Box Score Score: No. 5 North Carolina 9, VCU 4
Location: Chapel Hill, N.C. (Boshamer Stadium)
Records: VCU 2-6, North Carolina 8-0
 
THE SHORT STORY: VCU started out the game with a few statement innings, recording seven of the first nine outs by strikeout and putting up a four-spot in the third inning, but No. 5 North Carolina limited the Rams in the remainder of the contest to keep its undefeated record on the season.
 
LEADING OFF:

• Jack Hoeymans made his first start of the season, striking out four Tar Heels
• Will Henson drove in two runs and tallied two hits
• Seth Werchan tallied his first pair of RBI in Black & Gold and posted his third multi-hit game
• Nick Flores drew three walks in three consecutive at-bats, two of them in just four pitches
• The pitching staff struck out a season-high 12 batters, with seven different pitchers recording a strikeout
• Giving up their first home run of the season, VCU's seven games without surrendering a home run was the longest since 2013
• Michael Walsh made his Rams debut, pitching in his first game since the 2022 season, while Elijah Coston and Riley Roarty each made their collegiate debuts
• Casey Kleinman made his first appearance of the 2025 season, singling in his first at-bat
• The Rams scored first for the sixth time in their eight games

 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• VCU had a quiet first inning, but Hoeymans kept the Tar Heels quiet through the first as well, striking out the first two batters and retiring the third on a 9-6-3 pickoff
•  Werchan notched his first RBI as a Ram, driving in two runs in the third inning to open the game's scoring, Kleinman came around to score and Nate Kirkpatrick made a dive for home to beat out the throw
• To make it a four-run fourth inning, Henson belted an opposite-field single to score two more Rams
• The Tar Heels fired back with four runs of their own in the home half of the third, smashing a home run
• In the fourth, April-Gath knocked a two-out single, Flores drew a four-pitch walk and Werchan was nailed with his seventh pitch of the season
• Over the final four innings, the fifth-ranked Tar Heels scratched across five more runs to keep their undefeated record intact

 
UP NEXT:
VCU will host Toledo on Friday, Feb. 28, in its home opener and the first game of the Central Virginia Classic. Penn State and Boston College will visit The Diamond on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.