CHAPEL HILL – The No. 1 UNCbaseball team steps out of conference play on Wednesday with the hopes of bouncing back from its second loss of the season when it travels to UNC Wilmington.

The Tar Heels dropped the third game of the series against the Clemson Tigers in a 5-4 11-inning decision Monday after taking the first two wins. Monday was a marathon day after UNC and Clemson had to make up the remainder of Sunday’s rain-out. The Tar Heels took the first game of the day 6-2 after starting in the top of the third with a 2-0 lead.

The polls came out Monday morning before Carolina dropped just its second game of the season—the Tar Heels are tied with LSU with the best record in the country. The Tar Heels held a unanimous No. 1 spot across the four polls.

UNC Wilmington could provide a good challenge for Carolina on Wednesday. The Seahawks hold the top spot in the Colonial Athletic Association at 7-1 and are 21-8 overall. They’re currently on a four-game winning streak, including a sweep over conference-opponent Old Dominion and a win Tuesday over the Southern Conference’s College of Charleston.

Senior right-hander Chris Munnelly will get the start. In 15.1 innings, he’s 1-0 on the season with a 1.17 earned run average (ERA). He’s thrown 22 strikeouts compared to just nine walks. The UNC pitching staff has inched two marks closer to the top squad in the land as Arkansas is just 0.02 better in its team ERA at 1.68.

Wednesday’s game between UNC and UNCW is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. You can hear all the action live on WCHL immediately following an abbreviated version of the WCHL Evening News with Aaron Keck.

Game Notes