UNC moves up to Top-6 seed in latest NCAA baseball regional projections

With just over two weeks to go in the regular season, the UNC baseball team is proving it’s miles better than the one which bowed out early in an NCAA Regional last year.

To North Carolina’s benefit, star center fielder Vance Honeycutt missed the end of 2023 with a back injury. That’s no excuse, though, as the Diamond Heels had plenty of other players who could produce.

UNC (34-11, 17-7) has a 3-game lead – in the ACC Coastal Division – over hated rivals Duke and UVA. North Carolina is anchored by a Top-30 offense, with Gavin Gallagher hitting a team-best .371, plus it sports a solid bullpen led by NCAA wins leader (10) Matthew Matthijs .

In D1Baseball’s latest Projected Field of 64 , which predicts the NCAA Tournament regionals, the Diamond Heels are a Top-6 National Seed.

If this looks similar to last week’s projection, that’s because it is.

North Carolina was predicted to host Alabama , Northeastern and Niagara a week ago. There’s only one difference today, with Sacred Heart sliding into that fourth spot.

With how well UNC is playing this season, I feel strongly about its chance to advance and play in a Super Regional. Its greatest challengers in today’s projected regional are the Crimson Tide and Huskies (Northeastern).

Alabama (28-16, 9-12) plays in a loaded SEC that is arguably deeper than the ACC, with eight teams ranked. Texas A&M leads the SEC with its number one national ranking, a number college baseball fans know guarantees nothing in the postseason.

Northeastern (31-11, 13-5) is one of two Coastal Athletic Association teams with 30 wins. The Huskies are winners of their past three games – a home sweep of Elon.

Sacred Heart (24-19, 18-6) is tied atop the Northeastern Conference with Long Island University and Wagner, the latter of whom North Carolina scored 46 runs against in both teams’ season-opening series.

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