Good Morning and Happy Friday!
I believe from the age of 5 to 10 I grew up as a stereotypical small boy. Some might say I still possess many of those characteristics. (Throwback to when I talked about how I score baseball games)
One of the activities I took part in most frequently was pretending to be famous athletes during clutch times in a game.
When I was is pre-K, I was always Chipper Jones hitting a home run to beat the Yankees/Nationals/other evil teams. When I was 9 or 10, I would always pretend to be Tyler Hansbrough shooting the game-winning shot during the 2009 National Championship. I had a mini-trampoline too, so it was always a slam dunk.
While I am not unique in these make-believe pro careers, some Tar Heels have actually made it to the big leagues. Ten Tar Heels were drafted in the 2018 MLB Draft. Whether they go on to The Show or not, I bet most of them started in their backyard too.
The Rundown
- Duke Energy is providing Northside Elementary with a grant for a program that aims to close the achievement gap and increase science test scores. If successful, it may be coming to school near you.
- North Carolina hosts Stetson in the Super Regional round of the NCAA baseball tournament. Read our preview to see what each team must do to make it to the College World Series.
This is SportsDesk
The Tar Heels survived and advanced to the Super Regional round of the NCCA baseball tournament. They play today at 11 a.m. and tomorrow at noon. This team had a rocky start and is now two wins away from the College World Series. Here are some highlights from this season.
UNC's first ACC home series sweep came in the form of an impressive performance against Pitt. A strong pitching outing from Austin Berner combined with with good showings off the bench created a turning point in the season.
“Look, you want to keep doing this?”- UNC needed a win after a shutout loss to Gardner-Webb and a shaky start to the season. A 13-1 victory over Maryland set this team on a winning pace that would continue into the coming months.
The Tar Heels had a lot to prove going into their series against Wake Forest. Little did they know a 15 inning battle would result in the team's first sweep of the Demon Deacons since 2013.
Come the end of April, N.C. State, ranked No. 2 at the time, was the team to beat. Even while missing their star pitcher, Josh Hiatt, UNC managed to sweep the Wolfpack and secure its climb to clinching the ACC Coastal.
Recently, UNC shook the ghosts of Davidsons past to sweep the regional. The return of Gianluca Dalatri and Cody Roberts added to already winning team. Hopefully they can continue their momentum into the next round.
Plan Your Weekend
Boom! It's finally the weekend. Whether you have $50, $20 or $0 in your pocket there is something for you to do in the triangle. See our list of food trucks, brews and pet adoptions to find out where to be and what to do to celebrate the first week of June.
Bonus!
Wanna walk down memory lane? Or maybe just down Franklin Street. Take our quiz featured on our Welcome to UNC! Facebook group to find out which restaurant you are. Do it quick. Restaurants here change by the second.
"Strikeouts are boring! Besides that, they're fascist. Throw a ground balls – it's more dramatic"
Crash Davis, Bull Durham
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