The Chapel Hill Regional is set to begin on Friday, as the UNC baseball program will take on VCU in its opening round contest.
VCU comes into the regional as a No. 4 seed but they are better then their seeding indicates, as this is a matchup that could cause fits for the teams competing in Chapel Hill this weekend.
Ryan Lynch will draw the assignment of slowing down the Rams offense in the opener for the Diamond Heels, as Scott Forbes has elected to "pitch out," switching up his rotation a bit ahead of the start of tournament action.
The Rams have a strong offensive lineup overall, but these three players are ones that Lynch (and the Tar Heels pitching staff) need to pay close attention to on Friday afternoon.
Jacob Lee is the main force in VCU's lineup, the guy you definitely can't afford to make a mistake to.
Lee comes into the Chapel Hill Regional leading the Rams in batting average (.342), OPS (1.110), hits (77), home runs (17), runs batted in (56) and walks (42). He is also a threat to steal bases, swiping 10 bags on 15 attempts this season.
In big moments, Lee is the guy the Rams want at the plate. He's a guy that you would love to avoid having to pitch to with runners on base, given how good he's been in every single aspect offensively this season.
Petite is another guy who can beat you in a variety of ways. The Rams center fielder holds down the No. 2 spot in the order and has the ability to beat you in a variety of ways, hitting for average, knocking one out of the ball park of simply swiping a base when needed.
In fact, Petite is VCU's biggest threat to run, leading the Rams with 22 stolen bases on the year. If he gets on base, the Tar Heels must be mindful of his presence, as he can easily end up on second (or third) in a blink of an eye.
Even if you're able to keep Jacob Lee at bay, Nick Flores is lurking on the on-deck circle.
The sophomore from Royersford, Pennsylvania has been a steady presence in the No. 5 spot of the Rams order, coming into regional play with a .322 batting average. While he doesn't hit for much power, he is an extra-base hit machine, leading the Rams with 22 doubles on the season. He is also a threat to steal a base, successfully swiping 18 bases on just 20 attempts.
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