For the first time since 2007, and the third time in program history, the Diamond Heels are heading to the College World Series Championship series!
The UNC baseball program clinched its spot in the sport's biggest series with its victory over West Virginia on Wednesday afternoon in Omaha.
UNC's offensive explosion sets the tone in win over WVU
Serving as the away team in this game, the fan base went into this one hoping that the Tar Heels could get on the board early and often.
Fortunately, that's exactly what they did.
North Carolina put the pressure on right away, scoring two runs in the top half of the first inning. West Virginia would counter with one in the bottom half of the inning, but from there, it appeared to be all UNC.
In fact, an offensive explosion, guided by four-hit performances from both Owen Hull and Gavin Gallaher, helped the Diamond Heels carry a 12-1 lead into the seventh inning.
After Jackson Rose pitched 4.1 shutout innings in relief, Scott Forbes turned to some of his key veterans. Matthew Matthijs came in with the bases loaded and immediately forced a inning ending double play, but the Mountaineers would get to the veteran right-hander in the bottom half of the seventh.
Seeing Matthijs in a bit of trouble, Forbes turned to another senior arm, Cam Padgett. The sparingly-used right hander allowed back-to-back hits before the game was turned over to relief ace Caden Glauber, but the damage was done and momentum built, as North Carolina's original 12-1 lead was now 12-6 heading into the final two innings of play.
Fortunately, the early lead that was built was plenty, as Glauber finished off the game allowing just one more run to score.
After Folger Boaz struggled in his one inning of work, you have to give a ton of credit to Jackson Rose for what he was able to do on the mound. The true freshman made it feel impossible for West Virginia to score, allowing his own offense to do its job and put the game out of reach. If there happens to be a Game 3 of the College World Series Championship round, Rose has made his case to potentially be on the mound to start that game.
Offensively, North Carolina's 12 runs were the most the Diamond Heels have ever scored in a College World Series game. Of their 16 hits, 11 came from the middle part of the order, as Hull, Gallaher, and Erik Paulson combined to go 11-15 with six runs scored and seven runs batted in. When you look at the win, a major factor was what the Diamond Heels' middle of the order was able to do, setting the tone offensively in a game that surprisingly turned into a slugfest.
The goal that the UNC baseball program set out months ago is now just two wins away, as they await the winner of the Georgia/Oklahoma series from the other side of the bracket. While North Carolina would've loved to have not had a pressure filled ending to the game, they surely will take the win, especially given that the starting pitching staff is set up very nicely for the weekend series in Omaha.
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