It's tough to put this loss into words. For UNC and Scott Forbes, one win was needed to make school history in winning the College World Series for the first time ever. Oklahoma had other ideas, posting a dominant victory in Game 3 to break hearts all over Chapel Hill. Forbes himself was emotional after the defeat, fighting back tears while speaking to the media.
UNC's Gavin Gallaher gives heartbreaking quote after CWS title loss vs. Oklahoma
It's not just losing to Oklahoma that had him overcome with emotion. It was the fact that his players weren't able to capture what would have been a remarkable feeling of making history for the Tar Heels. While speaking to the media, Forbes didn't mince words with what was on his mind, while also sending a clear message to the guys who suited up for him.
North Carolina HC Scott Forbes on what this Tar Heels team means to him.
— Harrison Cordell Fant (@Fantavious9) June 23, 2026
“I couldn't be prouder of a group. I just talked to them in the locker room. We talk all the time about service, about serving one another. I don't tell them this, but I write it down every day for myself,… pic.twitter.com/xzTSAVJsEA
Scott Forbes was overcome with emotion after UNC's heartbreaking CWS loss
"The thing I'm going to miss the most is just being with them," Forbes said of his players. "That's what I'm going to miss. It obviously gets emotional back there, but I'm thankful too. I'm thankful I've been given the opportunity. It's an honor and a privilege to be the head coach at the University of North Carolina. I don't take that lightly."
Entering the CWS Championship Series, North Carolina was considered a big-time favorite to take care of business against the Sooners, as it truly felt like Oklahoma's luck was going to finally run out. No one, and we mean no one, expected the SEC side to go on a deep run in the tournament, let alone win it all.
However, the Sooners landed a jab on UNC in Week 1, which was a stunner. North Carolina was able to bounce back in Game 2, leaving this to a winner-take-all Game 3 showdown. Unfortunately, Oklahoma got hot at the dish early on, and the Tar Heels weren't able to respond.
Major momentum was killed early in the action when a run was taken off the board due to a blunder from Carter French. The fan-favorite playmaker was thrown out at third base, which was infuriating to see. After the loss to the Sooners, however, Forbes was quick to remind everyone that French's mistake wasn't the main reason Carolina didn't come out on top.
“It’s hard for me to get mad at Carter French. But I was mad in the moment,” said North Carolina Coach Scott Forbes about the 3rd out at third base in the second inning.
— Noah Bieniek (Bee-Nick) (@NoahB77_) June 23, 2026
“It was a mistake. But he owns the mistake, we all own it… that wasn’t the reason we lost the game.” https://t.co/Fq9L4GEaBc pic.twitter.com/vXPqGtJbiK
We're glad Forbes stepped up and said this, as French no doubt had to be feeling pretty down in the dumps over what happened. Again, though, this loss is not just on him, as the Sooners were far and away the better team in Game 3. Now, it's going to be a bit of a long offseason for the Tar Heels and Forbes.
Despite that, no one can take away from the fact that this was a magical campaign for the entire group, and every coach and player has no reason to hang their head right now. Yes, UNC was one win away from doing the unthinkable, but if anything, this feeling should fuel Forbes to return to this stage and post a different result next time around.
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