By R.L. Bynum
OMAHA, Neb. — No. 4 North Carolina has met every challenge in its road to the College World Series Finals, but the Tar Heels haven’t faced one quite like what red-hot Oklahoma will present.
In Game 1 at 8:09 p.m. Saturday (ESPN), UNC ace Jason DeCaro (11–2, 2.31 ERA) will make his final college start against a Sooners team that has hit eight home runs, including five on Wednesday against No. 3 Georgia.
Just as when the Tar Heels took two of three from then-No. 2 Georgia Tech in a mid-April series in Chapel Hill, they are ready for whatever Oklahoma brings to the series.
The Sooners have pitched well enough to reach the finals, but their recent surge at the plate has made them even more dangerous, leading the CWS with a .315 batting average. UNC coach Scott Forbes said the answer is not to pitch around that threat or become tentative against it.
“The most important thing is we are who we are,” Forbes said before UNC’s practice at Charles Schwab Field Omaha. “Don’t focus too much on the opponent at this point in the season. What Jason’s going to do is what he’s been doing. We don’t care what the offense has been, what they’re doing, how hot they are. He’s going to go right after them with his stuff. You start being tentative, you start getting negative counts, then that offense gets even better.”
Forbes said the same principle applies to North Carolina’s hitters, who are preparing for a hard-throwing Oklahoma staff that has helped power the Sooners’ run through the postseason, starting in Game 1 with fireballing left-hander Cord Rager.
Subscribe to read Tar Heel Tribune ad-free
Subscribe for a cleaner, smoother reading experience without the flashing banners, slow-loading elements, or those especially annoying pop‑up ads that interrupt the flow of the story. You’ll also get the first version of each story emailed to you. The only ads you’ll see are static, non-intrusive ads for UNC‑related books, and there are none currently on the site.
More CWS coverage
— Video, transcript: UNC’s pre-College World Series Finals press conference
— DeCaro no stranger to big stage, makes final college start with huge stakes
— Forbes emotionally reflects on his first trip to CWS Finals as pitching coach
— Heels two wins away from title after offensive explosion
— French’s Omaha challenges have included fastballs and organic chemistry
— ‘Loose as a goose’ Glauber belies his age, meets the moment
“We’ll do our scout prep on Oklahoma, and we know obviously how well they’ve pitched it,” Forbes said. “We know how much power they have. We know that they’ve got velocity. That’s where practice comes in. We’re going to be prepared for that. We’re going to train for it.
“But at the end of the day, the most important thing, our guys have done a good job and our coaching staff has done a good job, and I just reiterate that to everybody, our prep’s what is most important,” Forbes said. “We have to be ready to play our game and play at a high level.”
Carolina arrived at this point by leaning on the traits that have defined its season, pitching, defense and a clubhouse bond that players and coaches say has been evident since the fall. UNC is the only CWS team without an error while its opponent in all three wins made defensive mistakes.
Gavin Gallaher, who shifted from third base to second base and won a Gold Glove there, said the emphasis the staff places on clean defense has been constant, not just when the games turned biggest.
“Pitching and defense is what wins championships,” Gallaher said. “It’s been awesome. We focus on it every day at practice. It’s a point to focus on our defense as much as we would be focusing on our offense because that’s the easy part, is to get in the cages and hit.”
Forbes said Gallaher’s willingness to move captures much of what has made this roster work. Last fall, he expected to play shortstop, but that changed when Jake Schaffner joined the program.
“There’s no ego involved,” Forbes said. “We recruited Gavin as a middle infielder, but obviously, we like to recruit athletes that can play all over. We put him and Jake Schaffner at shortstop, and we wanted to see who was going to win that job. I felt like it was better for our team for Gavin to play second and Jake to play short. And he’s done a phenomenal job.”
Gallaher joked that he had been “playing the wrong position for the past two years,” but his more serious point was that the assignment never mattered as much as helping the team.
“My goal — I just wanted to be in the lineup,” Gallaher said. “I wanted to contribute to the team. So, wherever that was, that was the best thing for the team. That’s what I was going to do.”
The Tar Heels also believe their depth has helped separate them, particularly on the mound. Gallaher praised freshmen relievers Caden Glauber and Jackson Rose for changing games and easing the burden on the starting staff.
“They’ve been unbelievable for us,” Gallaher said. “Globe’s the best freshman in the country, and then Rose isn’t too far behind him. Just the innings they’ve been able to throw for us and the spots that they’ve both been in, it’s been huge for us to be able to have those guys. Especially for us [position players], we know that we can go out there and there’s way less pressure on us because we have guys like that in the bullpen behind us to pick us up.”
Forbes broadened that idea beyond the obvious names, saying North Carolina’s run has been sustained by players throughout the roster, even those who haven’t had many headline moments.
“That’s what makes a team sport unique,” Forbes said. “Those guys work their tails off. They’re ready for their opportunity. I’ve told them over and over, to do something that’s special, to win a national championship, somebody does something that [they haven’t] done maybe a lot on paper the whole season. So, I have a feeling that’s going to happen.”
Forbes said experience has changed the way he handles a moment that once left him with overwhelming nerves. As a pitching coach on North Carolina’s 2006 and 2007 finals teams, he remembers how easy it was to become consumed by the magnitude of the stage. This time, he wants his players to acknowledge it, then enjoy it.
“We’re playing in the national championship,” Forbes said. “You’re going to have even more nerves. It’s going to be hard to sleep. Invite that. Embrace that. Talk to it because it’s not fear, it’s just excitement.”
That has been North Carolina’s formula all season, and it is the one the Tar Heels will carry into Saturday night. Oklahoma may be the hottest team left in the field, but UNC believes the same identity that brought it through every previous challenge can hold up one more time on the sport’s biggest stage.
CWS statistical leaders
UNC season statistics
Oklahoma season statistics
College World Series
At Charles Schwab Field Omaha in Omaha, Neb.
Bracket 1
No. 5-seed and No. 4-ranked North Carolina (53–12–1), No. 16-seed and No. 9-ranked West Virginia (47–16; eliminated), Troy (39–32; eliminated) and No. 23-ranked Ole Miss (41–23; eliminated)
Bracket 2
Oklahoma (42–22), No. 3-seed and No. 3-ranked Georgia (53–14; eliminated), Oklahoma (41–22) and No. 7-seed, No. 6-seed and No. 6-ranked Texas (46–15; eliminated), No. 6-seed and No. 6-ranked Texas (46–16; eliminated) and No. 16-ranked Alabama (42–21; eliminated)
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 (UNC home team): Saturday, 8:09 p.m., ESPN
Game 2 (Oklahoma home team): Sunday, 2:39 p.m., ABC
Game 3 (UNC home team): Monday, if needed, 7:09 p.m., ESPN
Times in brackets are Central Time, with games starting 9 minutes after the listed times.
| 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 |
| 20–22 | Sat.-Mon | 8:09, 2:39, 7:09 (if needed) | CWS Finals vs. Oklahoma | ESPN, ABC, ESPN |
Photos by Gene Galin
2 Comments