UNC Baseball: Terre Haute NCAA Regional Preview

The UNC Baseball program was announced as the No. 3 seed in the Terre Haute Regional for the NCAA Tournament. Who else will join the Tar Heels?

The NCAA Baseball Selection Committee announced that the UNC baseball program would be the No. 3 seed in the Terre Haute Regional on Monday afternoon. The Tar Heels are joined by the No. 1 seed in the regional, and host, Indiana State. The No. 2 seed is the Iowa Hawkeyes and the No. 4 seed is Wright State.

So what do UNC baseball fans need to know about the other teams in the regional?

Indiana State Sycamores (No. 1)

Let’s start with the No. 1 seed, and host, Indiana State. The Sycamores are from the Missouri Valley Conference and enter the NCAA Tournament with a 42-15 overall record, including a 24-3 conference record.  Indiana State shouldn’t be taken lightly despite being from a mid-major conference, they have the 9th best RPI in the country and earned the No. 14 National Seed for a reason.

They have a pitching staff with an ERA of 3.80, good for fifth best in the country and their .984 fielding percentage is the best in the country. Indiana State has faced No. 2 seed Iowa already once this season, a 6-2 loss in 11 innings. They also faced an ACC opponent the Miami Hurricanes, which they lost 9-3.

The Sycamores will be looking to prove they belong amongst the best in college baseball by hosting an NCAA Baseball regional this weekend. Look for Indiana State to advance by leaning on their pitching staff and defense.

Iowa Hawkeyes (No. 2)

The No. 2 seed in the Terre Haute regional, and the Tar Heels’ first opponent, are the Iowa Hawkeyes. The Hawkeyes went 42-14 during the 2023 season, including 15-8 in conference play with an impressive 22-3 record at home. Iowa made the Big Ten Championship game before losing to Maryland.

The Hawkeyes are the best offensive team in the region, hitting 0.298 as a team, and have the highest on-base percentage with 0.418. Iowa has a solid starting rotation on the mound. Marcus Morgan will get the start for Iowa on Friday night in Game 1. Morgan has a 3.88 ERA and 4-2 record in 16 appearances this season.

Wright State (No. 4)

The No. 4 seed is Wright State from the Horizon League. They went 39-21 this season with a 22-8 conference record, including winning the conference tournament to earn the automatic bid. The Raiders are making their third straight NCAA Baseball Tournament appearance.

While Wright State is the No. 4 seed, they have the ability to win a game, or more, in the Terre Haute regional and should not be taken lightly.

Terre Haute Regional Schedule

Friday, June 2nd

Game 1: No. 1 Indiana State vs No. 4 Wright State 1:00 PM ET (ESPN+)

Game 2: No. 2 Iowa vs No. 3 North Carolina 7:00 PM ET (ACC Network)

Saturday, June 3rd

Game 3: Loser of Game 1 vs Loser of Game 2 12:00 PM ET (Elimination Game)

Game 4: Winner of Game 1 vs Winner of Game 2 6:00 PM ET

Sunday, June 4th

Game 5: Winner of Game 3 vs Loser of Game 4 12:00 PM ET (Elimination Game)

Game 6: Winner of Game 4 vs Winner of Game 5 6:00 PM ET

Monday, June 5th

Game 7: If Necessary (TBD)

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