2024 College Top 25 Preview: No. 17 North Carolina
Image credit: Vance Honeycutt (Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics)
Last season: 36-24 (14-14 ACC), lost in Terre Haute Regional
Final ranking: NR
Coach (record at school): Scott Forbes (106-73, three seasons)
The good news: The Tar Heels this year will trot out one of the more competitive and deep lineups in the ACC with a mix of returners and transfer portal additions. The main attraction is center fielder Vance Honeycutt. He is one of the best defenders in the country, and while his production took a step back last year, his bat-to-ball skills and swing decisions—two of his bugaboos in 2022—both improved. Joining Honeycutt in the outfield are two high-quality pieces in Casey Cook (.317/.428/.415) and Quinnipiac transfer Anthony Donofrio. Donofrio last year was a first-team All-MAAC selection after hitting .364/.432/.684 with 17 doubles, 16 home runs and 31 stolen bases. Not only can Donofrio really go and get it in the outfield, but he also provides an exciting hit-power combination at the dish. Blue chip freshman Luke Stevenson is ready to take over for Tomas Frick, who was selected in the 15th-round of the 2023 draft. Stevenson had a loud fall and is a plus defender behind the plate who can also do damage with his bat. Jackson Van De Brake (.307/.439/.486) packs a great glove on the dirt and can hit for average and a bit of power. Patrick Alvarez is also in line to again be a spark plug after hitting .347/.441/.484 with seven extra-base hits across 95 at-bats last year. This year’s Tar Heels squad also boasts a wealth of pitching depth. Veteran righthander Jake Knapp (5-4, 5.04 ERA) will be the team’s Friday starter, while a pair of highly-touted freshmen in Folger Boaz and Jason Decaro will also pitch in the weekend rotation. Elon transfer Shea Sprague (7-3, 2.69 ERA) is a pitchability lefty who could also be utilized as a midweek starter or in the back of the weekend rotation. There will be a number of weapons in the bullpen as well, with Dalton Pence (4-3, 3.33) taking the reins at closer, Matt Poston (3-3, 1.90 ERA) and Ben Peterson (3-0, 5.40 ERA). That is a trio of talented, experienced arms who know what it takes to win and will be incredibly valuable in the backends of games.
The bad news: Two of Carolina’s most productive hitters from last season are gone, as Mac Horvath (.305/.418/.711)—who led the team in home runs (24), RBIs (66) and stolen bases (25)—and Tomas Frick (.322/.408/.571) were drafted in the second and 15th rounds, respectively. The two arms whose losses will be felt the most are Max Carlson (5-2, 5.45 ERA) and Kevin Eaise (3-3, 3.04 ERA). Carlson was the best rotation arm last year and was selected in the 12th round of the draft by the Boston Red Sox, while Eaise was a valuable bullpen piece. The production of Horvath will be difficult to replicate, but Donofrio and Cook will help mitigate his departure.
Player to know: Parks Harber, 3B. Harber was a three-year standout at Georgia who last year had his most productive season to date after hitting .283/.342/.576, and set new career-highs in doubles (8), home runs (18) and RBIs (56). He has plus power and will be a middle-of-the-order bat this year for Carolina.
Path to Omaha: The Tar Heels last year made a regional for the sixth consecutive season, but again fell short of a trip to the College World Series. In the Terre Haute Regional, they lost 5-4 to Iowa before beating Wright State. Just two days after their first matchup, the Hawkeyes defeated the Tar Heels by a score of 6-5 in a 13-inning thriller. It was a gut-wrenching end to an up-and-down year, but the Tar Heels this year have the pieces to play deep into June. There is a high degree of confidence that their lineup will produce and bullpen will get guys out, so a lot will come down to how their rotation performs. If its two freshmen arms prove they can handle a weekend starting job right out of the gate, Carolina could be in line for its first College World Series appearance since 2018.
| Pos. | Name | Year | AVG | OBP | SLG | AB | HR | RBI |
| C | Luke Stevenson | Fr. | HS—Wake Forest, N.C. | |||||
| 1B | Hunter Stokely | Sr. | .317 | .406 | .492 | 199 | 6 | 36 |
| 2B | Jackson Van De Brake | Sr. | .307 | .439 | .486 | 218 | 8 | 48 |
| 3B | Parks Harber | Sr. | Transfer—Georgia | |||||
| SS | Alex Madera | R-Sr. | Transfer—Arcadia (Pa.) | |||||
| OF | Casey Cook | Jr. | .317 | .428 | .415 | 224 | 3 | 23 |
| OF | Vance Honeycutt | Jr. | .257 | .418 | .492 | 191 | 12 | 43 |
| OF | Anthony Donofrio | R-Sr. | Transfer—Quinnipiac | |||||
| DH | Alberto Osuna | R-Sr. | .223 | .336 | .453 | 179 | 11 | 27 |
| Pos. | Name | Class | W | L | ERA | IP | SO | SV |
| SP | Jake Knapp | Sr. | 5 | 4 | 5.04 | 64 | 65 | 0 |
| SP | Folger Boaz | Fr. | HS—Pilot Mountain, N.C. | |||||
| SP | Jason DeCaro | Fr. | HS—Melville, N.Y. | |||||
| RP | Dalton Pence | R-So. | 4 | 3 | 3.33 | 49 | 50 | 2 |
| RP | Matt Poston | Sr. | 3 | 3 | 1.90 | 43 | 49 | 5 |
| RP | Ben Peterson | Sr. | 3 | 0 | 5.40 | 35 | 30 | 1 |
