For the first time since 2013, the UNC baseball program has started its season with a perfect 9-0 record.
The Diamond Heels concluded a stretch of five games in five days with a victory over North Carolina A&T on Wednesday afternoon in Chapel Hill.
Both sides traded punches through the first five innings of play. North Carolina scored runs in both the first and second innings, but the Aggies would respond in the third with a four-run inning to claim the lead. While North Carolina A&T's lead would last through the top half of the fifth inning, North Carolina did all of the offensive damage for the remainder of the game.
And boy, they did some major damage!
It started in the bottom half of the fifth inning. True freshman Perry Hargett got it started with an RBI single, his second hit in two at-bats after entering the game as a pinch hitter. A few batters later, Gavin Gallaher left the yard for the first time this season, driving in two more runs for the guys in Carolina Blue.
The Diamond Heels offense was far from done, as they put together a stellar seven run eighth inning. Kane Kepley tripled, driving in Gallaher, and would score shortly after on a wild pitch. Luke Stevenson crushed his second homer of the season while Hargett capped off his debut with his first collegiate homer.
While they already had a small cushion, the massive inning put the game out of reach.
Scott Forbes was forced to go to the bullpen early, but once again the guys out of the pen delivered. Cameron Padgett hurled four shutout innings, earning him his first victory of the 2025 season.
This year's team continues to show us how deep they are, as every game feels like there's a different hero (or in most cases, heroes) who lead the way. While it's still early in the season and a lot of baseball left to be played, this group is showing that they have something special brewing.
The UNC baseball program has a well-deserved day off on Thursday before kicking off a three-game series at Boshamer Stadium against Stony Brook on Friday.