Trevor Kelly shines as a 'new-and-improved' pitcher

With two outs and two men on base in the top of the fifth inning Wednesday night, sophomore right-handed pitcher Trevor Kelley was called in from the bullpen.

Freshman Reilly Hovis had allowed just one run in his first career start, and the No. 1 North Carolina baseball team was tied with Liberty 1-1, but pitching coach Scott Forbes decided the Tar Heels needed a change.

It was a precarious position for a pitcher to be placed in, but Kelley embraced the challenge and helped UNC secure a 7-5 win.

“Those are the type of situations I want to get in,” Kelley said.

And Kelley gave Forbes reason to want him in those situations with 3 1/3 innings of shutout ball to notch his first win of the season and the Tar Heels’ sixth in a row.

“He was phenomenal,” sophomore Michael Russell said of the pitcher.

Kelley recorded three strikeouts and zero walks and gave up two hits against the 10 Liberty batters he faced, while the UNC offense simultaneously drove in six runs —four on a Colin Moran grand slam — which were enough to survive a late game surge by the Flames.

“We needed two guys to at least give us six or seven innings,” head coach Mike Fox said. “And (Kelley and Hovis) did that tonight.”

Early in the season, Kelley had a different role for the Tar Heels.

“I was coming in as our closer,” Kelley said. “That was great, but I want to get in the game as soon as I can.”

That’s not the only thing that Kelley has changed recently. After appearing in only four games during his freshman campaign, Kelley, like Forbes in the fifth inning Wednesday, decided he needed a change.

While at the Cal Ripken Baseball League during the summer, Kelley made the decision to drop his arm slot and now has a side-armed throwing style.

“It’s been a career change for me,” Kelley said of the adjustment. “It’s finally coming along, I think. It’s still a process.”

Kelley’s teammates agreed with his assessment.

“Trevor is a completely different type of picture than he was last year,” Russell said. “I actually can’t really touch him hitting either, so whenever anyone does, I’m always surprised. He’s tough to hit.”

Liberty’s batters found that the case as well on Wednesday night, as Kelley’s distinct side-armed motion managed to keep them at bay.

The new-and-improved Kelley gave Forbes plenty of reason to come back to him in tight situations. And while the sidewinder may be content bouncing around and contributing where he’s needed, Kelley knows what he wants.

“I like this role now a lot better,” he said.

Contact the desk editor at sports@dailytarheel.com.