For a 12th time in program history, the Diamond Heels are headed to Omaha.

In front of a record Boshamer Stadium crowd of 4,491, Dalton Pence escaped a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the ninth inning with to secure a 2-1 Carolina win on Saturday night. UNC finishes the 2024 season with a 37-3 home record.

Vance Honeycutt hit a lead-off home run on the very first pitch of the game in the top of the first inning to open the scoring, breaking his own single-season home run record in the process with 26. Honeycutt then came around to score UNC’s second and final run of the game in the third inning on a Parks Harber single.

That was enough support for starting pitcher Jason DeCaro, who went 6.1 strong innings while allowing just two hits and one run. Dalton Pence took over from there, throwing 65 gutsy pitches across the seventh, eighth and ninth innings to close the game. A lead-off single in the ninth was just the start of the very finish, as two Mountaineers would walk to move the tying run 90 feet away from home plate and the winning run into scoring position. West Virginia was batting as the home team and so was a hit away from walking the Tar Heels off.

It came down to a bang-bang play on the final out, as Ben Lumsden lofted a soft line drive to first base. Harber retreated to field it on a bounce and flipped it to Pence, who was sprinting over from the mound. Pence beat a head-first dive from Lumsden at the bag by a step for the final out, sending the light blue-clad fans in Boshamer into a frenzy.

Carolina will face No. 12 Virginia in the first round of the Men’s College World Series. The Tar Heels and Cavaliers are two of the three ACC teams to punch tickets to Omaha so far, joining No. 8 Florida State. No. 10 NC State and No. 6 Clemson are also playing in Super Regionals this weekend.

The full bracket and schedule of the Men’s College World Series will be released once all teams are finalized.

 

Featured image via UNC Baseball on Twitter

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.

Related Stories
‹
UNC Baseball Beats Elon at Boshamer Stadium; ACC Play Next
It took all nine innings this time, but the Diamond Heels were still able to comfortably beat Elon 5-1 at Boshamer Stadium Tuesday afternoon. Light work of the fire birds 🔥#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/HVWEAqyNhK — Carolina Baseball (@DiamondHeels) March 3, 2026 Carolina’s offense was nowhere near its historic level showcased in its weekend sweep of […]
UNC Baseball Rides Hot Bats to Home Sweep vs. Le Moyne
The Diamond Heels scored a combined 49 runs across a three-game sweep of Le Moyne at Boshamer Stadium during the weekend. All three games were ended early via the 10-run rule. Friday’s opening game saw Carolina score five runs in the first inning thanks to a sacrifice fly, a bases-loaded walk and a bases clearing […]
UNC Baseball Wins Midweek Matchups vs. North Carolina A&T, VCU
The Diamond Heels had no trouble in a pair of midweek games against North Carolina A&T and VCU. Carolina outscored the opposition 22-4 on its way to wins in both matchups at Boshamer Stadium. Tuesday against the Aggies, George Mason transfer Owen Hull had the best game of his young UNC career with three hits […]
UNC Baseball Drops Second Game of East Carolina Series; Final Game Declared a Tie
The Diamond Heels fell in the second game of this weekend’s three-game series against East Carolina and ended Sunday’s rubber match after five innings due to weather conditions. As the score was tied 3-3 at the time of the stoppage, the game will officially go down as a tie. Saturday’s game at Durham Bulls Athletic […]
DeCaro Dazzles as UNC Baseball Beats East Carolina in Series Opener
Jason DeCaro threw a complete-game shutout and the UNC lineup banged out 12 hits as the Diamond Heels rolled past East Carolina 10-0 in Greenville Friday night. The game was ended after eight innings via the run rule. Sprinkled in a 𝘿𝙐𝘽 💪#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/1a6yCgvcLv — Carolina Baseball (@DiamondHeels) February 21, 2026 Carolina provided […]
Chansky's Notebook: An Early Test
One of the most unique series on the college baseball calendar gets underway tonight as UNC and ECU open their three-ballpark series.
UNC Baseball Wins Midweek Games vs. Richmond, Longwood
The Diamond Heels hosted games against Richmond and Longwood at Boshamer Stadium this week and won both to move to 5-0 this season.
Walk-Off Home Run Helps UNC Baseball Sweep Opening Series vs. Indiana
The Diamond Heels swept a Saturday doubleheader against Indiana at Boshamer Stadium Saturday, and in the process swept the three-game opening series against the Hoosiers. Carolina ended the first game early via the 10-run rule, scoring three runs in the fifth, six in the sixth and two in the seventh to earn a 12-2 win. […]
Big Inning Helps UNC Baseball Beat Indiana in 2026 Season Opener
The Diamond Heels scored six runs in the bottom of the sixth inning on their way to a 9-4 win against Indiana in the season opener at Boshamer Stadium Friday. WON and oh! #GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/U4BRtzk7db — Carolina Baseball (@DiamondHeels) February 14, 2026 UNC’s big inning broke open what had been a close game, […]
'Our Guys Are Ready': UNC Baseball Expresses Excitement Ahead of 2026 Season
After one of the most gut-wrenching losses of his life, Scott Forbes had to turn his frown upside down. Because just one day removed from the end of the Diamond Heels’ 2025 season, Forbes’ program was hosting a key transfer portal target. Welcome to the new world of college athletics. “We lose to Arizona on […]
›