{"id":3055,"date":"2026-06-23T07:34:23","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T07:34:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=3055"},"modified":"2026-06-23T07:34:23","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T07:34:23","slug":"ncaa-title-eludes-unc-baseball-once-again-as-oklahoma-rolls-to-the-championship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=3055","title":{"rendered":"NCAA title eludes UNC baseball once again as Oklahoma rolls to the championship"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s become an unfortunate tradition at this point.<\/p>\n

North Carolina, under Mike Fox and now Scott Forbes, has become one of the powerhouses of college baseball \u2014 a perennial threat. Once again, however, that threat was neutralized.<\/p>\n

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No. 5 seed UNC fell to unseeded Oklahoma, 13-2, on Monday night in the Men\u2019s College World Series finale. The game capped off the Sooners\u2019 magical run, while the Tar Heels will return to Chapel Hill from Omaha empty-handed for the 13th time in program history.<\/p>\n

They are now second all-time for the most MCWS appearances without a national title. Florida State leads with 21, and Clemson has 12. Additionally, Carolina has lost 23 straight games when trailing by five or more runs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to work our tails off to get back here, and the more you get to a place, hopefully you can knock that door down,\u201d Forbes said. \u201cWe\u2019ve just got to keep the main thing the main thing, and that\u2019s the players, and helping them get better and leave here better people. You\u2019ve got to feel like eventually that winning will take care of itself and, eventually, we\u2019ll find a way to be on the other end.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Sooners (43-22), who lost six SEC series this season, completed their miraculous upset tour in Omaha. They knocked off ACC champion Georgia Tech \u2014 after trailing 7-3 in the sixth inning of its regional final \u2014 Big 12 champion Kansas, and SEC champion Georgia. OU also shut out Alabama to start the World Series.<\/p>\n

UNC (54-14-1) got a taste of its own medicine, in delayed release format. Neither team advanced to Omaha in 2025, and Carolina ended OU\u2019s season at the Chapel Hill regional. This time, it\u2019s on the other side of the heartbreak.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey took us on a ride that was unbelievable,\u201d Forbes said of his team. \u201cWe came up a little bit short, but I would take that ride again every day of the year. While we\u2019re sad, the sadness will go away. We also talk about joy. Joy doesn\u2019t go away, and these guys have given me, our coaching staff, our fans, our administration, everybody, a ton of joy and a ton to be proud of.\u201d<\/p>\n

Several variables played into the Tar Heels\u2019 loss, but pitching and a handful of coaching decisions loomed large.<\/p>\n

Carolina\u2019s pitching struggled early and deteriorated as the night progressed.<\/p>\n

Freshman Jackson Rose earned his first start in six weeks and led off with a five-pitch swinging strikeout. Oklahoma made contact on three consecutive at bats, recording a pair of singles and fielder\u2019s choice. With a pair of runners on, Rose escaped the jam by recording his second strikeout on a 3-2 count.<\/p>\n

He was not as lucky in the second and third. Oklahoma scored its first three runs of the night off Rose, including one on a wild pitch. Rose\u2019s throw snuck past catcher Colin Hynek and rolled to the backstop and allowed Dayton Tockey to scamper home.<\/p>\n

The freshman picked up a pair of strikeouts in the top of the third but exited prior to the third out. He gave up six hits, including a double, and struck out five batters in 2 \u2154 innings of work.<\/p>\n

Rose entered the winner-take-all title game with a 2.15 ERA and held opponents scoreless in his previous 12 innings pitched.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d do it again,\u201d Forbes said of the decision to start Rose. \u201cI thought he was one of our hottest pitchers. I thought he competed his tail off. I mean, you\u2019re talking about a true freshman. I know they threw a true freshman as well. But I\u2019m proud of him. Without Jackson Rose, we wouldn\u2019t have got this far.\u201d<\/p>\n

UNC replaced Rose with experienced reliever Walker McDuffie. The sophomore, however, had an even shorter outing. McDuffie faced five batters and threw 25 total pitches before getting pulled. The right-hander recorded just two outs and gave up three runs, three walks and only struck out one batter.<\/p>\n

It felt like Forbes was out of options when he walked to the mound, the Tar Heels facing a 3-0 deficit and McDuffie down in a 2-0 count. UNC needed a lot more from its typically-reliable guy out of the bullpen.<\/p>\n

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North Carolina then turned to star freshman Caden Glauber in a seemingly last-ditch attempt to stabilize things and give its offense a chance to respond.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, the ACC freshman of the year couldn\u2019t get it done. In fact, he gave up back-to-back walks \u2014 one with the bases loaded \u2014 and a two-RBI single to extend the deficit. Glauber\u2019s performance followed four appearances in the past 10 days, including five innings of work on Sunday. Though his team was on its way to a crucial 6-2 win in Game 2, Forbes chose to use Glauber from the fifth inning on as the Tar Heels forced Monday night\u2019s winner-take-all finale.<\/p>\n

.<\/p>\n

Oklahoma continued to pour it on as the Tar Heels went to Matthew Matthijs, Folger Boaz, Cameron Padgett, Tom Chmielewski and Kyle Percival. Every pitcher but Percival gave up at least one run.<\/p>\n

Forbes said the coaching staff discussed bringing in Jason DeCaro with a lead but was thinking long-term about his career.<\/p>\n

UNC will also be left questioning its second-inning base running decision. The Tar Heels hit two singles and appeared comfortable against Oklahoma starting pitcher Nick Wesloski.<\/p>\n

When Rom Kellis recorded the third hit of the inning, Forbes waved home Erik Paulsen \u2014 far from the speediest player \u2014 from second base. Instead of UNC loading the bases with two down, Oklahoma tagged Carter French out at third, long before Paulsen crossed home plate. The decision cost Carolina its third out and sucked the momentum out of UNC\u2019s offense.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat wasn\u2019t the reason we lost the game,\u201d Forbes said of the play. \u201cObviously, it hurt our momentum a little bit. But baseball, it\u2019s the best game there is. You look at this box score, they out hit us; they beat us pretty good. There\u2019s a lot more within that box score than just the hits. But that was a tough play, and it\u2019s what it is. We just had to deal with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Second baseman Gavin Gallaher drove in shortstop Jake Schaffner in the fourth to end the shutout. Pinch hitter Jadyn Nunez scored on a throwing error in the seventh to add another. There wasn\u2019t enough juice in the bats or precision from pitchers for Carolina to bring home the trophy.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is probably the most hurt I\u2019ve ever felt in my life and not just because we\u2019re one game away from doing something that no UNC baseball team has ever done,\u201d Gallaher said, \u201cbut more so just because this is the end of the season.\u201d<\/p>\n

North Carolina made its 13th trip to the Men\u2019s College World Series this summer, the second under Forbes. It previously advanced to the final eight in 2024, but it did not make the championship final.<\/p>\n

North Carolina made back-to-back championship appearances in 2006 and 2007, losing to Oregon State both times. Forbes was the pitching coach at the time.<\/p>\n

In 2006, the Tar Heels won the first game and lost the next two. They fell to the Beavers, 3-2, in the deciding game.<\/p>\n

A year later, Oregon State swept Carolina in two games to win the 2007 title. The Beavers out-scored the Heels, 20-7, in the title series.<\/p>\n

Read more RHOM’s Lisa Hochstein Breaks Silence as Spying Charge Is Dropped<\/a><\/p>\n

This story was originally published June 22, 2026 at 10:56 PM.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

North Carolina Tar Heels play in Omaha against Oklahoma Sooners in CWS title game. UNC vs. Oklahoma baseball final score. 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