Preview: North Carolina Tar Heels at Clemson Tigers

CLEMSON, S.C. (Interstat) — The North Carolina Tar Heels and Clemson Tigers will settle a tightly contested Atlantic Coast Conference series with a rubber match Sunday afternoon at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

First pitch is scheduled for Sunday, April 12, 2026, under clear skies with a game-time temperature of 81 degrees.

The series is tied after a split of the first two games. Clemson (23-13, 6-8 ACC) took the opener 9-5 on Friday, but North Carolina (29-6-1, 11-4-1 ACC) evened it with a 6-4 victory in 14 innings Saturday night.

A player to watch for the Tar Heels is right-hander Jason DeCaro, who has been effective in recent outings. Over his last four appearances, spanning 18.1 innings, DeCaro has allowed just seven earned runs while striking out 16 batters. He pitched 4.1 innings of relief against these Tigers on Friday, allowing three earned runs.

Clemson will counter with a hot bat in Jackson Moore. The Tigers’ standout went 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs in Friday’s win over the Tar Heels. He is 3-for-9 with four RBIs in the series so far.

North Carolina, boasting one of the nation’s top records, has won eight of its last ten games. Clemson has struggled in conference play but showed its potency by handing the Tar Heels one of their six losses this season.

According to Interstat, the Tar Heels are projected as favorites. The service’s game simulator predicts an 8-5 North Carolina victory, and its ELO rating system gives the Tar Heels a 58.10 percent probability to win the series finale.

Following Sunday’s contest, North Carolina will host UNC Wilmington on Tuesday before a weekend series against Georgia Tech. Clemson travels to face Charlotte on Tuesday before a key ACC road series at Virginia next weekend.