South Carolina will play its annual neutral-site baseball game against No. 13 North Carolina on March 24 at Truist Park in Charlotte, North Carolina. The first pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., and the game will be available on ACC Network Extra as well as the Gamecock Sports Network presented by Learfield.
The matchup is notable as both teams bring strong records and recent performances into the contest. For South Carolina, sophomore right-handed pitcher Connor Chicoli is set to start with a record of 1-1 and a 3.00 earned run average over 18 innings this season. North Carolina plans to start junior right-hander Boston Flannery, who holds a 1-0 record with a 1.74 ERA.
North Carolina enters the game after winning two out of three games against Louisville, highlighted by Erik Paulsen’s three runs batted in during Sunday’s win. Owen Hull leads UNC with a .353 batting average, while Paulsen has accumulated a team-best 27 RBI so far this season. On the mound, Jason DeCaro stands out for UNC with five wins and an impressive 1.65 ERA over more than thirty-two innings pitched.
Historically, North Carolina leads the series against South Carolina with a record of 65-40-1 heading into Tuesday’s contest. Last year’s meeting in Charlotte saw UNC defeat South Carolina by a score of 13-8.
Several Gamecocks players have posted strong performances recently: Jake Randolph hit three home runs during their series against Arkansas; Brandon Stone earned his third win of the season; Josh Gunther was named SEC Pitcher of the Week earlier this month; Amp Phillips has maintained an opponent batting average below .200; Will Craddock received SEC Co-Freshman of the Week honors after his debut; and veteran catcher Talmadge LeCroy returned for his fifth year following injury last season.
Looking ahead, South Carolina will travel to Athens for a three-game Southeastern Conference series at Georgia beginning Friday.
