USC baseball faces a strong test against No. 5 North Carolina baseball in the NCAA Chapel Hill Super Regional this coming weekend. Tar Heels Wire looked at some of the role players who could be X-factors for the regional against USC.
“Rom Kellis started in right field for UNC on Sunday, hitting in both plate appearances and later scoring. This followed a strong ACC Tournament, during which Kellis made the All-Tourney team. Carter French, who typically starts in right and splits time with Kellis, is more of a defensive ace. Kellis brings the bat. Sure, you want strong defense, especially as teams get deeper into the NCAA Tournament. Kellis’ bat is too hot to keep him out of the starting lineup.”
Tar Heels Wire later added this note:
“In his first year as a Diamond Heel and last as a collegiate athlete, (Colin) Hynek delivered a memorable moment in Saturday’s 7-5 win over ECU. The Georgia State transfer mashed a game-tying, 3-run shot in the fourth-inning, which spurred North Carolina’s offense. Hynek recorded another hit that day, while scoring two runs.”
North Carolina has an unsung pitcher, Folger Boaz, who struggled for portions of the regular season but improved in the regional. UNC reliever Caden Glauber is 10-0, a secret weapon in the bullpen. The Tar Heels have a first baseman, Erik Paulsen, who stepped up in the regional as well. The stars — Owen Hull and Jake Schaffner — carried the freight during the season, but these other role players emerged in the regional.
You can begin to see that Carolina can win — and attack — in many different ways and from many different sources of production. The Trojans can’t just focus on a few stars. This is a complete team the Trojans are visiting in Chapel Hill.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: North Carolina baseball role players demand USC’s complete attention