Scott Forbes on Vance Honeycutt: 'He's as good as advertised'

Friday, North Carolina started Super Regional action on its home field. The No. 4-seeded Tar Heels are taking on West Virginia with a spot in the College World Series on the line this weekend.

One of the keys to UNC’s success this season is Vance Honeycutt, who leads the team in home runs. But the long ball is just one reason he’s such a big part of the team, according to head coach Scott Forbes.

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Forbes offered high praise for Honeycutt during an in-game interview Friday. The junior outfielder’s on-field success is one thing, but he also makes a strong impression in the locker room. That’s why Forbes had a hard time deciding just how high he should grade his star.

“He’s as good as advertised,” Honeycutt told Mike Monaco and Kyle Peterson on the ESPN broadcast. “He’s just special. The combination of speed and power is like nothing I’ve seen. I’ve been here a long time, and man, we’ve had great players. But man, that total package and then obviously, he’s one of our biggest leaders off the field in that locker room.

“He is the definition of – whatever the highest grade you can give, give it to him across the board.”

Honeycutt entered Friday’s game with a team-high 24 home runs to go with a .309 batting average and 62 RBI. He also scored during North Carolina’s four-run third inning to help take a lead that later grew to 4-2 entering the fifth inning.

Scott Forbes: A bigger crowd ‘makes you better’

Friday started the second straight weekend of June baseball in Chapel Hill as North Carolina sets its sights on its first CWS appearance since 2018. The crowd showed out once again, and ticket prices skyrocketed prior to first pitch – upward of $200, according to the broadcast.

The atmosphere is electric, and Forbes looked back on the program’s journey since he came aboard. With a raucous crowd behind his team, he noted how much of a difference it makes.

“You know what? It’s just been awesome,” Forbes said. “To see this crowd, to see the fans and field hockey, hear how loud they’ve been. I came with Coach [Mike] Fox as a volunteer … and just to see all the hard work, but it’s really the players.

“The great players we’ve had here have made these fans show up. And that’s what I’m most excited about because when you play in front of a bigger crowd, it makes you better, especially at home.”