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UNC Baseball: Diamond Heels begin season with high expectations

By Zack Pearson

Omaha, NE - JUNE 23: A general view of a bag of baseballs before the start of the game between the Virginia Cavaliers and the Vanderbilt Commodores during game two of the College World Series Championship Series on June 23, 2015 at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images) Omaha, NE - JUNE 23: A general view of the away jersey of the Vanderbilt Commodores and the home jersey of the Virginia Cavaliers before the start of game two of the College World Series Championship Series on June 23, 2015 at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images)
Omaha, NE - JUNE 23: A general view of a bag of baseballs before the start of the game between the Virginia Cavaliers and the Vanderbilt Commodores during game two of the College World Series Championship Series on June 23, 2015 at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images) Omaha, NE - JUNE 23: A general view of the away jersey of the Vanderbilt Commodores and the home jersey of the Virginia Cavaliers before the start of game two of the College World Series Championship Series on June 23, 2015 at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images) /
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The UNC Baseball team returns to the diamond on Friday for their season opener against Xavier, kicking off a three-game set in Chapel Hill

After a long offseason following their College World Series appearance, the North Carolina Tar Heels baseball program returns to the diamond on Friday.

The Diamond Heels will begin the 2019 college baseball season with a three-game series, hosting Xavier in Chapel Hill and the expectations are high for the program. The Tar Heels were able to reach the 2018 College World Series after an impressive regular season but a very short outing in the ACC Tournament.

They upset Oregon State in the opening game of the College World Series but then lost two-straight and were sent packing back to Chapel Hill.

This season they are looking for more.

On Friday, the No. 5 Tar Heels return to the diamond for a three-game series at Boshamer Stadium to begin this 2019 season. They enter this contest winners of 18-straight home games, the most in the nation.

UNC will send right-hander Gianluca Dalatri to the mound for the season open after he posted a 2-2 record with a 3.33 ERA in 2018. He will be opposed by right-hander Conor Grammes who struggled in 2018, going 0-5 with a 6.75 ERA.

https://twitter.com/DiamondHeels/status/1096461443136933888

Dalatri is returning to UNC for another season after missing most of the 2018 campaign with an injury he suffered after his first two starts. He did return to start the final regular season game and pitched in the postseason but struggled as his stuff just wasn’t there.

But as we go into 2019, he takes the ball in the season opener hoping to replicate a freshman season in which he went 7-3 while pitching 97 innings and having an ERA of 3.34.

With Dalatri back healthy, the Tar Heels pitching should be good again this season. They will return Tyler Baum who posted a 4-1 record last year along with  Austin Bergner and Caden O’Brien.

Baum will take the mound in Game 2 of the series on Saturday.

While UNC’s pitching might be a strong point, the Tar Heels are hoping they can replace some offensive production they lost from 2018. Per GoHeels.com, UNC will need to replace 47 percent of runs scored, 47 percent of hits, 44 percent of home runs and 44 percent of RBIs will not return in 2019. That won’t be easy.

Michael Busch, who led the team in RBI’s and home runs in 2018, is returning as the big bat in the Tar Heels’ lineup. If he can have another big season and UNC gets solid production throughout their lineup, we could see this team back in Omaha again.

Pitching Matchups

Game 1 (3 p.m) : RHP Gianluca Dalatri (2-2, 3.33 ERA) vs. RHP Conor Grammes (0-5, 6.75 ERA)

Game 2 (2 p.m.) : RHP Tyler Baum (4-1, 4.57 ERA) vs. LHP Nick Zwack (3-5, 6.31 ERA)

Game 3 (1 p.m.) : No starter announced for UNC vs. LHP Marko Boricich

Check back with Keeping It Heel for more on the Diamond Heels as a new season has begun.

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