The UNC baseball team continues to prove itself as a legitimate, College World Series contender as regular season play winds down.
North Carolina (36-8-1, 17-7 ACC) took two of three games from archival Duke over the weekend, marking its seventh-straight conference series win. After trading 3-1 results both Thursday and Friday, the Diamond Heels broke a 16-season record with their 22-5 obliteration on Sunday.
In the latest D1Baseball poll released on April 27, UNC is ranked second overall, no change from the April 20 poll. UCLA still leads the rankings, while Georgia Tech (third), Texas and Georgia round out the Top 5.
North Carolina has another huge test on Tuesday night, hosting Coastal Carolina in a battle of Top 10 programs. The Sun Belt-leading Chanticleers (30-13, 17-4), ranked ninth in this week's D1 poll, took the first two games from Texas State in their own weekend series.
What's working for the Diamond Heels this season? Head coach Scott Forbes hit a home run with UNC's transfer portal additions, highlighted by outfielder Owen Hull (George Mason) providing arguably the greatest impact (team-leading .389 batting average), while bullpen arms are virtually untouchable.
π D1Baseball Top 25 Rankings: Week 11(Presented by @NettingPros)Who's too high? Too low?π https://t.co/HRvAz1RzKx pic.twitter.com/jV9kvlg7Fz
Jason DeCaro is North Carolina's superstar ace, carrying a 7-2 win-loss record, 2.17 earned run average and 50 strikeouts. Freshman Caden Glauber is UNC's top bullpen arm, carrying a 6-0 record, 2.13 ERA, three saves and a team-high 61 strikeouts.
The Diamond Heels' three best hitters are all offseason transfers: Hull (team-high 55 runs batted in), Jake Schaffner (.344 batting average) and Macon Winslow (.303).
North Carolina has plenty new position players, but every finds a way to contribute. Forbes is, once again, doing a phenomenal job leading an ACC powerhouse.
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC baseball stays put at second in April 27 D1Baseball poll