Game Day: UNC vs. Georgia Tech Series Preview
Tar Heels host Yellow Jackets in key Coastal Division clash
After dropping three straight ACC series and nine of its last 12 games, North Carolina welcomes Coastal Division foe Georgia Tech to Boshamer Stadium this weekend for a crucial three-game series.
Here’s what you need to know ahead of the series, which will begin at 6 p.m. Friday and will continue at 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.
Matchup: UNC (21-12, 7-8 ACC) vs. Georgia Tech (21-13, 7-8 ACC)
UNC ranks: No. -/-/- (Baseball America, D1Baseball, USA Today Coaches Poll)
Georgia Tech ranks: No. -/-/- (Baseball America, D1Baseball, USA Today Coaches Poll)
TV: Friday / Saturday / Sunday
Listen: TuneIn
Live Stats: Click here
Pitching matchups
Friday: RHP Max Carlson (1-1, 3.48 ERA) vs. RHP Chance Huff (3-1, 4.50 ERA)
Max Carlson’s first career Friday start might not have been his prettiest, as he allowed a season-high five runs and six hits while striking out four and walking three over 4 1/3 innings at Louisville. The sophomore did just enough, though, to help UNC to a 13-9 win. He also threw 94 pitches, 13 more than his previous season high – a great sign for the righty coming off offseason elbow surgery.
Georgia Tech will counter with Chance Huff, who, after recording a 9.99 ERA over 20 games (one start) last season, has been rather successful in his transition to the Friday role. The No. 170 prospect in the 2022 MLB Draft according to Baseball America, the former Vanderbilt transfer is coming off one of the best starts of his career last Friday, when he allowed one run (unearned) on three hits while striking out eight and walking one over six innings against Florida State. Huff has made just two road starts this year, giving up 10 runs (eight earned) over 7 2/3 innings against N.C State and Virginia.
Saturday: LHP Brandon Schaeffer (2-1, 3.55 ERA) vs. RHP Logan McGuire (2-1, 4.12 ERA)
Coming off a pair of relief appearances, Brandon Schaeffer made his return to the weekend rotation Sunday at Louisville and turned in his best start in a month. The lefty allowed one run on five hits and two walks while striking out one over 4 1/3 innings. The WVU Potomac State transfer also threw 67 pitches, his most since tossing 87 against Pittsburgh on March 11. Schaeffer has a 3.08 ERA over 26 1/3 innings at home compared to a 4.63 ERA in 11 2/3 innings on the road.
Taking the hill for the Yellow Jackets will be true freshman Logan McGuire. The No. 199 overall player and the No. 68 right-hander pitcher in the Class of 2021 according to Perfect Game, the righty will be making just his third start. In his first ACC start last week against Florida State, he allowed three runs on three hits while striking out five and walking one over three innings.
Sunday: RHP Connor Bovair (2-2, 4.46 ERA) vs. RHP Marquis Grissom Jr. (2-3, 4.06 ERA)
After splitting time between the Friday and Saturday slots, Connor Bovair returns to the Sunday role, in which he surrendered three total runs (two earned) and six hits in 11 innings against Pittsburgh and Duke. The righty is coming off back-to-back starts of 3 2/3 innings against Virginia Tech and Louisville. Across both outings, he gave up 11 runs (10 earned) and 14 hits, including six homers and four doubles.
Opposing Bovair will be Marquise Grissom Jr., the son of 17-year Major League veteran Marquise Grissom. The No. 175 prospect in the 2022 MLB Draft according to Baseball America, Grissom Jr. opened his sophomore season in the bullpen, but has taken off since moving into the rotation in March, logging a 2.92 ERA over seven starts. Last time out, he tossed 5 2/3 shutout innings against Florida State.
Scouting the Yellow Jackets
Picked to repeat as Coastal Division champs in the ACC preseason coaches poll, Georgia Tech entered this spring with what many expected to be one of the nation’s top offenses. So far, the Yellow Jackets have lived up to that billing, ranking in the top 10 nationally in batting average (.327, second), hits (409, second), slugging percentage (.544, fifth), home runs (61, sixth), scoring (9.5 runs per game, ninth) and on-base percentage (.423, 10th).
Georgia Tech’s lineup is anchored by Kevin Parada, the No. 7 overall prospect and the No. 1 catcher in the 2022 MLB Draft according to Baseball America. The sophomore is slashing an impressive .379/.468/.752, and is ranked second nationally in home runs (15), third in total bases (109), sixth in RBIs (50) and 10th in hits (55). Other standouts for the Yellow Jackets include infielder Chandler Simpson (.494/.577/.600), first baseman Andrew Jenkins (.400/.469/.681 with nine homers and 38 RBIs) and outfielder Tres Gonzalez (.331/.460/.465 with 35 RBIs).
Despite Georgia Tech’s vaunted lineup, it finds itself below .500 in ACC play because of its inconsistent pitching. The Yellow Jackets rank 178th nationally and 13th in the conference with a 5.82 ERA. They also rank 13th in the league in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.08, 124th nationally), walks allowed per nine innings (4.72, 194th), WHIP (1.65, 200th) and hits allowed per nine innings (10.15, 202nd).
Numbers to know
The Tar Heels trail the all-time series with Georgia Tech, 69-80.
UNC assistant coach Jason Howell served as the Yellow Jackets’ pitching coach from 2013-19. He also served as the team’s recruiting coordinator from 2017-19.
Entering Thursday, the Tar Heels ranked in the top 100 nationally in hits (327, 45th), home runs (42, 47th), home runs per game (1.27, 56th), hit-by-pitches (46, 60th), stolen bases (43, 79th), walks (146, 94th) and slugging percentage (.440, 100th).
From April 4, 2021, to April 2, fifth-year outfielder Angel Zarate reached base in 50 straight games. During the streak, he slashed .382/.474/.545 with 15 doubles, two triples, four home runs and 31 walks compared to just 19 strikeouts.
Zarate is slashing .384/.469/.500 this season. His 53 hits were tied for the 15th most in the country entering Thursday, and his 13 doubles – six more than his previous career high – were tied for the 33rd most nationally.
D1Baseball recently named Zarate the No. 43 outfielder in the country.
Fourth-year shortstop Danny Serretti has played in 168 games during his UNC career, making 167 starts. No other Tar Heel player has played in more than 126 games or made more than 100 starts at the Division I level.
Serretti is slashing a career-best .323/.397/.511 this season. Over the last nine games, he’s hitting .400/.500/.686 with three homers and eight walks compared to just five strikeouts.
With 46 career doubles, the third most among active ACC hitters, Serretti is close to moving into the top 10 in UNC history. Dan Moylan (1998-2000) ranks 10th with 49. Jarrett Shearin (1996-99) holds the school record of 73.
Since going 0-for-5 in his first career game against Georgia Tech, Serretti has gone 13-for-27 with five doubles, a triple and six RBIs over his last six games against the Yellow Jackets. That includes a 5-for-5 effort on April 6, 2019.
Sixth-year senior Mikey Madej has started the last seven games for the Tar Heels in left field. In that span, he’s hitting .346/.469/.423.
In going 4-for-4 with two homers, a double and six RBIs last Friday at Louisville, third-year slugger Alberto Osuna became the first UNC player to post four hits, two homers and six RBIs since Seth Baldwin accomplished the feat against Princeton on March 17, 2009.
With four homers and 11 RBIs over the last four games, Osuna leads the team in both homers (11) and RBIs (28).
Redshirt sophomore catcher Eric Grintz has eight RBIs in 20 plate appearances (10 at-bats) this season.
Sophomore Johnny Castagnozzi’s 13 multi-hit games are 10 more than he had in 42 games last season.
Castagnozzi is slashing .318/.425/.558 with 15 extra-base hits (seven doubles and eight home runs). He recorded eight extra-base hits (four doubles and four homers) all last season.
After striking out in 38.7% of his plate appearances last season, Castagnozzi has struck out just 22 times in 153 plate appearances (14.4%) this season. His 15 walks are also five more than he had all last season.
D1Baseball recently named Castagnozzi the No. 7 second baseman in the country.
Sophomore catcher Tomas Frick has 24 RBIs in 33 games. He recorded 16 RBIs in 53 games last season.
Sophomore third baseman Mac Horvath has tied the game, given the Tar Heels the lead or pushed their lead to two in the sixth inning or later six times this season.
Horvath’s team-high 24 walks are nine more than he had in 46 games last season.
After not even attempting a steal last season, Horvath is 10-for-11 on stolen-base attempts this year.
Horvath has registered 10 batted balls of 100 mph or higher over the last eight games, according to UNC’s analytics team. Before then, he had just 13 batted balls of 100 mph or higher in the 21 games in which data was available.
Sophomore first baseman Hunter Stokely is slashing .289/.395/.309 this season. Of his 28 hits, 26 have been singles. He’s also recorded two doubles.
Entering Thursday, freshman outfielder Vance Honeycutt’s eight homers were tied for the seventh most by any freshman nationally.
Entering Thursday, Honeycutt’s 22 stolen bases were tied for the ninth most in the country and were the second most by any freshman – UMass Lowell’s Jacob Humphrey has 23. They’re also the most by a UNC freshman since Adam Greenberg had 28 in 2000.
D1Baseball recently named Honeycutt the No. 66 outfielder in the country.
Entering Thursday, the Tar Heels’ pitching staff ranked in the top 40 nationally in shutouts (three, 22nd), ERA (3.82, 27th), strikeouts per nine innings (10.3, 36th), WHIP (1.36, 44th) and hits allowed per nine innings (8.18, 45th).
UNC ranked 19th nationally and first in the ACC with 3.03 walks allowed per nine innings entering the Miami series on March 25. Over the last 12 games, the Tar Heels have averaged 5.67 walks per nine.
UNC pitchers have totaled just eight starts of five or more innings this season.
Third-year lefty Shawn Rapp has registered a 3.32 ERA while striking out 35 in 21 2/3 innings over 25 appearances, the most in the country. Over the last two seasons, he’s registered a 3.55 ERA as a reliever (20 earned runs in 50 2/3 innings over 45 appearances).
After pitching two innings over four appearances last season, fourth-year righty Kyle Mott is tied for fifth nationally with 19 appearances. He has registered a 4.46 ERA while striking out 48 over 34 1/3 innings. He ranks 41st nationally in strikeouts per nine innings (12.58), and his six wins are also tied for the ninth most in the country.
Fifth-year senior Caden O’Brien’s 103 career appearances (six starts) are the fifth most among active Division I players and the ninth most by any pitcher in program history.
O’Brien’s four saves this season are a career high. He notched three saves last season.
After posting a 6.88 ERA in 17 innings over 17 appearances last season, fourth-year righty Davis Palermo has recorded a 1.80 ERA while striking out 35 in 25 innings over 16 appearances. Teams are hitting .165 (15-for-91) against him.
D1Baseball recently included O’Brien (No. 32), fourth-year righty Davis Palermo (No. 45) and Rapp (No. 61) on its list of the nation’s top 75 relievers. UNC’s three selections were the most by any team in the country.