 25/25/13 (Baseball America, D1Baseball, USA Today Coaches Poll)
TV: Friday / Saturday / Sunday
Listen: TuneIn
Live Stats: Click here
Pitching matchups
Friday: LHP Brandon Schaeffer (1-0, 3.00 ERA) vs. RHP Garrett Saylor (0-1, 9.00 ERA)
The first Tar Heel pitcher to make his UNC debut as the Opening Day starter since then-freshman Ryan Snare in 1998, Brandon Schaeffer admitted to feeling some nerves against Seton Hall last Friday. But after allowing two runs on three hits and a walk in the first inning, the WVU Potomac State transfer bounced back to hold the Pirates scoreless in the next five frames, striking out five while giving up two hits. Considering the lefty’s biggest strength is his strike-throwing ability, his four free passes (two walks and two hit-by-pitches) were a bit surprising. Expect him to cut down on those now that his debut is out of the way.
Opposing Schaeffer will be Garrett Saylor. The fourth-year righty received the start on Opening Day and allowed four runs on four hits and two walks while striking out five in four innings against Bryant. Previously, he’d made just two starts in his ECU career – spot starts against Old Dominion and UCF last season. For his career, Saylor is 7-2 with a 4.34 ERA in 58 innings over 37 games. Friday will be his second career game against the Tar Heels. In ECU’s 11-0 win on March 30, 2021, Saylor came on in relief in the second inning and walked all three batters he faced – two eventually scored.
Saturday: RHP Max Carlson (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. LHP Jake Kuchmaner (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Making his first appearance since sustaining an elbow injury on April 11, 2021, and subsequently undergoing an internal bracing procedure in May, Max Carlson didn’t show much – if any – rust in his start against Seton Hall last Saturday, surrendering three hits while striking out five and walking one across four shutout innings. The sophomore righty threw 75 pitches (43 strikes), and his fastball sat 90-92 mph.
Now in his third season in the weekend rotation and his fifth overall at ECU, Jake Kuchmaner got his year off to a strong start last Saturday, allowing one run (unearned) on four hits and one walk while striking out eight in six innings. The left-hander has a 17-6 career record with a 3.82 ERA in 191 innings over 48 appearances (38 starts). On March 17, 2019, he threw the 31st perfect game in Division I history at Maryland.
Sunday: RHP Shaddon Peavyhouse (0-0, 2.45 ERA) vs. RHP Jake Hunter (0-0, 2.25 ERA)
Shaddon Peavyhouse allowed some traffic on the bases in his Tar Heel debut, giving up five hits and a walk in 3 2/3 innings. But the Coastal Carolina graduate transfer’s experience showed as he worked around it, allowing one run and striking out four. The righty will surely lean on that experience again in UNC’s first road game.
Taking the hill for ECU will be freshman Jake Hunter, who made his collegiate debut against Bryant as the Pirates’ Sunday starter. The righty surrendered one run on three hits and two walks while striking out two over four innings.
Scouting the Pirates
Coming off its third super regional appearance in the last five NCAA Tournaments, ECU entered the year ranked as high as No. 12 nationally. The Pirates, however, were victims of one of the biggest upsets of opening weekend, as Bryant pulled off a three-game sweep in Greenville. ECU rebounded to beat Campbell 10-3 in Buies Creek on Tuesday, but there are certainly more questions surrounding the Pirates than there were in the preseason.
The biggest by far is the status of Carson Whisenhunt. The No. 21 overall player and the No. 1 college lefty in Baseball America’s MLB draft prospect rankings, the ECU ace was suspended last weekend for violating a team rule. Head coach Cliff Godwin said Whisenhunt won’t pitch this weekend, and it’s unclear when – or even if – he’ll return. In his absence, eight pitchers combined to give up 10 runs (nine earned) in a season-opening loss, but the Pirates allowed nine runs the rest of the weekend. In addition to Kuchmaner, key ECU arms include lefty reliever C.J. Mayhue (1-0, 4.50 ERA) and righty reliever Skylar Brooks (0-1, 0.00 ERA).
The expectation this offseason was for the Pirates’ offense to regress at least a little bit after losing Connor Norby, the Baltimore Orioles’ second-round pick in the 2021 MLB Draft; Thomas Francisco, the St. Louis Cardinals’ 19th-round pick; and catcher Seth Caddell, who signed with the Cleveland Guardians as a free agent. But ECU still features six regulars from last year’s lineup – headlined by first baseman Josh Moylan (.310/.402/.457 last season), outfielder/infielder Alec Makarewicz (.291/.354/.464) and infielder Zach Agnos (.269/.401/.438).
Numbers to know
UNC leads the all-time series with ECU, 58-31.
Excluding former ACC members Maryland (198) and South Carolina (103), Davidson (114) is the only nonconference team that the Tar Heels have played more than the Pirates.
Entering Thursday’s games, UNC’s offense ranked in the top 25 nationally in: batting average (.357, 14th), slugging percentage (.586, 16th), on-base percentage (.462, 20th), home runs (seven, tied for 20th), runs (45, tied for 21st), hit-by-pitches (10, tied for 21st) and hits (50, tied for 22nd).
UNC’s 45 runs are the most it has scored in its first four games since 2012, when it scored 47 against Xavier and Wright State.
Fifth-year outfielder Angel Zarate has reached base in all four games this season, extending his on-base streak to 27 games, dating back to last season. In that span, he’s slashing .378/.471/.602 with six doubles, two triples, four homers and 17 walks compared to just eight strikeouts.
After playing sparingly in his first two seasons with the Tar Heels, Zarate has hit .350/.439/.504 in 71 games over the last three seasons. He’s drawn 42 walks compared to 30 strikeouts in that span.
Fourth-year shortstop Danny Serretti has played in 139 games during his UNC career, making 138 starts. No other Tar Heel has played in more than 108 games or made more than 78 starts at the Division I level.
Sophomore infielder Johnny Castagnozzi’s nine hits are the most by a UNC player through the first four games of a season since Levi Michael had nine in 2011.
Castagnozzi is the only player to record multiple hits in each of the Tar Heels’ first four games since Mike Fox became UNC’s head coach in 1999.
Castagnozzi is slashing .600/.647/1.000 and has struck out just once in 17 plate appearances.
Sophomore catcher Tomas Frick drove in five runs in the Tar Heels’ first three games. He recorded 16 RBIs in 53 games last season.
With his leadoff home run in the bottom of the fourth inning of the season opener, freshman outfielder Vance Honeycutt became the first Tar Heel to homer in his first collegiate at-bat since Drew Poulk on Feb. 16, 2007, against Seton Hall.
Honeycutt’s three hits in the season opener were the most by a UNC player in his collegiate debut since Wood Myers had three against the College of Charleston on Feb. 15, 2014.
Honeycutt’s three stolen bases in four games this season are as many as any returning Tar Heel had last season – Serretti and Zarate each had three.
Entering Thursday’s games, UNC’s pitching staff ranked in the top 20 nationally in: ERA (1.00, tied for fifth), walks allowed per nine innings (2.00, tied for sixth), strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.50, seventh) and WHIP (1.00, tied for 19th).
The Tar Heels have allowed just seven runs this season, the fewest they have given up in the first four games of a season since 2013, when they allowed five to Seton Hall, Coastal Carolina and Stony Brook.
UNC’s bullpen has been phenomenal to start the year, giving up three runs (one earned) while striking out 27 and walking four in 18 1/3 innings.
Fifth-year righty Gage Gillian didn’t allow a hit or a walk over 2 2/3 scoreless innings Sunday. Over the last two seasons, he’s posted a 2.22 ERA in 52 2/3 innings, striking out 52 and walking nine. He’s gone two or more innings in 14 of his 24 relief appearances in that span.
Third-year lefty Shawn Rapp has allowed one hit and one walk while striking out seven in 4 2/3 scoreless innings over three appearances. Over the last two seasons, he’s registered a 3.21 ERA as a reliever (12 earned runs in 33 2/3 innings over 23 appearances).
Frick threw out 15 basestealers last season, the most by a Tar Heel freshman catcher since Fox became UNC’s head coach in 1999. Chris Iannetta and Tim Federowicz each threw out 14 in 2002 and 2006, respectively.