Tar Heels Break Through at Clemson for Series Win
Grace Nugent provides her takeaways from North Carolina's 12-5 win over Clemson, securing its first series win at Doug Kingsmore since 2012.
Grace: Tar Heels Break Through at Clemson for Series Win (+)
- Thread starter BenSherman
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Anytime you win a series vs a solid team like Clemson away from home, it’s a good weekend.
Absolutely. I was nervous about this series. Tough conference. It’s crazy that Clemson is in next to last place
Didn’t get to watch at all this weekend but followed along on live stats. This team keeps doing what they’re supposed to be doing. It isn’t as pretty as we’d all like, and there’s plenty of things that can improve.
I guess that’s the exciting part of this team… we’re where we are with NONE of our weekend starters pitching to the level anyone most everyone expected. Offense is still mostly a struggle (nice to see em break out today).
It’s crazy how Globe has seemingly carried this team… weird to say that about a frosh who doesn’t even start. But he’s been ridiculously good so far.
If each of the starters can inch toward their best selves while at UNC, the offense find just a tad more consistency against good pitching, and the “rest” of the pen can find a guy or two to be reliable for even an inning, the sky really is the limit.
I guess that’s the exciting part of this team… we’re where we are with NONE of our weekend starters pitching to the level anyone most everyone expected. Offense is still mostly a struggle (nice to see em break out today).
It’s crazy how Globe has seemingly carried this team… weird to say that about a frosh who doesn’t even start. But he’s been ridiculously good so far.
If each of the starters can inch toward their best selves while at UNC, the offense find just a tad more consistency against good pitching, and the “rest” of the pen can find a guy or two to be reliable for even an inning, the sky really is the limit.
I believe April 2004, same month I was born
We are second in the ACC by two games. Of the five ACC series we've won, four of the victories were against teams in the bottom six of the ACC and the other was BC (crazy that BC has the best record of our opponents). Of course, if we had lost some of those series, those teams wouldn't be in the bottom of the ACC because the bottom 12 is pretty closely bunched this year.
If we can win the series next week, it will do a lot to validate this year's team.
If we can win the series next week, it will do a lot to validate this year's team.
Ok Grace, call me slow, but please tell this retired pharmacist about the “diuretic” reference. Seems to me that the Heels were having no problem p**sing away scoring opportunities.
For Grace, that will fly in 40 years, but probably not for you, Ben.
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About the last sentence in your post, Carolina's current team does not need "validation," in your eyes, or in those of the national media.
14-inning wins--in consecutive weeks--have already accomplished that, in weeks when the Heels needed to come from behind to win key conference series.
Yours is one of the most obvious and oblivious understatements that I have ever read on this board. Beat GaT in a series and, at worst, we should be No. 3. Yes, that is true.
But why bring that up now? After the regular season, I want Carolina to be a top eight seed. At the close of the NCAA Tournament, I want us to be No. 1--a place where we have never finished before.
But talking about it now does not get it done. That's as tone deaf as congratulating a pitcher--still in the game--on his 6.1 innings of no-hit work.
Validation in the sense of top of the ACC and in contention for a national seed. Obviously, we are good team - even if we get swept by Ga Tech next week.
But Ga Tech is our first CWS-level challenge of the season. Are we the type of team that can compete at the elite level of the sport? Or are we benefiting from an easier schedule and some fortuitous breaks (we are 4-0 in extra innings).
Next weekend will be an important measuring stick for the season.
Winning in extra games innings is “fortuitous breaks”? Give me a break. That’s a sign of a really good team.
You know what, you and @Heelium1 are right. There are absolutely no questions about this team. We have proven that we are best team in baseball and there is no close second. Sorry for thinking that the Ga Tech series might answer some important questions about this squad.
There are questions about every team. Don’t disagree that there are question marks with this one either. There’s several, including at least for me can this team hit consistently enough the deeper they go and whether the starting pitching is good enough. My point was that winning extra inning games isn’t necessarily just due to fortuitous breaks. Yes, this weekend is a litmus test but it’s also not make or break.