Let's get the elephant out of the room.
That's exactly what Scott Forbes is telling his team ahead of the start of the 2026 College World Series Championship series on Saturday night in Omaha.
Forbes has been here before, as he was on the Tar Heels' coaching staff during their trips to the finals in both 2006 and 2007. Now, 20 years later, Forbes is the head coach of the program and is aiming to finish the mission that he and his team set out when they first came together as a unit.
Win the daggum thing.
Scott Forbes provides quality advice ahead of CWS Championship opener
While speaking to the media on Friday, Scott Forbes provided some great wisdom for how he and his coaching staff will encourage their players on how to handle this big-time moment.
Forbes told a great story about how he couldn't even eat his breakfast before the deciding game three against Oregon State in 2006, but it's safe to say that he won't let that happen this time around.
"I’ll be excited, but I want our players to embrace the moment and to enjoy the moment and to understand — you don’t want to look back and be, like — I was walking on eggshells and fearing what would happen if we didn’t win," Forbes said. That was the number one thing."
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When you get to this point in the season, it's important to remember what got you here. All year, the Diamond Heels have been vying for a chance to compete for a national title, and now that the moment is here, Forbes knows that they simply have to lay it all on the line and put their best foot forward.
"I learned personally, too, that you’ve got to go for it. You’ve got to live in the moment," Forbes added. "You’ve got to go after every single pitch and not think about the end goal, just think about that current game and the Nick Saban process of just trying to dominate every play and every pitch."
Yes, the nerves will be there. Forbes understands how nerves come into play in these types of games. When you care so much about something and want to achieve a goal that has been one you've had for months (or even years in some cases), you don't want that opportunity to slip away, which brings along that feeling of nervousness or anxiousness.
As Forbes noted, it's not fear, it's excitement.
Forbes isn't someone who is going to dance around a situation. In fact, he often says how he makes sure his players understand that there are times where tough love is present, given that he and his staff see the potential in each and every player and want them to be in the best position to succeed.
In this instance, Forbes is attacking the College World Series Championship series head on.
The elephant is out of the room: everyone in the UNC locker room knows what they are playing for starting on Saturday night.
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