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Vance Honeycutt sets UNC baseball home run record on Friday

Another crucial weekend for the UNC baseball team is off to an amazing start – and already carries a bit of history.

The ACC Coastal Division-leading Diamond Heels (37-11, 18-7) are hosting the Louisville Cardinals for a 3-game set. Both teams have already clinched spots in the ACC Championship at the end of May, so this weekend is more about improving NCAA Tournament outlook.

North Carolina dominated Louisville, 14-4, on Friday night to kick off the weekend series. Vance Honeycutt mashed a leadoff home run, then tied the game at two in the third inning.

Honeycutt’s second home run, which gave him 58 career round-trippers, kicked off a 6-run inning and put UNC ahead for good, moved him ahead of Devy Bell for the program’s all-time home run record.

Honeycutt, who’s a projected early first round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, is enjoying the type of season that can only boost his draft stock.

He’s one of six Diamond Heels hitting .300, part of a team that’s 24th in the nation with a .310 average. Honeycutt leads North Carolina with 21 home runs, which is tied for seventh in the country. Not only are Honeycutt’s 54 RBIs second on UNC, but he leads UNC with 26 stolen bases.

If you remember last year, Honeycutt missed the Diamond Heels’ postseason run with a back injury. They bowed out in the third game of the Terre Haute (Indiana State) Regional.

With a healthy Honeycutt this year, can North Carolina finally capture its first College World Series title?

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Story originally appeared on Tarheels Wire