UNC in Lubbock Regional (Tweets/Posts) 6/3 TV Coverage moved to ESPNU; UCLA Preview
- Thread starter Jarrod Hardy
- Start date
I think this is very important in moving past this year with all the young guys we have that will return... The experience will be helpful down the road in years to come!!!!
And you never know in a weekend on the diamond!!!!
And you never know in a weekend on the diamond!!!!
BY UNC ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
CHAPEL HILL – North Carolina (27-25) will represent the No. 3 seed in the Lubbock Regional and will begin play against second-seeded UCLA (35-18) on Friday (June 4) at 7 p.m.
The Tar Heels and Bruins will be joined by host Texas Tech, the No. 8 national seed, and the No. 4 seed, Army.
The Red Raiders and Black Knights will begin the Lubbock Regional at noon on June 4.
UNC is making its 19th appearance in the NCAA Tournament in the last 22 seasons and have been included as part of the 64-team field for the 33rd time in program history.
For the third consecutive NCAA tournament, the Tar Heels will open play on Friday evening.
North Carolina finished the season 27-25, with a win in the ACC Tournament against NC State on Friday (May 28). The Tar Heels finished the season with the fourth most difficult schedule in the country, according to WarrenNolan.com.
The Tar Heels finished 18-18 in conference play and earned series wins over Miami, Virginia, Duke, Boston College, Louisville and Clemson. UNC claimed series sweeps over the Tigers and Cardinals.
The Lubbock Regional champion will advance to face the winner of the Stanford Regional (Stanford, UC Irvine, Nevada, North Dakota State) in the Super Regional round for the right to advance to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.
Texas Tech is offering only all-session passes at this time. If seats remain following the season ticket holder/Red Raider Club priority request period, all remaining all-session tickets will go on sale to the general public on Wednesday, June 2, at 8:30 a.m.
Series History
Versus Texas Tech
Texas Tech leads the series 2-0, with the first game dating back to 1996. The Tar Heels and Red Raiders have met once in the postseason, a 1998 loss.
Versus UCLA
North Carolina leads the series 8-5, with the first game dating back to 1993. The Tar Heels and Bruins have met twice in the postseason, most recently in 2013, a 4-1 loss in the College World Series.
Versus Army
Series tied at 0-0.
Tournament Schedule
Friday, June 4
Game 1 - Texas Tech vs Army – 12 p.m. (ET)
Game 2 - North Carolina vs UCLA – 7 p.m. (ET)
Saturday, June 5
Game 3 – Loser Game 1 and Loser Game 2
Game 4 – Winner Game 1 and Winner Game 2
Sunday, June 6
Game 5 – Winner Game 3 vs Loser Game 4
Game 6 – Winner Game 5 vs Winner Game 4
Monday, June 7
Game 7 – (if necessary) – same teams as in Game 6
CHAPEL HILL – North Carolina (27-25) will represent the No. 3 seed in the Lubbock Regional and will begin play against second-seeded UCLA (35-18) on Friday (June 4) at 7 p.m.
The Tar Heels and Bruins will be joined by host Texas Tech, the No. 8 national seed, and the No. 4 seed, Army.
The Red Raiders and Black Knights will begin the Lubbock Regional at noon on June 4.
UNC is making its 19th appearance in the NCAA Tournament in the last 22 seasons and have been included as part of the 64-team field for the 33rd time in program history.
For the third consecutive NCAA tournament, the Tar Heels will open play on Friday evening.
North Carolina finished the season 27-25, with a win in the ACC Tournament against NC State on Friday (May 28). The Tar Heels finished the season with the fourth most difficult schedule in the country, according to WarrenNolan.com.
The Tar Heels finished 18-18 in conference play and earned series wins over Miami, Virginia, Duke, Boston College, Louisville and Clemson. UNC claimed series sweeps over the Tigers and Cardinals.
The Lubbock Regional champion will advance to face the winner of the Stanford Regional (Stanford, UC Irvine, Nevada, North Dakota State) in the Super Regional round for the right to advance to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.
Texas Tech is offering only all-session passes at this time. If seats remain following the season ticket holder/Red Raider Club priority request period, all remaining all-session tickets will go on sale to the general public on Wednesday, June 2, at 8:30 a.m.
Series History
Versus Texas Tech
Texas Tech leads the series 2-0, with the first game dating back to 1996. The Tar Heels and Red Raiders have met once in the postseason, a 1998 loss.
Versus UCLA
North Carolina leads the series 8-5, with the first game dating back to 1993. The Tar Heels and Bruins have met twice in the postseason, most recently in 2013, a 4-1 loss in the College World Series.
Versus Army
Series tied at 0-0.
Tournament Schedule
Friday, June 4
Game 1 - Texas Tech vs Army – 12 p.m. (ET)
Game 2 - North Carolina vs UCLA – 7 p.m. (ET)
Saturday, June 5
Game 3 – Loser Game 1 and Loser Game 2
Game 4 – Winner Game 1 and Winner Game 2
Sunday, June 6
Game 5 – Winner Game 3 vs Loser Game 4
Game 6 – Winner Game 5 vs Winner Game 4
Monday, June 7
Game 7 – (if necessary) – same teams as in Game 6
They were ranked preseason #2 in the country and a blurb I seen on D1 baseball said they have started to play up to their potential over the last several weeks!!! I did look and see their leading hitter is hitting over .400
Probably going to need Austin to be on his A game tomorrow night!!
Let’s Go Heels
Here is D1Baseball's preview of the regional for folks who subscribe:
d1baseball.com
Lubbock Regional Preview: Blue Bloods Converge At Dan Law Field • D1Baseball
The Lubbock Regional is headlined by a pair of talented preseason top-three clubs in Texas Tech and UCLA. But North Carolina and Army are playing with house money.
From D1 Preview:
Best Hitter: JT Schwartz, 1B, UCLA. Schwartz is a 6-foot-4 lefthanded hitter with an elite approach and the slugging percentage (.635) you would expect from someone of his size and skill. He has more walks than strikeouts (35 to 22) and an outrageous on-base percentage (.528). If Schwartz hadn’t missed 13 games due to injury, the Bruins are most likely a one-seed.
Best Defensive Player: Danny Serretti, SS, North Carolina. Serretti has been the everyday shortstop for the Tar Heels for three years, and that includes a 2019 team that hosted a Super Regional. Serretti is long and rangy, and his .973 fielding percentage stands out.
Best Pitcher: Austin Love, RHP, North Carolina. Love began his UNC career as a high-leverage reliever but has blossomed into a bona fide ace. His heavy fastball runs into the mid-90s and he has maintained the aggressive demeanor of a game-finishing closer.
X-Factor: Zach Pettway, RHP, UCLA. Pettway entered 2021 as a prime candidate for Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year, but his season has gone in the other direction. Pettway’s numbers are career worsts but his signature competitiveness remains. In a regional that looks to be very offensive, can the senior righthander muster up one big start?
Best Bullpen: UCLA. While the answer is UCLA, it is not for the reasons we would have though in January. Proven commodities Kyle Mora and Michael Townsend have struggled and power-armed righthander Sean Mullen did not fare well as the closer. But John Savage always seems to have pitching depth and the emergence of Adrian Chaidez (1.03, 27 appearances) and Max Rajcic (1.55, 22 appearances, 7 saves) allowed Mullen to move into the rotation where he has thrived. Townsend leads the club with 33 appearances and even an off year for him has been plenty good (3.55 ERA).
Best Defensive Team: UCLA. This has not been a vintage UCLA defensive club but they may be growing into that. Noah Cardenas is an elite defender at catcher and Schwartz is a former shortstop who has turned into an outstanding first baseman. McLain brings top shelf pedigree and athleticism but he has looked overmatched at shortstop at times. Overall, this club fits the west coast stereotype of high-level run prevention.
Best Hitter: JT Schwartz, 1B, UCLA. Schwartz is a 6-foot-4 lefthanded hitter with an elite approach and the slugging percentage (.635) you would expect from someone of his size and skill. He has more walks than strikeouts (35 to 22) and an outrageous on-base percentage (.528). If Schwartz hadn’t missed 13 games due to injury, the Bruins are most likely a one-seed.
Best Defensive Player: Danny Serretti, SS, North Carolina. Serretti has been the everyday shortstop for the Tar Heels for three years, and that includes a 2019 team that hosted a Super Regional. Serretti is long and rangy, and his .973 fielding percentage stands out.
Best Pitcher: Austin Love, RHP, North Carolina. Love began his UNC career as a high-leverage reliever but has blossomed into a bona fide ace. His heavy fastball runs into the mid-90s and he has maintained the aggressive demeanor of a game-finishing closer.
X-Factor: Zach Pettway, RHP, UCLA. Pettway entered 2021 as a prime candidate for Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year, but his season has gone in the other direction. Pettway’s numbers are career worsts but his signature competitiveness remains. In a regional that looks to be very offensive, can the senior righthander muster up one big start?
Best Bullpen: UCLA. While the answer is UCLA, it is not for the reasons we would have though in January. Proven commodities Kyle Mora and Michael Townsend have struggled and power-armed righthander Sean Mullen did not fare well as the closer. But John Savage always seems to have pitching depth and the emergence of Adrian Chaidez (1.03, 27 appearances) and Max Rajcic (1.55, 22 appearances, 7 saves) allowed Mullen to move into the rotation where he has thrived. Townsend leads the club with 33 appearances and even an off year for him has been plenty good (3.55 ERA).
Best Defensive Team: UCLA. This has not been a vintage UCLA defensive club but they may be growing into that. Noah Cardenas is an elite defender at catcher and Schwartz is a former shortstop who has turned into an outstanding first baseman. McLain brings top shelf pedigree and athleticism but he has looked overmatched at shortstop at times. Overall, this club fits the west coast stereotype of high-level run prevention.
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