The Stetson Hatters head up to North Carolina this weekend to take part in their first Super Regional against the UNC Tar Heels.
The Hatters enter the weekend with a 48-11 overall record and went 15-3 in Atlantic Sun play while going a perfect 3-0 last weekend in the Deland Regional. They defeated Hartford in their opener by a score of 8-3 then defeating Oklahoma State twice by scores of 10-3 and 11-1. They are led by one of the strongest pitching staffs in the entire country with a team ERA of 2.50 headlined by first round pick Logan Gilbert who went 11-1 with a 2.52 ERA. The rest of the starting pitching is especially strong with Joey Gonzalez (8-3, 1.75 ERA), Jack Perkins (11-2, 2.34 ERA), and Mitchell Senger (9-2, 2.56 ERA).
The one hitter to really watch with the Hatters is Brooks Wilson with a .307 average, three homers and 33 RBI. He is also a beast on the mound making 31 appearances out of the pen with a perfect 6-0 record and a 2.13 ERA while leading the team with 20 saves.
The Tar Heels enter the weekend with a 41-18 record while going 22-8 in a down year in the ACC. They went a perfect 3-0 in the Regionals with an 11-0 victory over NC A&T while beating Houston 4-3 and 19-11. The Tar Heels pitching staff enters with a 3.41 team ERA. The pitching staff is led by Austin Bergner who is 7-2 with a 4.30 ERA in 15 appearances. Josh Hiatt leads the team in saves with five in 26 appearances while going 3-2 on the year and having a 2.93 ERA.
The two big hitters for the Tar Heels are Kyle Datres and Michael Busch. Datres leads the team with a .343 average while hitting six homers with 34 RBI. Busch leads the team in homers with 12 while driving in 61 runs and hitting .329.
Prediction: I really think Stetson will be able to get through this Super Regional to win their first in school history based on their outstanding pitching staff. Stetson 2 games to 1.
