Carolina Completes Irish Sweep

With a few exceptions this weekend in South Bend, it was the North Carolina offense that shined with its never-back-down, can-do attitude. It seemed that going to Notre Dame energized and sparked the Tar Heel hitters, culminating in a 15-10 win on Sunday. They have now swept their first two ACC road series for the first time since 2013.

Staying Alive

The North Carolina offense refused to wither away. Carolina laid 15 runs on the Fighting Irish on Sunday as the entire lineup was firing on all cylinders. UNC tallied 14 hits, while striking out 11 times and hitting .529 (9-17) with runners in scoring position.

When UNC starter Folger Boaz struggled, allowing three runs in the first inning and seven runs in his entire 2.1 frames of work, the offense went to work. The UNC bats scored three in the second and a massive eight spot in the fifth (the Heels do love their big innings). They didn’t stop there, scoring another three runs in the ninth.

The scoring was contagious all series. And it wasn’t just by earning free passes, but rather outstanding situational hitting — .529 is a fantastic RISP batting average for the weekend. UNC never stopped swinging the machete and this mentality will be crucial for the rest of ACC play.

Bullpen Emergence

Head coach Scott Forbes and pitching coach Bryant Gaines will have some decisions to make as they look towards the fifth ACC series of the season on deck. Not only will Jason DeCaro be throwing on Thursday off two days less rest but also Boaz has been knocked around a bit. While the Notre Dame offense found some juice, some of the less common UNC arms showed their mettle.

It was the emergence of Cam Seagraves that highlighted the pitching efforts. After an up and down season with limited work, Seagraves took the mound on Saturday night and for a crucial 2.2-inning stretch on Sunday. His velocity is down but his off speed looks nasty, as he put up zeros in hits, runs and walks while striking out two in the nine batters he faced. Caden Glauber is a solidified weapon — earning his third save on Sunday — while Matthew Matthijs and Walker McDuffie seem to both be getting their groove back. But when it comes to games down the stretch, it can’t just be those three arms out of the pen. Seagraves looked the part to step up and into a pivotal role.

Golden Bats

Jake Schaffner: March has not been as kind to him as February but Sunday’s game was as good a “I’m back and didn’t leave” game as ever. The shortstop went 3-for-5 with two runs, a walk, two doubles, a homer and five RBIs.

Carter French: The Dr. was in on Sunday in South Bend. French went 2-for-4 with three runs, and three RBIs.

North Carolina hosts the Campbell Camels on Tuesday then hosts a Thursday, Friday, Saturday series Easter weekend against BC (who just took its series against UVa, 2-1).