By R.L. Bynum
Carolina often pushes back on the notion that the Tar Heels are not a power-hitting team, but that might be an advantage at spacious Charles Schwab Field Omaha.
Only one of the eight College World Series teams (No. 16-seed West Virginia with 55) has hit fewer home runs than UNC and Alabama, who are tied for 49th in the country with 80.
No. 3 Georgia, which plays in a homer-friendly ballpark, leads the field with 174 home runs, followed by No. 23 Ole Miss with 107 and No. 6 Texas with 103. That helps explain why ESPN baseball analyst Chris Burke sees Georgia and Texas as the teams with the best chance to win the national championship.
Even so, he and fellow analyst Kyle Peterson both see Carolina as a team built for Omaha.
“If you had to tailor-make a team for the ballpark, I think North Carolina may be that,” Peterson said during an ESPN Zoom press availability Tuesday morning.
UNC (50–12–1), the only team in the country that has two CWS appearances in the last three seasons, opens play in Omaha at 7:06 p.m. Friday (ESPN) against Ole Miss (41–21).
Carolina has four players, all juniors, with double-digit home runs: third baseman Cooper Nicholson (16), second baseman Gavin Gallaher (12), first baseman Eric Paulsen (11) and designated hitter/catcher Macon Winslow (10).
UNC’s only Chapel Hill Super Regional home runs were both in Saturday’s 4–0 win over USC, solo shots from catcher Colin Hynek and Paulsen.
Peterson highlighted junior right-hander Jason DeCaro (11–2, 2.28 ERA), who pitched a two-hit shutout in that Saturday win with the Tar Heels facing elimination and started in UNC’s College World Series opener in 2024 against Virginia.
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“They’re really going to pitch,” Peterson said. “DeCaro was as good as he’s probably ever been last weekend, and he’s been around, he’s been in that environment. I think that helps. They don’t hit a ton of home runs. I know that’s been the buzzword during the course of the season. We’ll see how the ballpark plays this year. But I don’t know that that’s a negative when you get there.”
Peterson said the traits that usually matter most in Omaha line up with Carolina’s strengths.
“They’ve defended really well, which tends to pop its head up at the biggest times in Omaha,” Peterson said. “I still start with what your pitching staff looks like and how do you defend, and it’s hard to argue with the way that North Carolina pitches and the way that they defend.”
Carolina leads the field and is eighth in the country in fielding percentage at .982, slightly ahead of Georgia, which is 10th, and well ahead of West Virginia (23rd at .979).
“They’ve got a club that’s good enough to win it, for sure. They clearly got tested through regionals and supers to get to this point, so I don’t know how you can look at North Carolina as not being one that you circle and say, ‘Yeah, they’ve got a real chance.’ ”
Burke agreed, saying Carolina’s style may translate even better in Omaha than it did on the road to Omaha.
“At the end of the day, the offense not needing to hit the ball out of the ballpark, while you could have looked at that as a detriment to get to Omaha, it actually becomes a strength once you’re there,” Burke said. “Everybody likes a three-run homer, and that sometimes can be very helpful in games versus the best pitchers. Sometimes it’s hard to get three or four hits in an inning.
Burke said that junior center fielder Owen Hull has the “clutch gene” and can create offense without hitting a home run. He is hitting a team-high .390 and was 9-for-13 with two walks and a hit by pitch last weekend. Sunday, he was 4-for-5 with four doubles and two RBI, including the game-ending hit in the 4–3 win.
“Owen Hull, to me, is one of my favorite players left in the tournament,” Burke said. “Anybody who can drive in as many runs as he has without hitting the ball out of the ballpark, that’s the personification of the clutch gene.”
That offensive approach, Peterson said, goes beyond the home run total. Carolina’s ability to control at-bats should also play well in Omaha.
“Their offense is maybe not as much thump, but it’s similar to Texas in that they walk a ton and they don’t strike out a lot,” Peterson said. “That’s a pretty good combination when you get to this time of year. That combination of walk a bunch, don’t strike out a ton — I think gets to be more important when you get to that ballpark. It plays well there.”
Burke also likes the Tar Heels’ margin for error because of their staff depth. In addition to DeCaro, sophomore right-hander Ryan Lynch (5–4, 4.42 ERA) has been dominant of late, and the Tar Heels have freshman right-hander Caden Glauber (10–0, 2.20 ERA) either starting or coming out of the bullpen.
The other relief arms are strong, with sophomore right-hander Walker McDuffie (8–3, 3.44 ERA) and freshman left-hander Jackson Rose (4–0, 2.35 ERA) leading the way.
Carolina is second among the CWS teams and eighth in the country in team ERA at 3.86, behind only West Virginia (7th at 3.79)
Burke said Carolina can win even if it does not get a dominant start because the bullpen has enough quality and length to cover significant innings.
“They have great starting pitching with Lynch and DeCaro, but they don’t have to get great starts to win, because they have an awesome bullpen that also has length to it,” Burke said. “McDuffie could give you three or four innings, certainly Glauber can give you three or four innings. So, if they get great starting pitching, then the other team’s really in trouble, but even if it’s not one of those guys’ days, they still have answers. It’s hard to see a scenario where North Carolina is not very competitive.”
That does not mean the path is easy. Burke called Carolina’s opener against Ole Miss one that could quickly turn into one of the best games of the first weekend.
“They’re up against a team that does hit the ball out of the ballpark and honestly can match them on the mound,” Burke said of the Rebels. “I think that game has all the feels of one that could be a classic, just because both those teams can really, really pitch. We’ll see what the conditions play like, but 5 to 4, 4 to 3 — it has that feel.”
While Burke said Georgia and Texas look the strongest on paper entering the College World Series, he was careful to separate the favorite from the fit.
Georgia’s power and postseason run stand out to him, and he said Texas checks nearly every box with stars, starting pitching and bullpen depth. But that assessment did not diminish Carolina’s chances.
One side of the bracket is crowded with SEC teams, but Peterson said Carolina’s draw should not obscure the larger point. The Tar Heels have the pitching, defense and offensive discipline that often matter most in Omaha, and they have already come through the kind of regional and super regional tests that reveal whether a team is built for June.
That is why, even in a field filled with lineups that can hit balls out of the park in bunches, Carolina’s formula may be exactly the kind that lasts.
National HR ranks for CWS teams
1 Georgia 174
T14 Ole Miss 107
21 Texas 103
T26 Troy 93
T45 Oklahoma 83
T49 UNC 80
T49 Alabama 80
T146 West Virginia 55
College World Series
At Charles Schwab Field Omaha in Omaha, Neb.
Sunday, June 21, game on ABC, all other games on ESPN
Bracket 1
No. 5-seed and No. 4-ranked North Carolina (50–12–1), No. 16-seed West Virginia (48–15), Troy (38–30) and No. 23-ranked Ole Miss (41–21)
Bracket 2
No. 3-seed and No. 3-ranked Georgia (51–12), No. 6-seed and No. 6-ranked Texas (45–13), No. 7-seed and No. 16-ranked Alabama (42–19) and Oklahoma (38–22)
Pool play
(All listed times are ET)
Friday’s games
Game 1: Troy vs. West Virginia, 2:06 p.m.
Game 2: North Carolina vs. Ole Miss, 7:06 p.m.
Saturday’s games
Game 3: Oklahoma vs. No. 7 Alabama, 3:06 p.m.
Game 4: Georgia vs. No. 6 Texas, 8:06 p.m.
Sunday’s games
Game 5: Friday losers, 2:06 p.m.
Game 6: Friday winners, 7:06 p.m.
Monday’s games
Game 7: Saturday losers, 2:06 p.m.
Game 8: Saturday winners, 7 p.m.
Tuesday’s games
Game 9: Sunday morning winner vs. Sunday night loser 2:06 p.m.
Game 10: Tuesday morning winner vs. Sunday night winner, 7:06 p.m.
Wednesday’s games
Game 11: Monday morning winner vs. Monday night loser, 2:06 p.m.
Game 12: Wednesday morning winner vs. Monday night winner, 7:06 p.m.
Thursday’s games
Deciding Bracket 1 game if Game 9 winner also wins Game 11
Deciding Bracket 2 game if Game 10 winner also wins Game 12
CWS Finals
(Best-of-3 series)
Game 1: Saturday, June 20, 8:06 p.m.
Game 2 Sunday, June 21, 1:36 p.m.
Game 3: Monday, June 22, (if needed) 8:06 p.m.
| 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 |
| 30–31 | Sat.–Sun. | W, 7–5, W, 9–3 | East Carolina | 48–11–1 |
| June | ||||
| Chapel Hill Super Regionals | ||||
| 5–7 | Fri.–Sun. | L, 9–5, W, 4–0, W, 4–3 | Southern Cal | 50–12–1 |
| College World Series | Omaha, Neb. | |||
| 12 | Friday | 7:06 p.m. | No. 18 Ole Miss | ESPN |
| 14 | Sunday | 2:06 p.m. (with loss) or 7:06 p.m. (with win) | Troy or West Virginia | ESPN |
Photo by Smith Hardy
