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UNC passes its first 2026 College World Series test with a victory over Ole Miss

The Diamond Heels did what they sent out to do: win their opener in Omaha.
ByNick Delahanty|
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Jun 12, 2026; Omaha, NE, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels starting pitcher Jason DeCaro (29) and catcher Colin Hynek (23) walk off the field during the first inning against the Mississippi Rebels at Charles Schwab Field. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
Jun 12, 2026; Omaha, NE, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels starting pitcher Jason DeCaro (29) and catcher Colin Hynek (23) walk off the field during the first inning against the Mississippi Rebels at Charles Schwab Field. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

The UNC baseball program is off to a great start in Omaha!

Behind stellar pitching and timely hitting, the Diamond Heels won their College World Series opener over Ole Miss. The Tar Heels now advance to the winner's bracket and will play West Virginia on Sunday night.

Here's how it went down:

North Carolina finds a way to battle back to defeat Ole Miss

After his complete game masterpiece in the Chapel Hill Super Regional, Jason DeCaro was outstanding in his encore performance.

The junior right hander pitched into the seventh inning, holding Ole Miss' potent offense to just two runs. He nearly was able to complete a full seven innings, but a two-out double forced Scott Forbes to turn to the pen.

Insert Caden Glauber, do we need to say more?

UNC's star shutdown reliever and ace starting pitcher earn All-American recognition

Offensively, North Carolina was in a bit of a rut, trailing 1-0 going into the bottom of the sixth inning. Scott Forbes used some of his magic by holding a brief offensive meeting in the dugout, and the results immediately showed.

Who else but Owen Hull to deliver?!

The junior centerfielder crushed an opposite field homer to left, tying up the game at 1 while giving UNC some much-needed life.

Ole Miss would take the lead back in the top half of the seventh, but the Diamond Heels never backed down.

Similar to how the walk-off at the Bosh occurred last weekend, Jake Schaffner hit a sacrifice fly to right to tie the game back up. Gavin Gallaher, who had been searching for his first hit in Omaha (coming into the at-bat 0-15 dating back to 2024), finally broke through, poking an RBI single to centerfield to put the Tar Heels up for the first time all night.

The big swing of the night came in the bottom of the eighth inning when Colin Hynek provided some much-needed insurance runs with his monsterous three-run blast.

As mentioned prior, DeCaro handed the ball over to Glauber, who did his thing on the mound to seal the deal.

The recipe behind this victory was similar to what we've seen all season long. It couldn't have worked out much better for the Diamond Heels, as they now have a day off and will have everyone (other than DeCaro) available to battle West Virginia for a spot in the region's final which begins on Wednesday.

It was a great night to be a Tar Heel, but the job is far from finished in Omaha.

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