UNC Baseball: How did Vance Honeycutt fare in his professional debut?

Vance Honeycutt's professional baseball career is officially underway!

The now former UNC baseball star made his debut on Thursday night for the Baltimore Orioles' Single-A affiliate, the Delmarva Shorebirds. This marks his first appearance since being selected in the first round of the 2024 MLB Draft a few months back.

Overall, Honeycutt, who hit third and served as the designated hitter, reached base three times, as his first professional hit was an infield single to the left side that he hustled to beat the throw to first base.

Additionally, Honeycutt walked twice, stole two bases and scored a run in the team's 3-1 victory over the Down East Wood Ducks.

Although he didn't play the field, it was good to see Honeycutt finally find his way into the lineup for his new team. While some other former Diamond Heels have already made their professional debuts, we all were waiting to see when, and where, Honeycutt would be assigned to start his big league career.

It will be interesting to see how Honeycutt progresses over the next few weeks. If he performs well, there's a good possibility that he could earn a call-up at some point before the regular season draws to a close. If he needs some time to adjust to his new setting, he should have plenty of at-bats to work with with the Shorebirds.