Chapel Hill, NC – The No. 5 national seed North Carolina Tar Heels kicked off their 2025 NCAA Tournament campaign with a commanding 4-0 shutout over the Holy Cross Crusaders in the Chapel Hill Regional opener at Boshamer stadium. Behind a virtuoso performance from ACC Pitcher of the Year Jake Knapp and a timely offensive surge sparked by sophomore standout Gavin Gallaher, the Tar Heels sent a resounding message: they’re primed for another deep run toward Omaha.
From the first pitch, Knapp set the tone. The right-handed senior strode to the mound with the confidence of a pitcher who hadn’t tasted defeat all season. Facing a scrappy Holy Cross squad fresh off their Patriot League title, Knapp struck out the side in the top of the first, his fastball popping at 96 mph. Over 8.1 scoreless innings, he scattered four hits, issued three walks, and fanned seven, throwing a career-high 119 pitches. His defining moment came in the fifth, escaping a bases-loaded jam with a blazing fastball to freeze Gianni Royer, preserving a 4-0 lead. “Knapp time,” as the Tar Heel faithful call it, was in full effect.
While Knapp silenced the Crusaders’ bats, UNC’s offense found its rhythm in the fourth. After three quiet innings against Holy Cross starter Danny Macchiarola, the Patriot League Tournament MVP, the Tar Heels broke through. Gallaher, the 2024 Chapel Hill Regional Most Outstanding Player, ignited the rally with a one-out triple off the left-center wall—his first career three-bagger. Hunter Stokely followed with an RBI single, and two-out hits from Tyson Bass (a double) and Sam Angelo (a single) plated two more runs, giving UNC a 3-0 cushion. Gallaher struck again in the fifth, lacing an RBI single to cap the scoring at 4-0. The sophomore finished 2-for-2 with a walk, an RBI, and a run scored, picking up right where he left off after his walk-off grand slam heroics in last year’s regional.
Holy Cross, making their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2017, leaned on their speed—123 stolen bases this season, 27th nationally—but couldn’t crack Knapp’s code. Senior first baseman Chris Baillargeon, the Crusaders’ offensive leader with a .386 average, went hitless, and their running game was stifled, with Knapp and catcher Luke Stevenson, the ACC Tournament MVP, throwing out 32% of base stealers this season. Macchiarola battled, allowing four runs over his outing, but UNC’s relentless approach proved too much.
The Tar Heels (43-12) now advance to the winners’ bracket, facing the victor of No. 2 Oklahoma (35-20) and No. 3 Nebraska (32-27) on Saturday at 6 p.m. Holy Cross (31-26) drops to an elimination game against the Oklahoma-Nebraska loser at noon. UNC’s pitching depth, boasting the nation’s fourth-best ERA (3.42), and their 36-9 home regional record at Boshamer Stadium make them a formidable force.