UNC Baseball

Tar Heel Firsts: The first UNC alum to win a World Series

Nine players from North Carolina had played in Major League Baseball before Mule Shirley came along in 1924. Pitcher Bob Lawson was the first way back in 1901. Moonlight Graham is the most famous Tar Heel of that era, albeit for reasons deeper than just his play on the field. However, Mule Shirley is the first former Tar Heel to have ever won a World Series. (Tar Heel Blog)

Tar Heel Firsts: UNC’s first baseball coach

Perrin Busby, who also had been one of the leaders of a petition to bring football to UNC and eventually played for the team, wasn’t as much coach as he was captain. He was born in 1872, making him around 19 years old at the time of that first baseball season in 1891. Nevertheless, he is officially recognized as the first baseball coach at North Carolina. (Tar Heel Blog)

Angels Designate Matt Harvey For Assignment

The Angels announced they have designated right-handed pitcher Matt Harvey for assignment. The move comes on the heels of yet another rough outing for the 30-year-old former ace. Harvey has posted brutal numbers for much of the season, struggling to find any kind of consistency. His one-year, $11 million contract simply has not worked out. (MLB Trade Rumors)

Summer League Play Continues for Diamond Heels

Caden O’Brien and Danny Serretti were released from the Cape Cod League. Transactions don’t cite an explanation, so it’s unclear why both left their teams. So, for now, Austin Love is the only Tar Heel spending the rest of his summer in Massachusetts. However, plenty of Tar Heels are playing elsewhere this summer, so let's see how they're doing. (Tar Heel Blog)

Matt Harvey triumphs with lockermate Tyler Skaggs in mind

Even through his struggles this season, Matt Harvey always had someone he could count on to keep his mind positive. Tyler Skaggs was his biggest cheerleader, reminding him that he was an ace with the Mets before injuries derailed his career. So when Harvey took the mound on what would’ve been Skaggs’ 28th birthday on Saturday, he kept Skaggs’ memory alive. (MLB.com)

College baseball rankings: An incredibly early look at the preseason top 25 for the 2020 season

We looked at expected returners, recruit rankings, and 2019 finish to come up with a pre-preseason college baseball top 25 for the 2020. No. 11 North Carolina: We’ve been big on the Aaron Sabato and Danny Serretti freshmen duo, and after leading the Tar Heels in hitting, there’s no reason to back off. Besides, when does Mike Fox not field a contender? (NCAA.com)

UNC Baseball: Two Tar Heels participated in Coastal Plain League All-Star game

There were two Tar Heels who saw action in the Coastal Plain League All-Star game. Angel Zarate was on the fan vote team, and got the only RBI of the Sunday game to allow the fan team to move on to Monday’s game. On Monday, he would get another 2 RBI and work with pitcher Davis Palermo to get the fan vote team into the championship game. (Tar Heel Blog)

Season-long struggle for Mariners’ Kyle Seager begins to ease. Can the third baseman keep it going?

This hasn’t been the reboot season Kyle Seager envisioned, but as the Seattle Mariners closed the first half, the veteran third baseman offered a glimpse of what this season could still turn into. Saturday against the A’s, Seager ended a 0-for-21 slump with his sixth home run of the season, and drove in another run for a season-best three-RBI night. (Tacoma News Tribune)

7 college baseball programs who could win their first College World Series title in 2020

North Carolina - Freshmen sensations Aaron Sabato and Danny Serretti headline UNC's talented returnees. Sabato slashed .343/.453/.696 with 18 homers and 63 RBIs while Serretti had a .299 average with 18 doubles. That gives the defending ACC tournament champs the most lethal heart-of-the-order combo in the conference. (NCAA.com)

Dodgers Sign First-Rounder Michael Busch

The Dodgers have signed Busch for full slot value, Jim Callis of MLB.com tweets. As the 31st overall choice, Busch’s selection calls for a $2.31MM slot value. Entering the draft, ESPN’s Keith Law (No. 16), Baseball America (24), FanGraphs (24), MLB.com (26) ranked Busch in the vicinity of where the Dodgers picked him. Law credits Busch as a disciplined hitter. (MLB Trade Rumors)

Tyler Baum makes pro debut with Athletics' minor league team in Vermont

2nd Round (2019) – RHP Tyler Baum: The UNC junior was the 77th-ranked prospect by Baseball America and the 100th-ranked prospect by MLB Pipeline. Baum notched 92 strikeouts in 86.2 innings while posting an ERA of 3.95 for North Carolina in 2019. The 21-year-old struck out a pair while pitching 2 perfect innings in his pro debut for Vermont on Wednesday. (Athletics Nation)

Angels pitcher Matt Harvey rejoins team as his rehabilitation continues

His itinerary called for a trip to the Angels complex in Tempe, where pitcher Matt Harvey was scheduled to wait this week between rehab outings. But after the death of teammate Tyler Skaggs, Harvey altered his plans to meet the team in Arlington, Texas, and accompany the group to Minute Maid Park. "I wanted to be here with them,” Harvey said. (Los Angeles Times)

Next >