For the first time since 2018, the UNC baseball team will be playing in the College World Series.
North Carolina’s journey in getting to Omaha, though, was anything but easy.
The Diamond Heels earned the NCAA Baseball Tournament’s fourth national seed, meaning they’d be hosting a Regional (for the second time in three season). High seeding doesn’t guarantee any victories, but playing in front of your home crowd provides a major advantage.
UNC trailed 4-seed LIU in the Chapel Hill Regional opener, but Gavin Gallaher later ended a thrilling comeback with his walk-off grand slam. Reigning national champion LSU had North Carolina two outs away from the end of its season – in the Chapel Hill Regional Final – but Colby Wilkerson and Alex Madera provided the game-tying and go-ahead runs.
The Diamond Heels also trailed late in Game 1 of the Chapel Hill Super Regional, down 6-5 to West Virginia with Mountaineers ace Derek Clark on the mound. Luke Stevenson tied the game at six on his first pitch of the inning, then all-star center fielder Vance Honeycutt walked it off with a 2-run blast.
UNC then escaped a 2-out, bases loaded jam to win 2-1 in Game 2 of its Super Regional.
In 2018, back when North Carolina last made the College World Series, it started with a rare victory (8-6) against Oregon State. The Diamond Heels dealt Beavers ace Luke Heimlich just his second loss on the year, tagging him for six runs in 2 1/3 innings.
Day 2 against Mississippi State wasn’t as kind, with UNC getting destroyed 12-2. North Carolina took a brief, 1-0 lead in the first inning on a Cody Roberts sac fly, but fell victim to a career day from now-Baltimore Orioles slugger Jordan Westburg.
Who did the Diamond Heels’s 2018 CWS appearance end against?
If you guessed Oregon State, you are correct.
UNC trailed the Beavers 3-0 early, then scored six unanswered runs with RBIs from Cody Roberts, Brandon Riley, Ike Freeman and Kyle Datres to take a 6-3 lead. Oregon State’s eight unanswered runs, though, proved too much for North Carolina to overcome.
Here’s to hoping the Diamond Heels’ 2024 run, which starts on Friday, June 14 at 2 p.m. against ACC rival UVA, ends in their first CWS title.
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