By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — With its third consecutive Super Regionals berth secured after going 3-0 at the Chapel Hill Regional, No. 4 North Carolina can sit back and watch two teams battle late Monday night for the right to play the Tar Heels.
That is a welcome change for a program that had to fight through a deciding Monday game in each of the previous two seasons, beating LSU 4-3 in 10 innings in 2024 and knocking off Oklahoma 14-4 in 2025 to advance.
This time, the Tar Heels handled their business early, swept through a tough Chapel Hill Regional field and earned something just as valuable as the berth itself — a little rest.
“Hate to use the word stress, but we talk about it,” UNC coach Scott Forbes said after Sunday night’s 9–3 win over East Carolina to clinch the regional title. “The stress sweat comes out as soon as the game’s over, but that’s a tough night to sleep. Did it in ’22, did it ’24 and ’25, you still feel good about it because you trust your guys, but it does help you, hopefully, going into the weekend, have a little bit more rest, a little bit more time to stay on task like we have all year in the weekend series.”
Now UNC (48–11–1), the No. 5 overall seed, can watch No. 11 Texas A&M (41–15) and USC (46-16) battle at 9 p.m. Monday on ESPN2 for the College Station Regional title. The winner will head to Chapel Hill for the best-of-three Chapel Hill Super Regional, which begins either Friday or Saturday.
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The Tar Heels did not exactly ease through an ordinary bracket to get there. When the NCAA tournament field was announced, Chapel Hill was widely viewed as one of the toughest regionals in the country, with No. 23 Tennessee, East Carolina and VCU joining UNC, although the Heels didn’t have to face the Vols.
Forbes said that confidence showed up in the way his team approached the weekend and in the way it carried itself from the first inning to the last. Forbes said his team will always be tough to beat.
That belief has been built over months, and Forbes said it was visible throughout the dugout and along the railing all weekend. He pointed not only at the players in the middle of the action, but also to the players who were celebrating every big moment from the bench.
“I was just telling them, the definition of a team, I’m watching the game [Saturday], and I see the guys celebrating that aren’t everyday players,” Forbes said. “That’s the mark of a great team. We’ve got that. Our guys played well, top to bottom, all weekend.”
Forbes also said he tried to take in the atmosphere at Boshamer Stadium more than he has in the past, especially with UNC finally avoiding the Monday survival test that had become familiar in recent postseasons. The coach who usually keeps his focus locked on the next pitch allowed himself to appreciate the scene and what it meant for a program that keeps putting itself in position to host deep into June.
“To see Boshamer Stadium, to see what it is today, is awesome,” Forbes said. “I told the guys, since ’21, when I became the head coach, we haven’t done this. We’ve always taken this thing into Monday.”
Regional Most Outstanding Player Erik Paulsen and freshman left-hander Jackson Rose, Sunday’s winning pitcher, are part of the blend of newcomers and returners that has helped UNC get back to this point. Paulsen said one reason the transition has been so smooth is that the veterans never made the new players feel like outsiders.
“We’re just a really tight group,” said Paulsen, a junior transfer from Stony Brook. “I wasn’t treated as a newcomer. As soon as I got here, the older guys took us all in, and we all complement each other really well. Guys like Gavin [Gallaher], obviously, as a captain, and [Matthew Matthijs], they do a really good job in the locker room, making sure the culture is really, really good.”
Rose said he felt the same thing when he arrived, and he said the daily example set by the older players has helped him settle into a high-pressure role late in the season.
“Being around older guys and seeing how good of men they are, it helps going in here every day that much easier, and makes me that much better of a person,” Rose said.
All of it has put UNC in a familiar and enviable position. The Tar Heels are two wins away from their second College World Series trip in three seasons and the 13th Omaha appearance in program history.
They will not know their opponent until late Monday night, but they do know this much. They earned the chance to stay home, recover and prepare on their schedule.
For a team that had to scrape through Monday just to advance the last two years, that is significant. It is the benefit of a clean weekend, the payoff for a confident clubhouse and the latest sign that North Carolina has built a team capable of handling the weight of June.
Chapel Hill Regional
At Boshamer Stadium
Friday’s results
No. 3 seed East Carolina 7, No. 3 seed (No. 23-ranked) Tennessee 3, 14 innings
No. 1 seed (and No. 4-ranked) North Carolina 8, No. 4 seed VCU 0
Saturday’s results
VCU 5, Tennessee 4; Tennessee eliminated
North Carolina 7, East Carolina 5
Sunday’s results
East Carolina 10, VCU 0; VCU eliminated
North Carolina 9, East Carolina 3; UNC wins regional
Chapel Hill Super Regional
No. 4-ranked and No. 5-seed North Carolina (48–11–1) vs. No. 11 Texas A&M (41–15) or USC (46–16)
Best-of-3 series
Boshamer Stadium
Game 1 Friday or Saturday
Game 2 Saturday or Sunday
Game 3 Sunday or Monday
USC plays at Texas A&M at 9 p.m. Monday (ESPN2) for the College Station Regional title.
The winner plays its opener in the College World Series against the winner of the Super Regional between No. 18 Ole Miss (39–21) and No. 5 Auburn (41–20) or Milwaukee (27–32). Auburn and Milwaukee play at 6 p.m. Monday (ESPNU) for the Auburn Regional title.
| Date(s) | Day/ month | Times/ scores | Opponent (current rank) | Record/ TV * |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February | ||||
| 13–14 | Fri., Sat. | W, 9–4; W, 12–2 (7); W, 4–3 (11) | vs. Indiana | 3–0 |
| 17 | Tuesday | W, 10–0 (7) | vs. Richmond | 4–0 |
| 18 | Wednesday | W, 5–3 | vs. Longwood | 5–0 |
| 20–22 | Fri.-Sun | W, 10–0 (8); L, 10–3; T, 3–3 | vs. East Carolina | 6–1–1 |
| 24 | Tuesday | W, 9–1 | vs. N.C. A&T | 7–1–1 |
| 25 | Wednesday | W, 13–3 (7) | vs. VCU | 8–1–1 |
| 27–28 | Fri., Sat. | W, 16–3 (7); W, 12–2 (7) | vs. Le Moyne | 10–1–1 |
| March | ||||
| 1 | Sunday | W, 21–1 (7) | vs. Le Moyne | 11–1–1 |
| 3 | Tuesday | W, 5–1 | vs. Elon | 12–1–1 |
| 6–7 | Fri., Sat | L, 13–3 (7); L, 9–2; W, 8–7 (12) | vs. Virginia | 13–3–1, 1–2 ACC |
| 10 | Tuesday | W, 13–3 (7) | vs. Bucknell | 14–3–1 |
| 13–15 | Fri.-Sun. | W, 8–1; W, 6–2; W, 10–2 | at California | 17–3–1, 4–2 |
| 18 | Wednesday | W, 8–2 | vs. UNCG | 18–3–1 |
| 20–22 | Fri.–Sun. | W, 11–1 (8); L, 2–0; W, 7–6 | vs. Louisville | 20–4–1, 6–3 |
| 24 | Tuesday | W, 9–1 | vs. South Carolina in Charlotte | 21–4–1 |
| 28, 29 | Sat., Sun | W, 6–5; W, 13–7; W, 15–10 | at Notre Dame | 24–4–1, 9–3 |
| 31 | Tuesday | W, 5–4 (14) | vs. Campbell | 25–4–1 |
| April | ||||
| 2–4 | Thur.-Sat. | L, 6–1; W, 5–2; W, 8–7 | vs. Boston College | 27–5–1, 11–4 |
| 7 | Tuesday | W, 8–4 | vs. Charlotte | 28–5–1 |
| 10–12 | Fri.–Sun. | L, 9–5; W, 6–4 (14); W, 12–5 | at Clemson | 30–6–1, 13–5 |
| 14 | Tuesday | W, 14–5 | vs. UNCW | 31–6–1 |
| 17–19 | Fri.-Sun. | W, 5–2; W, 14–4 (8); L, 5–2 | vs. No. 2 Georgia Tech | 33–7–1, 15–6 |
| 21 | Tuesday | W, 9–2 | vs. High Point | 34–7–1 |
| 23–25 | Thur.–Sat. | W, 3–1; L, 3–1; W, 22–5 (7) | at Duke | 36–8–1, 17–7 |
| 28 | Tuesday | L, 12–2 | vs. Coastal Carolina | 36–9–1 |
| May | ||||
| 3 | Sunday | W, 13–0 (7) (non-conference game) | vs. Duke | 37–9–1 |
| 8–10 | Fri.-Sun. | W, 4–1; W, 12–2 (8); W, 7–3 | vs. Pittsburgh | 40–9–1, 20–7 |
| 12 | Tuesday | W, 13–7 | at UNCW | 41–9–1 |
| 14–16 | Thur.-Sat. | W, 9–4; W, 17–7 (8); L, 7–2 | at N.C. State | 43–10–1, 22–8 |
| ACC tournament | Charlotte | |||
| 22 | Friday | W, 10–4 | Quarterfinal vs. Virginia Tech | 44–10–1 |
| 23 | Saturday | W, 13–5 | Semifinal vs. Pittsburgh | 45–10–1 |
| 24 | Sunday | L, 13–6 | Championship vs. No. 2 Ga. Tech | 45–11–1 |
| NCAA tournament | ||||
| Chapel Hill Regional | ||||
| 29 | Friday | W, 8–0 | VCU | 46–11–1 |
| 30 | Saturday | W, 7–5 | East Carolina | 47–11–1 |
| 31 | Sunday | W, 9–3 | East Carolina | 48–11–1 |
| June | ||||
| 5–7 or 6–8 | Fri.-Sun. or Sat.-Mon. | Chapel Hill Super Regionals | USC or No. 11 Texas A&M | TBA |
| 12–22 | Fri.-Mon | College World Series | Omaha, Neb. | TBA |
Photo by Smith Hardy
