UNC baseball routs Arizona Wildcats in NCAA super regional opening game
A five-run outburst in the first inning was just the beginning of an offensive explosion Friday that helped North Carolina post a resounding opening win over Arizona in the Chapel Hill Super Regional.
No. 5 seed UNC stormed past unseeded Arizona, 18-2, in Game 1 at Boshamer Stadium. In the win, the Tar Heels set multiple season and program records while snapping the Wildcats’ eight-game win streak. The teams will play again at noon Saturday. A win sends UNC (46-13) to the Men’s College World Series, while Arizona (42-19) needs a victory to force a Game 3.
The Tar Heels’ 18 runs were the most scored by a UNC team in a Super Regional, eclipsing the previous high of 14 against Coastal Carolina in 2008. They were the most runs scored by UNC in the NCAA Tournament overall since 2022, when the Heels put up 19 against VCU.
Catcher Luke Stevenson earned plenty of props for his early efforts in the victory. Stevenson entered the game in a hitting slump, going 1 for 20 since hitting a home run in the ACC semifinals and 1 for 15 in the regionals.
UNC’s coaching staff reminded him to control the strike zone by staying patient and looking for the pitch he can hit well. The pep talks worked.
Stevenson started the game 2 for 2, knocking in an RBI single to drive in first baseman Kane Kepley for one run. He later launched the ball 394 feet over the right field wall to put the Tar Heels ahead 8-1.
“He does two things. He walks and when he hits it, he does damage. We said, ‘Luke, let’s just get back to doing that,’” Carolina coach Scott Forbes said. “I had a good feeling about Luke. He got that first hit. He almost had two home runs. He was on the barrel all day, so that is really good for us as a team.”
The eight runs tied a career high allowed by Arizona right-handed pitcher Owen Kramkowski. He faced just 12 batters, giving up eight runs. He was pulled after Stevenson’s three-run homer. Arizona went deep in its bullpen in an attempt to stifle the Tar Heels’ offense.
The Wildcats allowed 17 hits, five walks and hit two.
“His stuff wasn’t bad, it’s just the location,” Arizona coach Chip Hale said of Kramkowski. “You look at up and down their lineup, they’re veteran guys who know how to hit. They’ve got short swings. They’re going to take advantage of bad locations.”
Beyond Stevenson, UNC’s offense had plenty of fire power early with its top five in the lineup. The quintet hit 13 of 22 and scored 15 runs.
As a team, the Tar Heels finished with a .425 overall hitting percentage, .524 with runners on base and .600 with runners in scoring position. Through six innings, Carolina hit .667 with runners on and .700 with RISP.
Third baseman Gavin Gallaher, who went 13 for 18 in the regional last week, finished the day 4 for 5 with three runs and two RBIs. First baseman Hunter Stokely went 3 for 4 with a career-high five RBIs. Stokely and Sam Angelo joined Stevenson in blasting three-run homers in the victory.
Center fielder Kepley and second baseman Jackson Van De Brake scored four times, a career high for Van De Brake.
Carolina ace Jake Knapp started. He struggled early as the Heels’ offense was doing its work. Arizona got on the board early with a first-inning run. Center fielder Aaron Walton doubled to right field during his first at-bat and crossed home plate on catcher Adonys Guzman’s two-out hit.
The Wildcats loaded the bases twice, but a double play in the second and three consecutive outs in the fourth limited any damage.
“It changes the game. It kills the momentum that they have right away, and allows me to settle in in a big game, big environment,” Knapp said. “Knowing those guys are going to do that every time I’m out there, it makes my job really easy.”
Knapp gave up a season-high nine hits, allowed a pair of runs and hit two batters in his seven-inning outing. The graduate student settled in midway through the game, sitting down 12 of 13 batters, and eight straight. Knapp moves to 14-0 and set a program record for wins without defeat in a season.
“We knew he was one of the best pitchers in the country, and for the right reasons, and he’s got good stuff up there,” Hale said. “I was excited to see those at-bats, and they were really contagious. Early on, we went down 5-1. It didn’t feel like we were quite out of it yet.”
Guzman led the Wildcats’ efforts, going 4 for 4 at the plate and driving in one run. Six different batters recorded a hit, but Guzman was the only Cat to finish with multiple.
Overshadowed by the run production, Walton finished with a pair of clutch fielding plays that stopped UNC from adding to its stat line. He made a sliding catch to prevent Gallaher from adding an extra base hit. Then, he robbed Stokely of a second home run and retire the side.
“Tomorrow will be a really difficult game,” Forbes said. “The guys know that I told them to take that shower and leave this game behind them, so we’ll get back at it.”
This story was originally published June 6, 2025 at 3:15 PM.
