A rare series win in Atlanta over Georgia Tech has the 22nd-ranked UNC baseball team feeling better about themselves heading into their Tuesday home game with the 7-16 Appalachian State Mountaineers.

Despite an uncharacteristic 14-9 overall record for the Tar Heels, they can find comfort in knowing they defeated the Yellow Jackets in a series for the first time since 2009. That statistic alone has to comfort those who were afraid this team may have started to lose its way.

Carolina fans should also be excited by the return of senior Benton Moss from injury to a weekend starting rotation that has displayed hints of dominance so far this season. Moss threw six innings, allowed just one run, and struck out eight hitters on the way to a win in Saturday’s second game. He was previously sidelined for three weeks due to precautionary reasons relating to tightness in his pitching arm.

Increased offensive production from Korey Dunbar has been crucial for Carolina. (UNC Athletics)

Increased offensive production from Korey Dunbar has been crucial for Carolina. (UNC Athletics)

Bullpen woes have also been a major cause for concern amongst the Tar Heel faithful in 2015, so Coach Mike Fox had to have been delighted that only his top two relievers were needed throughout the entire weekend in Atlanta, junior Trent Thornton and senior Trevor Kelley, each of whom picked up a save for their efforts.

Offensively, UNC has received a huge boost from the bat of  junior catcher Korey Dunbar. Home runs in two of his past three games, including the game winner in the series opener at Georgia Tech, have helped Dunbar take over the team lead in slugging percentage (.607), while he’s also quietly churned out enough hits recently to also raise his batting average to an impressive .357 mark.

On Tuesday, they’ll look to continue the winning trend against an App State team that’s dropped 11 of their last 13 games and that claims just one pitcher with an ERA below 3.90. The Mountaineers are led on offense by junior utility-man Dillon Dobson, who is hitting .337 with a team-leading six home runs and 17 RBI.

The game is scheduled to take place under the lights, with first pitch scheduled for 6 P.M. Starting pitchers are still to be announced.

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