CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — North Carolina baseball players said they knew a lot about Arkansas’ program well before the Razorbacks were sent to Boshamer Stadium for this week's NCAA super regional.
“Our guys, they watch these games at the end of the day when they get home,” North Carolina coach Scott Forbes said. “They’re aware of Arkansas and how good they’ve been, and the tradition they have.”
Vance Honeycutt, the Tar Heels’ star freshman center fielder, said Arkansas was his second-favorite team in high school.
“I used to always watch the highlights of their games and stuff, and like watching them in Omaha was pretty cool,” Honeycutt said. “So I knew they had some tradition just like us.”
Honeycutt, who grew up in Salisbury, N.C., grew up a Tar Heels fan. His father, Bob, played baseball at North Carolina from 1988-89.
He was asked how Arkansas appealed to him.
“I liked their shortstop. They had Casey Martin,” Honeycutt said of the Razorbacks’ starter from 2018-20. “I liked watching him a lot, so I just would kind of always turn them on.”
Left fielder Mikey Madej said he and his roommate, shortstop Danny Serretti, watch several college baseball games when they aren’t playing games themselves.
“If no one from the ACC is on, we’ll always find ourselves watching Arkansas,” Madej said. “It’s cool that we’re finally playing against them. It’s just funny because we’ve been watching them on TV for how long — I think I know like seven starters just by watching them on TV.”