UNC Baseball making major pitching rotation change

Scott Forbes and the UNC baseball program are making a pitching change, one that affects its starting rotation over the final weeks of the regular season.

At the beginning of the season, the pitching change that Scott Forbes is making for the UNC baseball program is one that we definitely didn’t expect.

After the Diamond Heels’ Saturday night loss to Boston College, Forbes announced that the starting rotation will be altered prior to next weekend’s series at Virginia Tech. Connor Bovair will be moving into the Friday night role, while Max Carlson will be transitioned into a bullpen role.

Bovair has been the UNC baseball program’s best starting pitcher during the 2023 season, as he’s currently 4-1 with a 3.95 ERA over 10 appearances (9 starts). He put together a fantastic outing against Boston College on Saturday night, as he allowed just two runs over 7.1 innings of work. Unfortunately, the bullpen let him down, as the Diamond Heels went on to lose the contest.

Carlson, on the other hand, hasn’t been the ace that we all expected him to be. The right-hander has had some bright spots, but it’s been mixed with uneven results, as he is just 2-1 with a 6.36 ERA over his 10 starts.

To put it into perspective, Carlson has three outings in which he’s pitched seven or more innings this season. Over the other seven starts, the junior has failed to pitch past the fifth inning, with three of those outings being three innings or fewer.

As the Diamond Heels look to right the ship as they head towards the end of the regular season, Forbes has decided that this is a move the team must make. It’s time for the team’s pitching to step up, as players should have ample opportunities to earn bigger roles on this pitching staff over the next couple of weeks.

Follow us @KeepingItHeel on Twitter and like our fan page on Facebook for continued coverage of UNC baseball news, updates, and recruiting.