CHAPEL HILL — It’s a sign that Coach Scott Forbes has returned North Carolina to one of the nation’s best programs when losing six draft picks hasn’t changed lofty expectations. The Tar Heels, No. 6 in the D1 Baseball preseason poll, reloaded.
Tag: Omaha
With most of everyday lineup gone, Forbes must restock roster
OMAHA, Neb. — The lineup will look drastically different when North Carolina opens the 2025 baseball season in February. Coach Scott Forbes must replenish his roster with transfers and freshmen for the Tar Heels to return to Omaha because most of his 2024 lineup will be gone. Even before UNC’s first Men’s College World Series opener, Forbes said that he had already secured a couple of transfer commitments and was working to get more.
Omaha delivers heartbreak for UNC but leaves Forbes proud
OMAHA, Neb. — Baseball is designed to break your heart, and Omaha delivers a unique version of emotional pain to all but one team. When many of the elements that get you there fail to come together at the Men’s College World Series, teams leave frustrated but proud that they got to the big stage.
Three wins from finals, but Forbes, UNC focused on Florida State
OMAHA, Neb. — The mission for No. 4-seed North Carolina is daunting: Win three games in as many days — including two against No. 1 Tennessee — to make the Men’s College World Series Finals or go home. Coach Scott Forbes’s mission is to get his Tar Heels (48–15) to focus on beating No. 8-seed Florida State (48–16) at 2 p.m. ET Tuesday (ESPN) and proceed from there with the knowledge that the program has met a similar challenge before
Offensive struggles catch up with UNC against Vols
OMAHA, Neb. — For most of the season, Carolina’s prolific scoring made it tough for anybody to beat the Tar Heels. They haven’t been able to replicate that recently in the NCAA tournament against top-level pitching, and it finally caught up with them against No. 1 Tennessee’s explosive hitting.
Sprague has gone from rough preseason to making it rough on opposing batters
OMAHA, Neb. — The Shea Sprague that No. 1-seed Tennessee will face is a dramatically different pitcher than the one who struggled to get his North Carolina teammates out during preseason practice.
Cardiac Heels rally again on huge hits by Van De Brake and Honeycutt
OMAHA, Neb. — After spending most of the season watching from the dugout, the college baseball world watched Jackson Van De Brake come through with a huge hit on the sport’s biggest stage. And Vance Honeycutt added yet another.
Forbes securing transfers, seeking others while trying to lead UNC to national title
OMAHA, Neb. — North Carolina coach Scott Forbes got his fourth Tar Heels team to the Men’s College World Series, thanks in no small part to working the transfer portal. Three of his regular position players and two of his starting pitchers transferred to UNC last offseason. Knowing that up to seven regular starters will finish their careers in Omaha, Forbes has already begun luring another talented transfer class while trying to win a national championship.
UNC’s top-level outfield defense will be huge in spacious Omaha ballpark
OMAHA, Neb. — Charles Schwab Field Omaha’s spacious dimensions can turn long drives into long outs that might be home runs in other venues. When No. 4-seed North Carolina (47–14) gets a rematch with No. 12 Virginia (45–15) in Friday’s 2 p.m. Men’s College World Series opener (ESPN), the dynamics will be a lot different from when the Cavaliers won two of three in Charlottesville, Va., in early April.
Honeycutt named first-team All-American; six other Tar Heels earn honors
Dynamic UNC junior center fielder Vance Honeycutt made the Perfect Game First Team All-America team on Wednesday and was one of two Tar Heels picked by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association as Second Team All-American.
UNC only got limited number of MCWS tickets, but they’re available elsewhere
It’s tough for a team to earn a spot in the Men’s College World Series, and it might be even tougher for fans of No. 4-seed North Carolina to get tickets if you want to make sure you are sitting with Tar Heels fans.
Lots of changes in pitching for UNC, Virginia since first meeting
No. 4-seed North Carolina and No. 12 Virginia are familiar with each other heading into their College World Series game this weekend, but a lot has changed since they played an early-April series in Charlottesville.
With two top starters and solid bullpen, UNC has pitching to make postseason run
CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina’s pitching staff has thrown the Tar Heels for a loop many times this season, whether it be short outings from starters or early-season struggles from relievers. After dealing with little stability in the starting rotation most of the season, UNC coach Scott Forbes enters the NCAA tournament confident with the momentum from only two pitchers he knows will start this weekend and a bullpen that has been solid of late.
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