Young pitchers impress in UNC baseball's series win over Virginia

Four starts into his college career, North Carolina pitcher Luca Dalatri is already earning compliments from head coach Mike Fox.

“He’s very confident and doesn’t give hitters a chance to really settle in; a lot of strike ones,” Fox said. “He’s pretty good. He’s better than I thought he was.”

To be fair, it’s easy to understand why Fox would be surprised by what the 6-foot-6, 238-pound pitcher is doing.

It’s not often that a pitcher as new to the college game as Dalatri allows only two earned runs over 8 1/3 innings against a team like No. 11 Virginia.

Although he was the losing pitcher in No. 15 UNC’s 2-1 loss against the Cavaliers in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader, Dalatri’s success on the mound is the most prominent example of young pitchers stepping up for the Tar Heels (12-4, 2-1 ACC), who opened up conference play with a key series win against Virginia.

Through 29 1/3 innings this season, he’s posted a 3.07 ERA and recorded 28 strikeouts while issuing only three walks.

The secret to the success?

It’s simple, really. Dalatri has done a good job of mixing up his pitches, effectively changing speeds while remaining in control of his location.

Unlike some pitchers who become too focused on making perfect pitches, Dalatri said he’s not afraid to give batters something to swing at.

“When you start pitching to contact and not being afraid with them making contact, that’s when you start making better pitches,” Dalatri said. “I feel like you become a better pitcher in the sense that you’re not really worried about them hitting the ball.”

Senior shortstop Logan Warmoth could tell back in fall practice that Dalatri would be a key contributor for the Tar Heels and said it didn’t take him long to earn the team’s trust.

“He’s phenomenal,” Warmoth said. “It’s been fun playing behind him.”

In some respects, the start to Dalatri’s season brings back memories of one former Tar Heel pitcher who had a prolific college career.

“He reminds us a lot of Kent (Emanuel),” Fox said, referring to UNC's former All-American pitcher. “His demeanor and ability to throw strikes and he’s very mature for his age.”

In addition to Dalatri, two other first-year pitchers have been performing well for UNC.

Austin Bergner picked up the first victory of his career in UNC’s 10-run win over the Cavaliers in the series finale, as he threw three scoreless innings in relief. Through eight appearances, opponents are batting a mere .174 against Bergner, who has a 1.98 ERA in 13 2/3 innings.

Josh Hiatt, who redshirted in 2016, has also stepped into an expanded role for UNC as a late-game specialist. In his first season, he's recorded five saves, which led the nation entering the weekend. In 2016, the entire UNC pitching staff combined for only four saves.

“Josh is a good story after not pitching last year,” Fox said. “(Hiatt and Bergner) have been our two mainstays out of the bullpen, for now.”

@brennan_doherty

sports@dailytarheel.com