Game one of day two is in the books, and the UNC offense put the Indiana Hoosiers through the spin cycle. Now the Tar Heels showed they could hit, with nine knocks that turned into 12 runs, but the free passes were the name of the game. The IU pitching staff walked seven batters and hit five, giving the Tar Heels a huge opportunity in the sixth, which they turned into another six-spot. The biggest thing about the sixth was UNC keeping a level head at the plate. While the pitches were all outside, none of the UNC batters tried to push too much at the plate. Erik Paulsen, who will get his flowers in a few sentences, didn't freak out at the plate when he had bases loaded, no outs. Same thing with Cooper Nicholson, the at-bat later.
But in a game of free passes, it is also about the big hit at the right moment. Colin Hynek tripled in the sixth to bring in two runs (that had gotten on via a walk and a hit by pitch), and Erik Paulsen, who had a monster performance, hit a three-run homer in the fifth inning. The Stony Brook transfer made his mark today, hitting an RBI single in the first, getting hit once, walking once, and hitting the aforementioned homer. There were a lot of bright spots in the UNC part of the box score, but here are a few highlights:
Colin Hynek: 2-3, 3 RBI
Owen Hull: 1-2, 3 R, 2B, 2 BB, HBP
Jake Schaffner: 2-5, R, 3B* first player since Danny Serretti to hit triples in back-to-back games
On the pitching side, Folger Boaz's new cutter made its first appearance of the 2026 season. The Trackman radar gun was down for all of Folger's outing, so we have no concrete data on what he was sitting or anything of that realm. From the eye, he made a few mistakes, hitting a batter when he was up 0-2, but much like Jason, he was able to respond well after a mistake or a hit. Two solid five-inning outings from UNC's Friday and Saturday starters are a good way to start the season.
Walker McDuffie entered in the sixth and ran into some trouble. Don't go clutching pearls yet about his abilities; the command of his slider seemed a bit off as he found himself in a hole after letting up two singles and a nine-pitch walk to load the bases with no outs. But to his credit, he was able to get Cole Decker to hit into a double play and Brayden Ricketts to strikeout looking. A run did score on a wild pitch, but he battled through and got over the hump of the first "sub-par" (which feels almost unfair to say as he was only charged with one run) appearance of the season.
One more game on deck for opening weekend as Ryan Lynch takes the mound.
But in a game of free passes, it is also about the big hit at the right moment. Colin Hynek tripled in the sixth to bring in two runs (that had gotten on via a walk and a hit by pitch), and Erik Paulsen, who had a monster performance, hit a three-run homer in the fifth inning. The Stony Brook transfer made his mark today, hitting an RBI single in the first, getting hit once, walking once, and hitting the aforementioned homer. There were a lot of bright spots in the UNC part of the box score, but here are a few highlights:
Colin Hynek: 2-3, 3 RBI
Owen Hull: 1-2, 3 R, 2B, 2 BB, HBP
Jake Schaffner: 2-5, R, 3B* first player since Danny Serretti to hit triples in back-to-back games
On the pitching side, Folger Boaz's new cutter made its first appearance of the 2026 season. The Trackman radar gun was down for all of Folger's outing, so we have no concrete data on what he was sitting or anything of that realm. From the eye, he made a few mistakes, hitting a batter when he was up 0-2, but much like Jason, he was able to respond well after a mistake or a hit. Two solid five-inning outings from UNC's Friday and Saturday starters are a good way to start the season.
Walker McDuffie entered in the sixth and ran into some trouble. Don't go clutching pearls yet about his abilities; the command of his slider seemed a bit off as he found himself in a hole after letting up two singles and a nine-pitch walk to load the bases with no outs. But to his credit, he was able to get Cole Decker to hit into a double play and Brayden Ricketts to strikeout looking. A run did score on a wild pitch, but he battled through and got over the hump of the first "sub-par" (which feels almost unfair to say as he was only charged with one run) appearance of the season.
One more game on deck for opening weekend as Ryan Lynch takes the mound.
