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Analyzing Tennessee And North Carolina's Pitching Situation Ahead Of College World Series Matchup | Rocky Top Insider

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Analyzing Tennessee And North Carolina's Pitching Situation Ahead Of College World Series Matchup | Rocky Top Insider


Photo By Ian Cox/ Tennessee Athletics

OMAHA, Neb. — Tennessee baseball won its College World Series opening game for just the second time ever on Friday night, using a ninth inning rally to defeat Florida State 12-11. The Vols are looking to stay in the winner’s bracket when they face North Carolina on Sunday night at Charles Schwab Field.

Like Tennessee, the Tar Heels advanced to the winner’s bracket thanks to a ninth inning walk off single. But that’s where the similarities in the two games stop, the Tar Heels won 3-2 and used just three pitchers in the game. In comparison, the Vols used six different pitchers to get past Florida State.

So what does each team’s pitching staff look like entering the matchup?

Tennessee hasn’t announced its starting pitcher but it would be a major shock if it wasn’t Drew Beam. After three straight shaky starts, the Vols need a longer outing from Beam due to how heavily they taxed their bullpen against the Seminoles.

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Beam enters his second career College World Series start with an 8-2 record and 4.44 ERA on the season. But the right-handed pitcher has struggled so far in the postseason. In his last three starts, Beam has allowed 14 earned runs in 13 innings pitched (9.69 ERA).

The odd part about Beam’s struggles over his last three starts is that he’s mostly cruised into the middle innings. But that’s where things have imploded on him. Beam allowed five runs in the fifth inning against Mississippi State, four runs in the third and fourth inning against Indiana and three in the fourth inning against Evansville.

Who is available for Tennessee behind Beam? Aaron Combs (60 pitches in 3.1 innings) is probably the only Vol that is completely unavailable after pitching against Florida State.

More From RTI: Everything To Know About North Carolina Baseball

The Vols’ two other top relievers, AJ Causey (43 pitches in 1.2 inning) and Nate Snead (39 pitches in 2.1 innings), are likely both available though they may not be able to pitch extensively after longer outings against the Seminoles.

LHP Kirby Connell feels like a near lock to pitch after throwing 17 pitches in one inning against Florida State. Lefty specialist Andrew Behnke threw just seven pitchers against two batters and will be available. Chris Stamos could also pitch after throwing just eight pitches as Tennessee’s opener on Friday.

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Ideally, Tennessee’s pitching against North Carolina is Beam, Connell and one of Causey or Snead. But if Beam struggles, they’ll have to use more arms.

How about North Carolina’s pitching? Like Tennessee, the Tar Heels have not announced their starting pitcher but it will almost certainly be left-handed pitcher Shea Sprague.

The Elon transfer enters the College World Series with a 3-1 record, 4.00 ERA and 1.22 WHIP on the season. It’s been less severe than Beam, but Sprague has also struggled over the last month. In his last five starts, Sprague’s allowed 14 earned runs in 24 innings pitched (5.25 ERA).

Behind Sprague, North Carolina’s whole bullpen is available. Matt Poston threw 23 pitches in 1.2 innings pitched and top reliever Dalton Pence threw just 29 pitches in a perfect 3.1 innings of relief. Both should be available for the Tar Heels, as will the rest of their bullpen, against Tennessee.

First pitch between Tennessee and North Carolina at Charles Schwab Field is at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday night. ESPN is broadcasting the game.

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North Carolina

2026 primary turnout report released for eastern NC counties; see your county’s numbers

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2026 primary turnout report released for eastern NC counties; see your county’s numbers


Here are the voter turnout numbers for the 2026 primary election, according to the North Carolina State Board of Elections.

Hyde County had the highest voter turnout, while Onslow County had the lowest turnout. Check out what the voter turnout in your county was below:

BERTIE COUNTY

Ballots Cast:

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31.85% (3,911 out of 12,280)

CARTERET COUNTY

Ballots Cast:

29.06% (16,543 out of 56,931)

CRAVEN COUNTY

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Ballots Cast:

18.63% (14,119 out of 75,778)

DUPLIN COUNTY

Ballots Cast:

21.93% (6,981 out of 31,832)

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EDGECOMBE COUNTY

Ballots Cast:

18.16% (6,428 out of 35,396)

GREENE COUNTY

Ballots Cast:

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19.70% (2,147 out of 10,900)

HYDE COUNTY

Ballots Cast:

37.27% (1,123 out of 3,013)

JONES COUNTY

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Ballots Cast:

25.91% (1,805 out of 6,966)

LENOIR COUNTY

Ballots Cast:

16.73% (6,251 out of 37,371)

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MARTIN COUNTY

Ballots Cast:

17.61% (2,858 out of 16,228)

ONSLOW COUNTY

Ballots Cast:

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11.44% (14,816 out of 129,537)

PAMLICO COUNTY

Ballots Cast:

24.03% (2,446 out of 10,180)

PITT COUNTY

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Ballots Cast:

15.71% (19,429 out of 123,705)

TYRRELL COUNTY

Ballots Cast:

30.49% (723 out of 2,371)

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WASHINGTON COUNTY

Ballots Cast:

28.66% (2,312 out of 8,067)

WAYNE COUNTY

Ballots Cast:

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21.49% (16,408 out of 76,358)



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Statewide tornado drill has NC schools and workplaces practicing safety

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Statewide tornado drill has NC schools and workplaces practicing safety


Wednesday, March 4, 2026 6:41PM

NC schools and businesses encouraged to practice tornado safety

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — North Carolina schools and businesses took part in a statewide tornado drill Wednesday morning as part of Severe Weather Awareness Week.

The National Weather Service led the drill at 9:30 a.m., broadcasting it on NOAA Weather Radio and the Emergency Alert System. Schools, workplaces and households across the state were encouraged to join in.

The National Weather Service didn’t issue a follow up alert to mark the end of the drill. Instead, each school or business wrapped up once they felt they had practiced the procedures thoroughly.

Wednesday’s drill also replaced the regular weekly NOAA Weather Radio test.

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SEE | New warning for parents amid new ‘fire-breathing’ social media trend

Make sure to download the ABC 11 Mobile App ABC11 North Carolina Apps for Connected TV, Mobile News, Echo

Copyright © 2026 WTVD-TV. All Rights Reserved.



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North Carolina Rep. Valerie Foushee holds narrow lead over challenger Nida Allam

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North Carolina Rep. Valerie Foushee holds narrow lead over challenger Nida Allam


Nida Allam in 2022; Rep. Valerie Foushee (D-NC) in 2025.

Jonathan Drake/Reuters; Andrew Harnik/Getty Images


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Jonathan Drake/Reuters; Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Incumbent Rep. Valerie Foushee holds a narrow lead over challenger Nida Allam in the Democratic primary for North Carolina’s 4th Congressional district as ballots continue to be counted.

In a race seen as an early test of whether Democratic voters desire generational change within the party, Foushee holds a lead of just over 1,000 votes with 99% of results in so far, according to the Associated Press.

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Under state law, provisional votes will be counted in the coming days in a district that includes Durham and Chapel Hill. If the election results end up within a 1% margin, Allam could request a recount.

Successfully ousting an incumbent lawmaker is often extremely difficult and rare. However, there have been recent upsets in races as some voters are calling for new leaders and several sitting members of Congress face primary challengers this cycle.

Allam, a 32-year-old Durham County Commissioner, is running to the left of Foushee, 69, framing her candidacy as part of a broader rejection of longtime Democratic norms.

On the campaign trail, Allam ran on an anti-establishment message, pledging to be a stronger fighter than Foushee in Congress, both in standing up against President Trump’s agenda and when pushing for more ambitious policy.

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“North Carolina is a purple state that often gets labeled red, but we’re not a red state,” she told NPR in an interview last month, emphasizing the need to address affordability concerns. “We are a state of working-class folks who just want their elected officials to champion the issues that are impacting them.”

She drew a contrast with the congresswoman on immigration, voicing support for abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Foushee has declined to go that far, advocating instead for ICE to be defunded and for broader reforms to the federal immigration system.

Allam also clashed with Foushee over U.S. policy towards Israel. As a vocal opponent of Israel’s war in Gaza, Allam swore off campaign donations from pro-Israel lobbying groups, such as AIPAC, and repeatedly criticized Foushee for previously accepting such funds.

Though Foushee announced last year that she would not accept AIPAC donations this cycle, she and Allam continued to spar over the broader role of outside spending in the race.

Their matchup comes four years after the candidates first squared off in 2022, when Allam lost to Foushee in what became the most expensive primary in the state’s history, with outside groups spending more than $3.8 million.

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However, this year is poised to break that record. Outside groups have reported spending more than $4.4 million on the primary matchup, according to Federal Election Commission filings.

WUNC’s Colin Campbell contributed to this report.



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