Scott Forbes reveals reasoning behind playing Mike Madej in the outfield with no experience

North Carolina Baseball senior Mikey Madej had never played outfield before this season. But when no left fielders produced at the plate, coach Scott Forbes turned to Madej to give the position a try, rather than playing second base like he was used to.

Madej slid into left field with ease and was a spark at the plate for the Heels. His insertion into the lineup really made a difference for this club midway through the year. And in Carolina’s first round of postseason games, in the Chapel Hill regional, Madej came up huge in several games.

In four games during the regional, he recorded eight hits in 19 at bats, good for a .421 batting average. He also hit one home run and accounted for eight RBIs across the weekend. Overall an extremely productive weekend in the batter’s box for the new outfielder.

Following the conclusion of the Chapel Hill regional, reporters asked Forbes how Madej wound up as the team’s left fielder. “He just earned it,” coach said of the senior. “One thing Mikey kept doing was working,” Forbes claimed. He also noted Madej’s versatility at the plate, saying “he’s a switch hitter,” which makes him a tough matchup for opposing pitchers.

Forbes wrapped up his comments on Madej saying, “he solidified our lineup.” He was certainly more than solid during the Chapel Hill regional and has been a necessary addition on offense and defense for the Tar Heels. Perhaps Madej’s hot bat can keep up as Carolina hosts Arkansas in the super-regional.

The Heels and Hogs will get started with their three-game series Saturday at 11:00 a.m. ET on ESPN.

Mike Madej, Gage Gillian reveals critical lesson from last year’s regional appearance

North Carolina Baseball took a step forward in 2022. Last season, the three-seeded Tar Heels flamed out in the regional round, losing to regional host and one-seed Texas Tech and two-seed UCLA on Saturday to end their season. This time around, Carolina played well enough in the regular season to host a regional in Chapel Hill. 

North Carolina players were asked following this weekend’s victory what made the difference between this year’s results in the regional and last year’s. Senior pitcher Gage Gillian responded that, “one of the biggest things is having a home crowd. Not having thousands of fans against you.” Gillian seems to think home field advantage played the biggest role in the Tar Heels advancing in 2022.

Senior second baseman Mikey Madej agreed, remembering how important Texas Tech’s crowd was a year ago during the Lubbock regional. “My vision was shaking,” said Madej, noting that the crowd was so loud nobody could hear themselves think. Like Gillian, He believes having that support on their side this year helped the Heels rally to advance.