Chapel Hill Super Regional Preview
Postseason baseball continues in Chapel Hill.
Over the years, Carolina fans have grown accustomed to seeing a little Bosh Magic during NCAA Tournament play. This time, the Diamond Heels did not need a dramatic moment to claim the Chapel Hill Regional title.
Carolina took care of business on its home field, going unbeaten across three games at Boshamer Stadium. The Tar Heels opened the weekend with a win over VCU before defeating East Carolina in back-to-back matchups to advance to the Chapel Hill Super Regional.
UNC will face USC, which battled back through the losers’ bracket to win the College Station Regional. The Trojans forced a winner-take-all game by defeating Texas A&M, 14-3, on Sunday before taking down the Aggies again on Monday night in dominant fashion, 7-1.
Now, the Diamond Heels are one series away from Omaha, with another postseason weekend at The Bosh on the horizon.
Chapel Hill Super Regional Schedule
USC Program Overview & History
USC HC Andy Stankiewicz
487-329-3 Overall
146-90-1 at USC
4th Season at USC
Stankiewicz previously coached at Grand Canyon for 11 seasons, transitioning from Division II to Division I in 2014.
Andy Stankiewicz is in his fourth season leading the USC baseball program after previously spending 11 seasons as the head coach at Grand Canyon.
During his tenure with the Lopes, Stankiewicz guided the program to five WAC regular-season championships and the 2021 WAC Tournament title. Grand Canyon also reached an NCAA Regional in each of its final two seasons, earning the program’s first Division I tournament appearance in 2021 and its first at-large bid in 2022.
Stankiewicz has won at least 30 games 11 times as a college head coach, including three seasons with 40 or more victories. Before beginning his coaching career, Stankiewicz played seven seasons in Major League Baseball, appearing for four different organizations.
Video Courtesy of USC Athletics
USC vs UNC History
North Carolina and USC have met 11 times, with the Trojans holding an 8-3 advantage in the all-time series.
The two programs have not faced each other since 2012, when the No. 6 Tar Heels won two of three games against the No. 21 Trojans in Chapel Hill.
UNC and USC have also crossed paths twice in the postseason, with both meetings coming in the College World Series. The Trojans won each matchup, defeating Carolina in Omaha in 1966 and 1978.
A Storied Past Comes to Chapel Hill
12 College World Series Championships
USC enters the Chapel Hill Super Regional as one of the most accomplished programs in college baseball history. The Trojans have won 12 College World Series championships, the most of any program in the country.
However, it has been more than two decades since USC last reached this stage of the NCAA Tournament. The Trojans are making their first Super Regional appearance since 2005 and are looking to return to Omaha for the first time since 2001.
USC enters the Chapel Hill Super Regional with a 47-16 record, including a 12-13 mark on the road and a 7-11 record against Quad 1 opponents.
The Trojans finished third in the Big Ten standings behind UCLA and Nebraska. Against the conference’s other top teams, USC went 1-9, suffering road sweeps against UCLA and Nebraska, dropping two of three games at Oregon, and falling to UCLA in the Big Ten Tournament.
USC earned the No. 2 seed in the College Station Regional and took a difficult path to the title. After losing its opening game to Texas State, 5-4, the Trojans won four consecutive elimination games through the losers’ bracket. That run included back-to-back victories over top-seeded Texas A&M to secure a spot in the Chapel Hill Super Regional.
Footage from ESPNU
USC By the Numbers
USC’s strength starts on the mound, where the Trojans rank fourth nationally in both ERA (3.52) and WHIP (1.20), fourth in left-on-base percentage (.760), 18th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.65), and 25th in strikeouts per nine innings (10.1). Offensively, USC averages 7.18 runs per game, but its biggest threat comes from its power, ranking 49th nationally with a .486 slugging percentage.
Like UNC, the Trojans also play strong defense, setting up a matchup between two well-rounded teams.
USC’s success has been driven by a balanced group of contributors on both sides of the ball. Here are a few of the Trojans’ key players to watch as the series unfolds.
Elite Starting Pitcher: Mason Edwards - LHP
USC is led on the mound by Big Ten Pitcher of the Year Mason Edwards, one of the most dominant arms in the country. The left-hander enters the Super Regional with an 8-0 record across 16 starts, a 1.85 ERA that ranks second nationally, and a nation-leading 164 strikeouts.
Edwards has held opposing hitters to a .153 batting average, the best mark in the country, while averaging 15.9 strikeouts per nine innings. His three-pitch mix features a fastball that typically sits around 92 to 93 mph and can touch 95, along with a plus curveball and changeup.
Ranked as the No. 34 prospect in the upcoming MLB Draft, Edwards will be looking to bounce back after an uneven start against Lamar in the regional, when he allowed five earned runs across 4.1 innings.
Grant Govel - RHP
USC also has a dependable arm in Grant Govel, who earned First Team All-Big Ten honors this season. The right-hander enters the Super Regional with a 10-2 record, a 2.96 ERA, and 92 strikeouts against just 13 walks.
Govel averages 8.8 strikeouts per nine innings and gives the Trojans another proven option in a pitching staff that has been one of the best in the country.
Video Credit: Burke Granger | Video Source (Tweet)
Augie Lopez - C
USC’s catcher Augie Lopez, who was named the Most Outstanding Player of the College Station Regional. Across 58 games, Lopez is batting .279 with a .367 on-base percentage, a .605 slugging percentage, and a .972 OPS.
His power stands out in the middle of the order, with 19 home runs, 57 RBIs, and 12 doubles this season.
Closing Thoughts
UNC is now just one series away from Omaha, but the final hurdle will be a challenging one. USC arrives in Chapel Hill with one of the nation’s best pitching staffs and plenty of momentum after battling through the losers’ bracket to win the College Station Regional. With two talented teams fighting to keep their seasons alive, Boshamer Stadium should once again provide the backdrop for an electric weekend of postseason baseball.
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