UNC Baseball: Colin Moran striving for strong finish to 2021 season

Although the Pittsburgh Pirates are out of playoff contention, former UNC baseball standout Colin Moran is looking to have a strong finish this season.

With the blink of an eye, the final week of the 2021 Major League Baseball regular season is upon us.

At this point, there are still a handful of teams that are looking to make one final push toward the postseason. For the Pittsburgh Pirates, a team that is out of contention, the hope is that their core guys will have a strong finish prior to the upcoming offseason.

With a strong finish in mind, former UNC baseball standout Colin Moran got the final week of the season off on the right foot. The 28-year-old put together one of his best performances in over a month to help lead the Pirates to a 8-6 victory over the Chicago Cubs.

Before we get to what Moran did offensively, it’s important to note what he accomplished defensively in the game’s opening frame.

Throughout the season, the former Tar Heel has transitioned from third base to first. Moran has had his fair share of struggles with the move, including suffering a groin injury trying to turn a double play that sidelined him just short of a month.

In this game, Moran showed that he’s more than capable of handling the position. Rafael Ortega hit a hard grounder down the first base line, but Moran saved an extra-base hit by making a highlight reel play.

After flashing the leather a bit, Moran got to work at the plate. With two runners on in the bottom half of the first, Moran took a 0-1 fastball to left center field for his 10th homer of the season. In his final at-bat of the evening in the seventh inning, Moran hit an RBI single which drove in his fourth run of the contest.

The month of September hasn’t been a good one for the former UNC baseball standout, but it appears as if he’s about to get back on track offensively. As part of his great day against the Cubs, Moran also drew two walks, making it the sixth time that he’s walked over his last 17 plate appearances.

As he’s seeing the ball better and starting to drive the ball around the entire field, it’s very possible that a big final week of the season is ahead for Colin Moran. After struggling with injuries throughout the season, it would be great for the former Tar Heel to go on a hot streak before ending his 2021 season.

Continue to follow the Keeping It Heel team for all the latest news and updates on Colin Moran, and the UNC baseball program.