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‘Our guys, they’ll be ready’: Diamond Heels preview game with No. 1 Tennessee

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‘Our guys, they’ll be ready’: Diamond Heels preview game with No. 1 Tennessee

Chapelboro.com’s coverage of Carolina baseball in the Men’s College World Series is proudly presented by Town Hall Grill in Southern Village and High & Rubish Insurance Agency.

Carolina will face No. 1 seed Tennessee in its second game of the Men’s College World Series on Sunday in Omaha. The Tar Heels and Volunteers won their opening games by one hit.

Here’s what members of the Diamond Heels had to say about the game:

SP Shea Sprague

Image via UNC Baseball on Twitter

On the game against Tennessee: They’re pretty good. They can swing it. We were at the game last night. Christian Moore is a good player.

They have guys all over their lineup. It’s really exciting to go and test yourself and see what you can do against these guys. And if I make pitches, everything will be fine.

On his development as a player this season: I think it was good for me to get hit in the pre-season. Then, obviously, as the year went on, I got better and better. I think the most important thing is to stay confident no matter what, and not “ride the roller coaster” like Jason (DeCaro) and I like to say. Pre-season really helped me, definitely highlighted some of the flaws I need to work on in my game. I think it was for the best.

On working with freshman receiver Luke Stevenson: He’s a stallion. It’s so rare for a kid, one, to come on campus and be that good, and, two, handle things the way he did. He was so involved. I think he has a sense of confidence that is very difficult to instill in someone. I think it has to come from within…I don’t think he needs a lot of help. I think at the start of the season he probably helped me a little bit. He’s really good at instilling confidence in you.

On his relationship with wide receiver Parker Haskin, who — like Sprague — transferred from Elon to UNC: He’s the man. Parker was the captain last year at Elon. He certainly has a huge leadership role. Parker, when I was a freshman at Elon, was almost like Luke. He was just amazing at instilling confidence in you. I think he saw a quiet confidence in me, so we came together a little better than most people. That means the world is going through this with him. He is such an incredible guy, leader and mentor.

About the big Omaha stage: I embrace the moment, 100 percent. I’ll look around, figure it all out. I think the most important thing in managing a crowd is realizing it’s there. Once you approach a guy and he’s in the box, you don’t even notice him at all. Before the match, I think we have to accept it. This can give you a different level of focus to tap into.

Head Coach Scott Forbes

‘Our guys, they’ll be ready’: Diamond Heels preview game with No. 1 Tennessee

Image via UNC Baseball on Twitter

On Tennessee: They had a hell of a season. Lead the country in wins, balanced from top to bottom. Their offense, the numbers speak for themselves. But again, I feel like the ACC prepares you for these games. We also played LSU in a three-game series, so I’m excited. I’m excited for our guys to play in Tennessee. I think we have a very, very good club. Two very good clubs will meet there tomorrow evening.

On the Shea Sprague: Shea goes well with everyone. He is competitive. He can throw his fastball to both sides of the plate. The changeup plays the fastball. (Pitching) coach (Bryant) Gaines and (director of pitching performance and development Jason) Howell have done a really good job with him with his slider. More consistent. He doesn’t make as many mistakes with it. He can show it to lefties and righties if he needs to, so he has all three of those spots. He’s been really good for us all year.

On Alberto Osuna’s mentality amid recent crisis: You’ll never have to worry about Alberto Osuna’s attitude. And that’s how it works when you have depth like us. If someone is struggling, it can help your team, having someone talented enough to come in – like Jackson Van De Brake or Johnny Castagnozzi – and do something big for us. And these two guys did something really big for us.

On the availability of Dalton Pence and Matt Poston out of the bullpen: They feel good…if you look at the workload throughout the year, I feel like as a team we’ve done a good job handling these guys. We had enough depth that no one was really overworked heading into the playoffs. Knowing this, you can then allow a man to stay longer. We also asked guys to develop around that 50-60 (throwing) range during the preseason. You add (Aidan) Haugh to that mix, he’ll be available in the bullpen tomorrow. We can align a little if necessary as the game progresses. If Shea gets us to the fifth inning, we’ll feel really good.

On the Volunteers’ reputation as “bad boys”: These days, everyone has something to say. I always respected (Tennessee head coach) Tony (Vitello). I think he did a hell of a job. They wouldn’t say anything about Tennessee if they didn’t win. And he went and he won. If anyone calls them “the bad boys,” I want our guys to suit up and see what we can do against “the bad boys,” if that’s the case. They are talented. They do a very good job of recruiting. We feel like we’re doing the same thing. We feel like our program is a match for anyone. Our guys, they will be ready, I tell you.

Click through for more Carolina baseball coverage at Chapelboro.com, on location in Omaha! Proudly presented by Town Hall Grill and High & Rubish Insurance Agency.

Featured image via UNC Baseball on Twitter

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‘Our guys, they’ll be ready’: Diamond Heels preview game with No. 1 Tennessee

‘Our guys, they’ll be ready’: Diamond Heels preview game with No. 1 Tennessee

Chapelboro.com’s coverage of Carolina baseball in the Men’s College World Series is proudly presented by Town Hall Grill in Southern Village and High & Rubish Insurance Agency. Carolina will face No. 1 seed Tennessee in its second game of the Men’s College World Series on Sunday in Omaha. The Tar Heels and the Volunteers won their opening (…)

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