UNC opens baseball season Friday. Why the Tar Heels think they can finally win it all.
In 2018, the goal for North Carolina’s baseball team was to get back to Omaha, Neb.
The Tar Heels, who had been a fixture on college baseball’s biggest stage from 2006-13, hadn’t been to the College World Series in five years. But last year, they got on a roll late in the season and advanced to the College World Series for the 11th time in school history. They lost to the eventual national champions Oregon State 11-6.
It has set the stage for this season.
With many returners and the College World Series experience under their belt, the 2019 Tar Heels have a new goal.
“We went to Omaha and we want something better than that,” junior first baseman and outfielder Michael Busch said.
Bigger than that is a national championship, something the baseball program has not yet achieved. The Tar Heels made it to the College World Series Finals in 2006 and 2007 and lost both times.
None of the players on the 2018 team that finished 45-20 had ever been to a College World Series. Busch, who was voted to the 2019 Baseball America’s Preseason All-American team, said everything was new to them, and they were trying to take everything in. This year he said, the team will be focused, knowing what to expect if they get that far again.
For some of these players like Busch, it could also be their last season, and last opportunity to get there. Busch and some of the other talented juniors are eligible for the draft this season.
But many believe this could be their year. The Tar Heels, who enter the season ranked No. 5 in the country, have a lot of returners like Busch, who led the team with 13 home runs and 63 runs batted in, and finished second on the team with a .317 batting average. They also have junior infielder Ike Freeman, who batted .305, and was third on the team with 51 RBI’s.
The Tar Heels return three starting pitchers, including junior Luca Dalatri, who was injured for most of last season.
Dalatri said the injuries are past him and he’s ready to have a productive season. When asked what he likes best about this team, he said there are a lot of selfless players.
“We did have a lot of talent, but we did have people who didn’t belong here, and they are not here this year because of it,” Dalatri said. “It takes a lot to make it to Omaha, and it takes a lot to win it. I think it’s going to be a team that a lot of guys have a hard time rooting against.”
They also have returning relief pitchers like sophomore Caden O’Brien, who had his best game in the College World Series against Oregon State, and was named to the Stopper of the Year watch list for 2019.
“I like this team, I think we’ve got a lot of good ingredients,” UNC coach Mike Fox said, when asked if UNC can they win it all. “But yeah, we have a chance for sure.”
Fox received a contract extension through 2023 this past summer and will coach in his 20th season at UNC this year.
Last year, the Tar Heels hosted both a Regional and Super Regional, and won both. Fox said it takes a little luck and you have to have a good team to advance to the College World Series. But he said their experience this year is what excites him most.
“It’s something you can’t coach, you can’t teach, you can’t simulate,” Fox said. “We’ve got a good nucleus of guys who knows what it takes to win those games.”
The season opens Friday as No. 5 UNC hosts Xavier in a three game series.
No. 5 UNC vs. Xavier
When: Friday, 3 p.m.; Saturday, 2 p.m.; Sunday, 1 p.m.
Where: Boshamer Stadium, Chapel Hill.
TV: ACC Network Extra
This story was originally published February 14, 2019 at 4:21 PM.
