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Carolina players should be popular picks at the MLB draft, even though the Tar Heels made the College World Series Finals with a roster featuring deep talent rather than first-round headliners. After a 54–14–1 season that ended one win short of a national championship, several Tar Heels enter the July 11–12 draft knowing their names will be called, led by right-handed pitchers Ryan Lynch and Jason DeCaro, shortstop Jake Schaffner and center fielder Owen Hull.
North Carolina added another experienced relief pitcher out of the transfer portal when former Coastal Carolina right-hander Scott Doran committed to the Tar Heels.
North Carolina added an experienced bullpen arm from a familiar conference rival Thursday, as former Virginia Tech right-hander Preston Crowl committed to the Tar Heels. The 6–0, 215-pound junior announced his decision Thursday evening on X (formerly Twitter)
North Carolina added a productive in-state outfielder through the transfer portal with a commitment from UNC Asheville sophomore outfielder Blaize Johnson. The Kernersville native and first-team All-Big South selection announced his decision in a late Tuesday post on X (formerly Twitter).
OMAHA, Neb. — As Oklahoma celebrated on the field, North Carolina players lingered in the third-base dugout, still processing how their amazing run to Omaha ended with such frustration. The Tar Heels weren’t belaboring the 13–2 loss to Oklahoma in Game 3 of the CWS Finals as much as remembering the togetherness and love shared on a team that will never play together again as an entire group.
OMAHA, Neb. — Scott Forbes is giving the ball to freshman left-hander Jackson Rose in Monday night’s battle with Oklahoma for the national championship. The Tar Heels will head into Monday’s 7:09 p.m. (ESPN) winner-take-all Game 3 of the College World Series Finals with what Forbes called an “all hands on deck” approach on the mound after Rose, one shaped by trust in a pitching staff that has carried a heavy load through Omaha and a roster that has responded all season when the stakes have risen.
OMAHA, Neb. — It was a special and emotional Father’s Day victory for Carolina first baseman Erik Paulsen. When Scott Forbes, the coach who convinced him to leave his home area in New York, away from his family, and play at UNC, talked about it afterward, he had to pause because he got so emotional.
OMAHA, Neb. — For the first time in 20 years, North Carolina is a win away from the program’s first national championship. Dominant pitching and timely hitting powered the No. 4 Tar Heels to a 6–2 victory Sunday at Charles Schwab Field Omaha over Oklahoma in Game 2 of the College World Series Finals to force a deciding game for the national championship.
OMAHA, Neb. — It couldn’t be a more fitting stage for Jason DeCaro to make his final college start. The junior ace of No. 4 North Carolina’s staff will get the ball in Game 1 of the College World Series Finals against Oklahoma with the Tar Heels two wins away from the program’s first national championship.
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 8:07 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.
OMAHA, Neb. — Offense could be at a premium in Game 1 of the CWS Finals on Saturday with two of the hottest pitchers in the country trying to follow up on dominant performances last weekend. The 8:07 p.m. Saturday game will likely match UNC junior right-hander Jason DeCaro (11–2, 2.31 ERA) against Oklahoma freshman left-hander Cord Rager (6–3, 4.69 ERA), a battle that pits North Carolina’s established ace against one of the postseason’s fastest-rising arms.
OMAHA, Neb. — Pitching and defense got No. 4 North Carolina to the brink of the College World Series Finals, but it was the Tar Heels’ explosive offense that sent them there for the first time since 2007. The hitting was contagious in UNC’s 12–7 victory Wednesday over West Virginia, and it was needed to withstand six late Mountaineers runs. Carolina bettered its combined output of 11 runs in the first two games and showed that this team can swing the bats as well as any team in the country.
OMAHA, Neb. — The battle for the national championship is set. On Wednesday night, Oklahoma followed No. 4 North Carolina in rolling into the College World Series Finals, easily eliminating No. 3 Georgia 11–4 after the Tar Heels advanced Wednesday afternoon with a 12–7 victory over West Virginia.
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. 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.
OMAHA, Neb. — North Carolina is two wins away from its first national championship after pouring on the offense early, thanks to white-hot Owen Hull returning to the “O-zone.” The No. 4 Tar Heels pounded West Virginia pitching and took advantage of its defensive lapses, rolling to a 12–7 victory Wednesday at Charles Schwab Field Omaha to clinch its first CWS Finals berth in 19 years.
