North Carolina shut out VCU 8-0 Friday in the opening round of the Chapel Hill Regional, and starting pitcher Ryan Lynch was the story on the mound.
Lynch threw seven innings and gave up just two hits. He never faced a serious threat and finished the outing at or near 100 pitches. After the game, Lynch credited a more disciplined approach for his performance.
"I was more efficient today. I made better pitches overall and I felt better not giving away free 90s and was able to get ahead a little better than I usually have," Lynch said.
Lynch also acknowledged that the UNC rotation had struggled in recent weeks heading into the regional and said he wanted to help reverse that trend. "Jason (DeCaro) had a great year, but last couple weeks we haven't done our job, we haven't gone really long enough, had a lot of inefficient outings, not putting our team in the best spot to win. So I just try to do whatever I could this week to make sure that wasn't the case anymore. I worked on delivery a little bit more, just seeing what I can do to feel better and get my team better shot," he said.
His battery-mate Erik Paulsen drove in three runs and spoke about the confidence Lynch brings to the field. "Ryan is really, really awesome to play behind. He's a really hard worker, and what he does behind the scenes, he just works his tail off every day. So seeing him go out there and dominate like that, it's all because of the work he puts in," Paulsen said.
Paulsen also noted that Lynch pushed all the way to the end of his appearance. When Lynch reached 100 pitches, Paulsen said he encouraged him to finish the at-bat. "I wanted him to get after it and get the last guy, so I told him to empty the tank and attack him," Paulsen said.
The Tar Heels will face ECU next in the regional, a matchup Paulsen welcomed. "That tie (against ECU) kind of stunk so it's a really good opportunity to show them that we are the better team and go out there and have a great game," he said.
Paulsen also spoke after the game about his late father, who died before the season concluded. "I know (Erik's father) be very proud of me. I was very fortunate that he was able to see that I committed here, and he came down on my official visit, and met Coach Forbes, and all the coaches. So really grateful for that. He knew I was in good hands, but yeah, I just think he'd be very proud of me, and even through the ups and downs, he'd be on my butt to keep working hard," Paulsen said.
The Tar Heels face ECU next, with a spot in the regional final on the line.
