Game Day: UNC vs. Virginia Tech ACC Tournament Preview
Tar Heels close pool play vs. No. 2 Hokies
Looking to secure a spot in Saturday’s semifinals and potentially earn a national seed in the NCAA Tournament, eighth-seeded North Carolina faces top-seeded Virginia Tech in the final game of ACC Tournament pool play Friday at Truist Field.
Here’s what you need to know ahead of the 7 p.m. contest against the second-ranked Hokies.
Matchup: UNC (35-19, 15-15 ACC) vs. Virginia Tech (41-11, 19-9 ACC)
UNC ranks: No. -/-/- (Baseball America, D1Baseball, USA Today Coaches Poll)
Virginia Tech ranks: No. 2/2/2 (Baseball America, D1Baseball, USA Today Coaches Poll)
TV: RSN, ACC Network Extra
Listen: TuneIn
Live Stats: Click Here
Pitching matchup
TBA vs. TBA
UNC isn’t listing a starter for Friday, but head coach Scott Forbes told media Monday that Brandon Schaeffer (6-2, 4.15 ERA) will get the ball against Virginia Tech. The left-hander is coming off his two longest starts of the season, having allowed three runs in 7 1/3 innings against Wake Forest on May 14 and three runs over 6 2/3 innings against Florida State last Friday. When the Tar Heels hosted the Hokies in the regular season, the coaches held Schaeffer out of the rotation amid his most trying stretch of the year (6.08 ERA in 13 1/3 innings over his previous four starts). The WVU Potomac State transfer still made one appearance, though, striking out one and inducing a game-ending groundball double play to earn the save in the series finale.
When asked who might start Friday after Thursday’s 18-6 win victory Clemson, Virginia Tech head coach John Szefc didn’t commit to anyone. Friday starter Griffin Green (7-2, 4.39 ERA) and Saturday starter Drue Hackenberg (10-1, 2.44 ERA) are the most likely options, though. Green is coming off one of his worst starts of the season last Thursday, when he allowed six runs on nine hits over three innings against Duke. He did, however, blank UNC over five innings on April 1. Hackenberg was also sharp in his April 2 start against the Tar Heels, giving up two unearned runs on four hits over six innings. That accounts for one of his 10 starts of six or more innings.
Scouting the Hokies
Sitting at 15-6 overall and 3-4 in the ACC, Virginia Tech entered its April 1-3 series in Chapel Hill looking like a much stronger team than it was expected to be — one more than capable of making a regional. Even then, few foresaw the Hokies’ emergence into one of college baseball’s top squads. That progression kicked into high gear with a 2-1 series win over UNC, as Virginia Tech went on to enter the national polls a few days later. Since then, the Hokies are 24-4, and after capturing their first Coastal Division title, they’re poised to earn a top-five national seed come Selection Monday.
Offensively, Virginia Tech is a juggernaut, entering Thursday ranked in the top 25 nationally in slugging percentage (.569, third), home runs (104, 10th), batting average (.309, 14th), scoring (8.4 runs per game, 19th) and on-base percentage (.406, 25th). The lineup features a whopping five regulars with an OPS above 1.000 in shortstop Tanner Schobel (1.163, 17 homers, 68 RBIs), left fielder Jack Hurley (1.162, 13 homers, 49 RBIs), third baseman Carson DeMartini (1.081, 13 homers, 39 RBIs), catcher Cade Hunter (1.080, 15 homers, 61 RBIs) and center fielder Gavin Cross (1.044, 14 homers and 41 RBIs). Baseball America lists Cross as the No. 10 prospect in the 2022 MLB Draft, while Schobel and Hunter are ranked 116th and 120th, respectively.
While the offense steals the show, Virginia Tech is also good on the mound, ranking in the top 50 nationally in ERA (4.06, 23rd), WHIP (1.37, 38th) strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.52, 41st) and walks allowed per nine innings (3.71, 49th). Right Graham Firoved (3-0, 4.01 ERA, 2 SV, 31.9 K%) and Kiernan Higgins (3-0, 1.93 ERA, 5 SV, 32.4 K%) and lefty Jonah Hurney (5-1, 2.70 ERA, 1 SV) are the names to know out of the bullpen.
Numbers to know
UNC is 86-71 all-time in the ACC Tournament.
The Tar Heels have won the ACC Tournament seven times, including three times since 2007. They own 11 ACC baseball titles overall, winning four times during years in which the regular-season winner earned the title (1960, 1964, 1966 and 1969).
Including Tuesday’s win over Clemson, UNC is 5-4 as the No. 8 seed in the ACC Tournament. The Tar Heels were also the No. 8 seed in 1997 and 2015.
UNC leads the all-time series with Virginia Tech, 79-31-2, but has lost four of its last six games to the Hokies.
The Tar Heels are 2-0 against Virginia Tech in the ACC Tournament. Friday will mark the first meeting between the two teams in the conference tourney since eighth-seeded UNC beat the ninth-seeded Hokies, 5-3, on May 19, 2015, at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.
The Tar Heels are 40-16 in games played in professional baseball stadiums since 2011. They have outscored their opponents 393-215 in those games.
UNC is 7-3 at Truist Field, formerly known as BB&T Ballpark. That includes a 1-1 showing at the 2021 ACC Tournament, a 15-2 loss to South Carolina on April 6 and Tuesday’s win over Clemson.
Ranked No. 8 in the RPI, the Tar Heels have played the country's eighth-hardest schedule, according to WarrenNolan.com. The Tar Heels’ 33 games against Quadrant 1 teams are the most nationally, and their 17 Quad 1 victories are the second most, trailing top-ranked Tennessee’s 19. UNC is also third in average RPI wins (86) and tied for seventh in average RPI losses (37).
Entering Thursday, the Tar Heels’ offense ranked in the top 100 nationally in home runs (80, 39th), slugging percentage (.469, 70th), hits (539, 73rd), hit-by-pitches (74, 77th) and walks (244, 98th).
Fourth-year shortstop Danny Serretti (second team), fifth-year outfielder Angel Zarate (third team) and freshman outfielder Vance Honeycutt (third team and all-freshman team) earned All-ACC honors Monday. Honeycutt became the sixth Tar Heel to make the league’s all-freshman team and the third to earn both all-freshman and all-conference honors in the same season, joining Aaron Sabato and Gianluca Dalatri.
From April 4, 2021, to April 2, 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 .358/.442/.504 this season. His 83 hits were tied for the 25th most in the country entering Thursday, and his 17 doubles were 10 more than his previous career high. His 32 RBIs are also tied for his career high.
In going 4-for-4 with a walk, an RBI and four runs scored Tuesday, Zarate became the first Tar Heel to tally four hits and four runs since Michael Busch on May 25, 2019, against Boston College in the ACC Tournament semifinals.
Serretti has played in 189 games during his Tar Heel career, making 188 starts. No other UNC player has played in more than 147 games or made more than 121 starts at the Division I level.
Serretti is slashing a career-best .367/.447/.541 this season. He saw a career-best 26-game hitting streak come to an end Sunday.
With 52 career doubles, the third most among active ACC hitters, Serretti is tied with Seth Williams (2005-08) for the eighth most in program history. Jarrett Shearin (1996-99) holds the school record of 73.
Sixth-year senior Mikey Madej has started the last 28 games for the Tar Heels in left field. In that span, he’s hitting .316 (31-for-98). He’s notched a hit in eight of the last nine games.
With 12 homers and 36 RBIs over the last 25 games, Osuna leads the team in both homers (19) and RBIs (53). His 19 homers are the most by a newcomer in their first season at UNC and tied for the 25th most in the country.
Over the last 29 games, sophomore Mac Horvath is hitting .316/.431/.761 with 11 doubles, 13 homers and 32 RBIs.
Horvath’s 16 homers this season are tied for the 69th most in the country.
Horvath’s team-high 41 walks through 54 games are 26 more than he had in 46 games last season.
After not even attempting a steal last season, Horvath is 17-for-19 on stolen-base attempts this year.
Since moving into the cleanup spot on May 8 at N.C. State, Honeycutt is slashing .389/.500/1.000 with two doubles, a triple, six homers and 14 RBIs across 10 games.
With seven homers over his last 12 games, Honeycutt is up to 17 on the season, one shy of Sabato’s UNC freshman record, set in 2019. That’s also tied for the 49th most in the country.
Honeycutt’s 28 stolen bases are tied for the 23rd most nationally and the third most by any freshman — UMass Lowell’s Jacob Humphrey has 45, and Western Illinois’ Nick Mitchell also has 30. They’re also the most by a UNC freshman since Adam Greenberg had 28 in 2000.
Entering Thursday, the Tar Heels’ pitching staff ranked in the top 100 nationally in shutouts (four, 30th), ERA (4.29, 37th), hits allowed per nine innings (8.91, 67th), strikeouts per nine innings (9.3, 68th), strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.26, 76th) and WHIP (1.45, 79th).
Fourth-year lefty Will Sandy has a 11 1/3 scoreless innings streak over his last five appearances, dating back to the N.C. State game on May 8.
Third-year lefty Shawn Rapp has registered a 4.14 ERA while striking out 55 in 41 1/3 innings over 38 appearances, the most in the country.
After posting a 6.88 ERA in 17 innings over 17 appearances last season, the right-handed Palermo has recorded a 2.61 ERA while striking out 61 in 48 1/3 innings over 31 games. Teams are hitting .177 (31-for-175) against him.