Diamond Heels head into ACC Tournament

With the regular-season now complete, North Carolina heads to Durham for the ACC Tournament. 

Whats next?

After being swept by Clemson, the Diamond Heels turn to the ACC Tournament looking for a repeat of the 2022 season. Although the last series of the year was a disappointment, the Heels have a reason to be optimistic. They were playing their best ball leading into the regular-season finale.

Cause for concern?

Star Center Fielder Vance Honeycutt missed the entire Clemson series with a lower body injury. Currently batting .257, Honeycutt is elite on defense, often making highlight reel catches. When he is on base, there is always the threat of a stolen base. He has 19 on the year thus far. Having Honeycutt in the lineup gives opposing teams much more to think about. There is no timetable for his return.

Will history repeat itself?

In last years ACC Tournament, North Carolina entered as the 8-seed. The Heels took down 12-seed Clemson, 1-seed Virginia Tech and 4-seed Notre Dame before facing off against 10-seed N.C. State in the championship game. The Heels would go on to win 9-5 for their second ACC title in four years. 

What will it take?

For much of the year, North Carolina has been able to put runs up in numbers. The struggle comes with pitching. In order for the Heels to have a chance, pitching will have to be much better than what has been seen throughout the season. Averaging 7.64 runs is great, but when you give up close to 5 runs a game, the margin for error is low. You hope to play four games in five or six days and you need great outings from your starting pitchers, or you will run out of arms quickly. If the bats stay hot, as they have for much of the year, the Diamond Heels will be a tough outing for anyone.