UNC Baseball: 2017 Collegiate Baseball Series Added to Schedule

North Carolina will face its rival to the south, the Gamecocks, on April 11th.

It was announced Thursday that the Diamond Heels will add another game to their schedule.

On Tuesday, April 11th, the Heels will face off against the South Carolina Gamecocks.  First pitch for the game is scheduled for a 7:05 start.

The game will be played at BB&T Stadium, in Uptown Charlotte, the current home of the Charlotte Knights, the Triple-A affiliate for the Chicago White Sox. This game is the fourth installment of a five game series in the ball park. The headlining teams are UNC, USC, NC State, and Wake Forest.

Last year the two teams faced off in the same stadium, as a part of the same series. The Heels pounded the Gamecocks 15-0, in front of a sold-out crowd.

This game should be a great draw to the baseball fans of the Carolina’s. UNC, and the Gamecocks appear in the top twenty-five of Baseball Americas’s preseason rankings.

Both of these teams have incredible pitching staffs, so there may not be a 15 run outburst this season.

The Tar Heels staff is led by junior JB Bukauskas. Bukauskas carries a career 12-5 record at UNC, in 27 starts. Bukauskas also has a career ERA of 3.58.

The Gamecocks are led by Wil Crowe.

Crowe had a strong freshman season in 2014, with a 8-3 record, and a 2.75 ERA. One could hope that it works out to see both of these aces on the mound in April.

While both programs are rich in history, both teams are looking to bounce back from missing the tournament in the recent past. UNC has missed the tournament twice in a row, and despite making the tournament in 2016, USC missed the tournament in 2015.

North Carolina, and coach Mike Fox will be looking to get back to the College World Series for the first time since 2013.

Coach Fox will be looking for his 16th NCAA tournament berth in 18 seasons this year, and with the Heels recently bringing in a top five recruiting class, they should be in prime position for a title run in the future.

The Gamecocks, and coach Chad Holbrook are looking at getting back to the CWS for the first time since 2012, where they appeared in it three straight times, including two titles. Holbrook is hoping to get to his first College World Series as head coach.

Holbrook is in his fifth season after taking over for longtime coach Ray Tanner.

For tickets to the game, visit CharlotteKnights.com. Tickets will be going on sale this Saturday at 12:00 PM.