The UNC baseball program did what they had to do in order to advance to the Super Regionals, as freshman right-hander Jason DeCaro was called upon to start Game 7 on Monday night on short rest.
Having started on Friday and then returning to the mound on Monday night as an “opener” for two innings, it was probably not likely that the Tar Heels would once again call on him to start on short rest.
On Thursday, Scott Forbes confirmed that notion, as veteran left-hander Shea Sprague will be on the mound as the Diamond Heels open up Super Regional action.
Shea Sprague will get the ball for the @DiamondHeels in Game 1 of the Chapel Hill Super Regional, per Scott Forbes.
— Pat James (@patjames24) June 6, 2024
It will be the battle of the southpaws, as Sprague, who is 3-1 with a 3.76 ERA this season, will be opposed by West Virginia left-hander Derek Clark, who is 8–2 with an impressive 2.82 ERA.
After transferring to North Carolina from Elon, Sprague became a steady presence in the UNC baseball program’s rotation. Given the injuries to Jake Knapp and Folger Boaz, Sprague has filled into the rotation nicely, providing some valuable innings in a starter’s role.
His last start came on June 1 against LSU, as he pitched 4.1 shutout innings. The Tigers worked his pitch count up to 93 pitches, but Sprague was able to keep their talented offense off the scoreboard throughout his outing.
The Tar Heels hope that Sprague can provide them with some length, as the “horses,” as Forbes described his bullpen, had to throw a lot of innings over last weekend’s action. If Sprague can give the Diamond Heels 5-6 innings, it could be a major advantage for them as they progress through the weekend’s best-of-three series.
Super Regional action between the UNC baseball program and West Virginia is scheduled to begin at 6:00 PM EST at Boshamer Stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
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Publish date : 2024-06-06 19:55:49
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Author : usa-news
Publish date : 2024-06-07 00:28:35
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