By R.L. Bynum
OMAHA, Neb. — It was an emotional reflection for Scott Forbes when he remembered being an assistant coach the last time North Carolina made the College World Series Finals.
Forbes had been there before, in 2006 and 2007, when legendary UNC coach Mike Fox hired him away from Winthrop to serve as pitching coach even though he had never been a pitching coach. He could not have imagined then that, 20 years later, he would be the Tar Heels’ head coach, guiding them back to the national championship series.
“I’m trying not to get emotional up here because just thinking about that team and Coach Fox giving me the opportunity to get back here,” Forbes said after North Carolina clinched its spot in the finals with a 12–7 victory Wednesday over West Virginia.
Game 1 of the CWS Finals is at 8:09 p.m. Saturday against Oklahoma (42–22), which advanced Wednesday night with an 11–5 victory over Georgia.
Forbes has spent much of the season stressing perspective with his club, and he returned to that after the game, saying the setting itself should never be something his players fear.
“We talk about it’s an honor and a privilege to wear our uniform at the University of North Carolina, but it’s also an honor and a privilege to be here playing on that field,” Forbes said. “And I want our guys to feel that. I want them to play with joy and have a blast playing together. So they did that.”
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Forbes sees echoes of those 2006 and 2007 teams in this group, and not just because of the stage they have reached. He sees it in how his players carry themselves, how they pull for each other and how they put winning ahead of individual concerns.
“A lot, togetherness,” Forbes said when asked about the similarities. “That ’06 team, they loved each other. They had a lot of fun together. This team’s the same. I picked up on that. They’re a tough group. They want to win. They put winning first over everything else.”
That is part of why the moment hit him so hard.
When Fox hired him back in 2006, Forbes said he was far from a universally celebrated choice. He had never been a pitching coach and walked into a clubhouse full of elite arms, including Andrew Miller and Daniel Bard, trying to find his footing.
“I wasn’t the popular hire at the time,” Forbes said. “There were a lot bigger names. I had never been a pitching coach. But Coach Fox saw something in me and gave me that opportunity.”
He laughed while recalling how quickly he realized that the smartest thing he could do with that staff was to trust their talent, instill confidence and avoid overcomplicating anything.
“I’m not the smartest guy in the room, but I realized pretty quickly after being there and watching bullpens for probably three days that the best thing I can do for this team as the pitching coach is maybe to instill some confidence,” Forbes said. “Because when you’re rolling Andrew Miller, Daniel Bard, Robert Woodard, Andrew Carignan, Matt Danford, that memory, and the gratitude that comes with it, made this return feel especially meaningful.
“I owe that to the whole team,” Forbes said. “I tell them all the time, I owe them my career because those pitchers, two of the top prospects in the country, got a guy coming in there who’d never been a pitching coach. And they didn’t act like that. They took me in. I learned more from them that first year.”
Now, Forbes has another team taking him back to the same place, this time with him filling out the lineup card with a shot at the national title.
UNC (53–12–1) earned the kind of path through its bracket that every coach wants, finishing 3–0 and avoiding the extra game that can drain a pitching staff before the finals.
“That’s the goal,” Forbes said. “You want those two days if you can get them. It doesn’t guarantee that you’re going to win. But when you have a pitching staff like ours, you can recover, you can get tomorrow to also get a lift in.”
The Tar Heels, Forbes said, used the previous off days well, and he expects them to do the same again before Saturday. He believes the preparation is already in place. More than that, he believes the feeling around this team is exactly what it needs.
“I’ve already done it,” Forbes said. “I believed that we were going to win today. And we have a plan, and we’ll stay with that plan the next two days to be ready to play Saturday.”
Forbes allowed himself one more look at the moment his players had created.
“I’ll just keep jumping on their backs,” he said, “and watch them when we start playing on Saturday.”
Forbes just hopes that this time the ride will finish with a title.
College World Series
At Charles Schwab Field Omaha in Omaha, Neb.
Pool play
All listed times are ET
June 12 results
West Virginia 7, Troy 5
North Carolina 6, Ole Miss 2
June 13 results
Oklahoma 9, Alabama 0
Georgia 7, Texas 1
June 14 results
Troy 12, Ole Miss 8; Ole Miss eliminated
North Carolina 5, West Virginia 2
June 15 results
Texas 14, Alabama 2; Alabama eliminated
Oklahoma 4, Georgia 3
Tuesday’s results
West Virginia 12, Troy 0; Troy eliminated
Georgia 2, Texas 0; Texas eliminated
Wednesday’s results
North Carolina 12, West Virginia 7; West Virginia eliminated
Oklahoma 11, Georgia 4; Georgia eliminated
CWS Finals
(Best-of-3 series)
North Carolina vs. Oklahoma
Game 1 Saturday: Oklahoma 9, North Carolina 3; Sooners lead series 1-0
Game 2 Sunday: North Carolina 6, Oklahoma 2; series tied 1-1
Game 3 (UNC home team): Monday, 7:09 p.m., ESPN
| 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 | W, 6–2 | No. 18 Ole Miss | 51–12–1 |
| 14, 17 | Sun., Wed. | W, 5–2, W, 12–7 | No. 9 West Virginia | 53–12–1 |
| 20–21 | Sat., Sun. | L, 9–3, W, 6–2 | CWS Finals vs. Oklahoma | 54–13–1 |
| 22 | Monday | 7:09 (if needed) | vs. Oklahoma | ESPN |
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics
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