East Carolina Looks to Take Down Tar Heels Baseball for a Spot in the Top 25
East Carolina University and UNC Chapel Hill’s baseball teams will meet early this season with a three-game series that begins on Friday, February 21st. The two North Carolina teams face off in three separate locations across the state each year. One game is played in Greenville, one in Chapel Hill, and one on a neutral site. This series, sometimes requiring more hours of travel than playing time, has become the norm for the Heels and the Pirates since the 2023 season, where the teams played two games in Chapel Hill and one in Greenville.
The past few seasons, Greenville has appeared to be the sixth-ranked Tar Heels’ weakness just as Chapel Hill has proven to be a weak spot for the Pirates. Since 2021, Tar Heel baseball has defeated ECU four times, all four wins were from the comfort of their home field. While the Pirates do have more victories over the Tar Heels since the 2021 season they’ve only managed to come out on top once in the Bosh. Neither team has swept a season or series in this decade.
The Pirates have more to prove, after failing to win the regional they hosted, and losing many of their key players to the 2024 MLB Draft like first baseman Carter Cunningham and pitcher Trey Yesavage who were drafted to the Toronto Blue Jays. UNC, while nationally ranked, is also looking to fill holes in their outfield. The Tar Heels are working to replace the outfield talent that was provided by their former star center fielder Vance Honeycutt who was drafted by the Orioles in the 2024 MLB Draft. Despite the loss of key players Tar Heel baseball is still seen as the favorite to win as they sit comfortably in the top 10 after ending the 2024 season in Omaha and sweeping their first series of 2025 against Texas Tech.
The series will begin with a home-field advantage for the Pirates in Clark Le-Clair Stadium on February 21st. The teams will then travel across the state to Durham, where they will face off in Durham Bulls Athletic Park on February 22nd. On Sunday, February 23rd, Tar Heel baseball will get their opportunity for a home field advantage in Boshamer Stadium to close out the series. A series win against a top-10 team will be crucial for this Pirates team, who are looking to secure a spot in the Division One baseball top 25.
