UNC baseball avoids midweek pitfalls in win over Campbell

Midweek college baseball games are notorious for unreliable and poor pitching, even from the sport’s top teams. Head coaches sometimes need two hands to count the number of pitching changes they make, as games can seemingly last forever with high scores.

But North Carolina head coach Mike Fox had little to worry about Wednesday night.

The fifth-ranked Tar Heels (33-9, 16-5 ACC) defeated Campbell, 7-1, in their final game before this weekend’s massive series against No. 4 Clemson. UNC used five different pitchers to hold its opponent to one run or less for the eighth time this season.

Whatever pitching changes made by Fox were done by choice, not out of necessity.

Junior Jason Morgan, making his first start since March 19 against Georgia Tech, threw three scoreless innings in the victory. Sophomore Rodney Hutchison Jr. earned the win, holding the Fighting Camels (19-23) scoreless in the fourth and and fifth innings.

The trio of junior Brett Daniels, sophomore Trevor Gay and first-year Bo Weiss handled the final four frames.

The strong collective outing from the Tar Heel pitchers came one night after an 11-2 victory against Elon in which UNC’s bullpen allowed no runs over six innings of work.

“It basically went exactly as we scripted it,” Fox said. “So we just made sure all those guys were ready and rested for this weekend. We pitched well the past two days.”

Morgan, who has seen his role change since the beginning of the season, was satisfied with his performance. Once locked into a spot as a weekend starter — he started in each of UNC’s opening five weekend series — he has since moved to the bullpen.

While the switch might derail the confidence and spirit of others, Morgan has made the most of the change, willing to do whatever Fox asks of him.

“I’m just trying to help our team win, honestly,” Morgan said. “I’m just trying to do anything I can, trying to throw where they need me, just get some wins. It’s always fun to win.”

Earning the win was a nice confidence boost for Hutchison, who made his 21st appearance of the year, second-most on the team. Prior to Wednesday, he was the losing pitcher in his last two appearances against Liberty and Pittsburgh. Against the Fighting Camels, he struck out two batters and allowed one hit.

“It feels really good,” Hutchison said about his return to good form. “It’s definitely a good comeback, especially coming into this weekend.”

Junior shortstop Logan Warmoth, who recorded his first career three-double game against Campbell, was impressed by the Tar Heel pitching staff’s midweek dominance — though it didn’t come as a surprise to him.

“We ran out probably seven different guys in two games, so it’s just a testament to those guys,” Warmoth said. “They were ready. They came in, they threw strikes. It’s always nice playing defense behind them.”

Now UNC is hoping its pitching depth will help against Clemson (34-8, 16-5 ACC). Led by slugging sophomore Seth Beer, the Tigers are averaging 6.6 runs per game and share an identical conference record with the Tar Heels.

While there is naturally a bunch of hype around the series, Fox just wants his players to keep things loose, which they’ve done up to this point.

“They enjoy playing,” Fox said. “If you think about the consequences or the outcome of the game, you’re not going to play well. Relaxed teams play the best.”

@brennan_doherty

sports@dailytarheel.com