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North Carolina is two wins away from another College World Series appearance after sweeping the Chapel Hill Regional. They now know their next opponent: USC.
The Diamond Heels will face the Trojans in a best-of-three NCAA super regional this weekend at Boshamer Stadium, with a spot in Omaha at stake. North Carolina (48-11-1) is hosting a super regional for the third year in a row. They are looking to appear in the College World Series for the second time in three seasons.
USC (47-16) arrives in Chapel Hill fresh off a regional title in College Station, where it battled out of the loser’s bracket to sweep No. 12 seed Texas A&M in the final. Under third-year coach Andy Stankiewicz, the Trojans have shown clear signs of resurgence, returning to the postseason last spring and now pushing for their first College World Series appearance since 2001.
That 23-year gap is a drought by USC standards: the Trojans own 12 national championships, the most in college baseball and four more than LSU’s eight.
Here is the game schedule, the keys to victory for each side, and the players to watch in Chapel Hill this weekend.
Game 1- Friday, June 5, 3 p.m. (ESPN)
Game 2- Saturday, June 6 at 2 p.m. (ESPN2)
Game 3 (If Necessary): Sunday, June 7, TBD
Get timely hitting.
UNC will face one of the nation’s best pitching staffs, so getting timely hits with runners on base and in scoring position will be key.
USC’s pitching staff leads the country in shutouts, ranks second in hits allowed per nine innings, and has a 3.48 team ERA, which ranks fourth in the country.
The starting rotation is led by ace Mason Edwards, the Big Ten pitcher of the year, who has a 1.85 ERA and 164 strikeouts, both tops in the conference. Rounding out the rotation are first-team All-Big Ten selection Grant Govel, who is 10-2 with a 2.93 ERA and 96 strikeouts, and Andrew Johnson, who is 7-2 with a 3.46 ERA and 79 strikeouts in 80.2 innings.
That also not to mention a strong bullpen led by Adam Troy, who has 12 saves on the year.
Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC vs USC: Schedule, key to victory, key players in Super Regional
Continue reading...
The Diamond Heels will face the Trojans in a best-of-three NCAA super regional this weekend at Boshamer Stadium, with a spot in Omaha at stake. North Carolina (48-11-1) is hosting a super regional for the third year in a row. They are looking to appear in the College World Series for the second time in three seasons.
USC (47-16) arrives in Chapel Hill fresh off a regional title in College Station, where it battled out of the loser’s bracket to sweep No. 12 seed Texas A&M in the final. Under third-year coach Andy Stankiewicz, the Trojans have shown clear signs of resurgence, returning to the postseason last spring and now pushing for their first College World Series appearance since 2001.
That 23-year gap is a drought by USC standards: the Trojans own 12 national championships, the most in college baseball and four more than LSU’s eight.
Here is the game schedule, the keys to victory for each side, and the players to watch in Chapel Hill this weekend.
Super Regional Schedule
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Game 1- Friday, June 5, 3 p.m. (ESPN)
Game 2- Saturday, June 6 at 2 p.m. (ESPN2)
Game 3 (If Necessary): Sunday, June 7, TBD
UNC’s Key to Victory
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Get timely hitting.
UNC will face one of the nation’s best pitching staffs, so getting timely hits with runners on base and in scoring position will be key.
USC’s pitching staff leads the country in shutouts, ranks second in hits allowed per nine innings, and has a 3.48 team ERA, which ranks fourth in the country.
The starting rotation is led by ace Mason Edwards, the Big Ten pitcher of the year, who has a 1.85 ERA and 164 strikeouts, both tops in the conference. Rounding out the rotation are first-team All-Big Ten selection Grant Govel, who is 10-2 with a 2.93 ERA and 96 strikeouts, and Andrew Johnson, who is 7-2 with a 3.46 ERA and 79 strikeouts in 80.2 innings.
That also not to mention a strong bullpen led by Adam Troy, who has 12 saves on the year.
UNC Players to Watch
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- SP Jason DeCaro (10-2): 2.54 ERA, 78.0 IP, 69 K
- SP Ryan Lynch (5-4): 4.07 ERA, 84.0 IP, 75 strikeouts
- 1B Erik Paulsen: .297 BA, 65 hits, 10 doubles, 10 home runs, 52 RBI, CHapel Hill Regional MOP
- SS Jake Schaffner: .362 BA, 81 hits (leads UNC), 19 doubles, seven triples, 6 HR, 44 RBI, 25 stolen bases (leads UNC)
USC Players to Watch
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- SP Mason Edwards (8-0): 1.85 ERA, 164 K
- SP Grant Govel (10-2): 2.93 ERA, 98.1 IP, 96 K, only 15 walks allowed
- SP Andrew Johnson (7-2): 3.46 ERA, 80.2 IP, 79 K
- RP Adam Troy: 4.09 ERA, 33.0 IP, 38 K, team-high 12 saves
- OF Jack Basseer: 2nd Team All–Big Ten; .341 BA, 58 hits, 15 doubles, two triples, 10 home runs, 41 RBI
- INF/OF Kevin Takeuchi: .309 BA, 72 hits, 18 doubles, three triples, nine home runs, 59 RBI
- DH/C Augie Lopez: .279 BA, 60 hits, 13 doubles, 19 home runs, 57 RBI
Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC vs USC: Schedule, key to victory, key players in Super Regional
Continue reading...
