Update (June 23- 8:42 AM EST)
Although Scott Forbes said that Lynch might be available for Game 3 of the College World Series Championship series, we never saw the right-hander take the mound.
In fact, Lynch seemed to be ruled out before the game even started.
During warmups, Lynch was seen playing catch and was clearly in a lot of pain. After a few throws, the right-hander stopped throwing and proceeded to watch his teammates warmup while signing some autographs for fans along the left field line.
Forbes understands the nature of the injury and realizes that Lynch is likely heading to the pros in a few weeks. The risk of running him out there wasn't worth it for Lynch's long-term health, and it also didn't make sense for the Tar Heels to use him when he wasn't close to 100%.
Lynch being forced to leave Game 2 had major implications for Game 3. Caden Glauber was called upon to finish the game, limiting him to a very short outing in the decisive winner-take-all game.
Of course, you can't control injuries, and it was smart for Lynch to admit he couldn't physically get the job done instead of forcing the issue (making the injury worse).
Update (June 21- 7:20 PM EST)
Following the victory over Oklahoma, head coach Scott Forbes addressed Lynch's injury in his opening statement during his media session:
"I thought Lynch was good. It’s an oblique. Hopefully, he can get that thing better and pitch for us tomorrow. I don’t think it’s too serious, but I didn’t want to gamble."
Original Story
Everything was going rather well for the UNC baseball program until the bottom half of the fifth inning.
Ryan Lynch was settling in nicely, retiring 11 of the last 13 batters he faced. Unfortunately, just two pitches into the inning, Lynch called for the trainers and was instantly removed from the game.
Ryan Lynch forced to leave Game 2 of the CWS finals due to injury
Based on what was shown on the broadcast, it appears that the injury was on Lynch's lower side. He explained the situation to Scott Forbes and the training staff, as the decision was made to remove him from the game.
Ryan Lynch had really settled in for North Carolina, working three scoreless after the first and retiring 11 of last 13, but his day is done two pitches into the fifth. Appeared to have tweaked his lower side, unfortunate to see. Caden Glauber time with the Heels up, 4-2.
— Bradley Smart (@fridaystarters) June 21, 2026
It's an unfortunate situation, given that Lynch was throwing the baseball so well. After a rough first inning, the right-hander was holding the Sooners' offense at bay, but the injury derailed him from staying in the ball game.
Caden Glauber was summoned out of the bullpen and proceeded to strike out the side in his first inning of work.
This story will be updated when more information comes along regarding Ryan Lynch's injury.
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