UNC Summer Update
Checking in on the 20 Tar Heels playing summer ball
With just over a month left until the start of North Carolina’s 2022-23 school year, several Tar Heels remain hard at work as they look to hone their skills in summer collegiate leagues across the country.
UNC currently has eight players in the Cape Cod League, with the rest spread across the Coastal Plain League (6), the Northwoods League (2), the New England Collegiate Baseball League (2) and the Florida Collegiate Summer League (1). Vance Honeycutt also recently wrapped up his stint with the U.S. Collegiate National Team.
Cape Cod League
Connor Bovair, Chatham Anglers
Bovair allowed two runs over 1 1/3 innings of relief in his Chatham debut, but the righty has since been lights out, tossing 4 2/3 scoreless innings over his last three appearances. The stretch has been highlighted by his outing on June 29, when he struck out four and walked zero over three shutout innings against Orleans.
Johnny Castagnozzi, Chatham Anglers
Playing his second straight summer in Chatham, Castagnozzi is hitting .138/.219/.276 with one homer, two walks and 15 strikeouts in 13 games. He’s primarily played third base, but has also seen action at first and second.
Tomas Frick, Bourne Braves
Frick is hitting .050/.174/.050 with three walks and six strikeouts in seven games.
Mac Horvath, Bourne Braves
Horvath has yet to appear in a game this summer after undergoing appendectomy surgery following Game 1 of the Chapel Hill Super Regional on June 11, but he’s prepared to make his Bourne debut this week after being activated Sunday.
Ben Peterson, Chatham Anglers
An incoming transfer from Florida SouthWestern State College, Peterson has surrendered eight runs (six earned) in seven innings over two appearances. He’s allowed 11 hits while striking out five and walking one.
Will Sandy, Bourne Braves
Sandy has given up 10 runs (eight earned) in seven innings over three games (one start). He’s surrendered nine hits while striking out six and walking four.
Hunter Stokely, Harwich Mariners
Stokely is batting .150/.387/.250 with four RBIs, six walks and six strikeouts in eight games. He’s made six appearances at first base and one each at third and designated hitter.
Colby Wilkerson, Cotuit Kettleers
Wilkerson slashed .240/.345/.260 with six RBIs, three stolen bases and eight walks compared to 12 strikeouts in 14 games with the Northwoods League’s Rochester Honkers. He signed with the Kettleers on Monday.
Coastal Plain League
Patrick Alvarez, Holly Springs Salamanders
Alvarez is slashing .138/.342/.172 with seven RBIs, three stolen bases and eight walks compared to just five strikeouts in 10 games. Most notably, he’s primarily played right field (eight games) after spending most of his first three seasons at UNC in the infield.
Eric Grintz, High Point-Thomasville HiToms
No Tar Heel hitter has been hotter than Grintz, who has hit safely in each of his nine games with the HiToms. On the summer, the catcher is batting .500/.579/1.031 with three homers, six doubles, a triple and 15 RBIs. He’s also drawn six walks while striking out just three times.
Reece Holbrook, Lexington County Blowfish
Holbrook is hitting .214/.241/.214 with three stolen bases and 11 strikeouts compared to one walk in eight games. He hasn’t played since June 24.
Alberto Osuna, Holly Springs Salamanders
After blasting 20 homers this spring, Osuna has continued to hit for plenty of power this summer, batting .242/.365/.468 with four homers and 13 RBIs across 19 games. He’s drawn 11 walks while striking out 23 times. He’s also played a solid first base, having yet to commit an error on 101 total chances.
Dalton Pence, Forest City Owls
Pence missed his entire true freshman season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, but the lefty has made up for lost time this summer, posting a CPL-best 0.93 ERA while striking out 22 and walking nine in 29 innings over six games (five starts). For his efforts, Pence earned the start for the West in the CPL All-Star Game, where he allowed one hit over two scoreless innings.
Carson Starnes, Lexington County Blowfish
Starnes has also put together a strong summer on the mound, registering a 3.90 ERA while striking out 26 and walking 10 in 30 innings over seven games (four starts). The righty joined Pence at the CPL All-Star Game, where he struck out one in one perfect inning of relief.
Northwoods League
Dylan King, La Crosse Loggers
King is hitting .286/.444/.405 with a homer, seven RBIs and nine walks compared to seven strikeouts in 13 games. He’s also yet to commit an error on 126 total chances behind the plate.
Alex Ritzer, Rochester Honkers
Coming off an injury-plagued true freshman season, Ritzer is batting .185/.275/.198 with 10 RBIs and five stolen bases in 22 games. He’s mostly played second base, but has also seen time at shortstop and in center field.
New England Collegiate Baseball League
Joe Jaconski, Mystic Schooners
Jaconski started the summer off strong, logging three multi-hit performances over his first seven games, but has since cooled off and is batting .203/.271/.203 with three RBIs and five walks compared to 13 strikeouts in 18 games. He’s primarily played second base, but has also seen action at third base and in right field.
Justin Szestowicki, Ocean State Waves
Szestowicki is hitting .104/.170/.167 with a homer, four RBIs, four stolen bases and four walks compared to 18 strikeouts in 17 games. He hasn’t played since July 5.
Florida Collegiate Summer League
Alden Segui, Sanford River Rats
Segui has made only one appearance this summer, back on June 4, when he allowed two runs on four hits and one walk while striking out three in two innings of relief.
USA Baseball
Vance Honeycutt, Collegiate National Team
Competing in the U.S. Collegiate National Team Training Camp series, Honeycutt went 1-for-16 with two stolen bases and two walks compared to seven strikeouts in five games. He also recorded an outfield assist.
