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Athletics

Carolina heads to College World Series after thrilling comeback win

Owen Hull’s fourth double of the day sealed the 4-3 Super Regional win over Southern California, sending the Tar Heels to Omaha for the 13th time.

By GoHeels, Sunday, June 7th, 2026
U.N.C. baseball team taking a group photo with the super regional trophy on the field of Boshamer Stadium.
Carolina faces Ole Miss on Friday in its first game at the College World Series. (Ainsley Fauth/GoHeels)

Carolina is once again heading to the Men’s College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, following a thrilling come-from-behind 4-3 victory against Southern California at Boshamer Stadium on Sunday in the decisive Game 3 of the Chapel Hill Super Regional.

Center fielder Owen Hull’s walk-off double, his fourth of the game, in the ninth inning secured the victory for the Tar Heels, sending them to the MCWS for the 13th time and second under head coach Scott Forbes, who also earned his 250th victory at the helm.

Caden Glauber, the ACC freshman of the year, started on the mound for Carolina and struck out 11 over 7.1 innings.

After losing first game of the Super Regional, Carolina (50-12-1, 22-8 ACC) clawed back by rattling off back-to-back wins to reach the pinnacle of college baseball.  The Tar Heels had previously never won a Super Regional after starting 0-1. The win is also Carolina’s first in Game Three of a Super Regional since 2013.

The RBI double from Hull in the bottom of the ninth marked Carolina’s first walk-off win in an NCAA Tournament game since Vance Honeycutt led the Tar Heels to victory in the 2024 MCWS over Virginia.

Glauber got off to a shaky start in the first. After a double down the right field line, Glauber balked, scoring the runner from third and putting USC ahead, 1-0. In the second and third innings, Glauber got back on track, striking out five of the seven batters he faced.

In the bottom of the third inning, Carolina shortstop Jake Schaffner hit one to no man’s land to reach first, and Hull ripped one down the right field line for a double, scoring Schaffner and evening the score at 1-1.

USC then responded with a solo home run in the fourth to regain the lead, and the Trojans went yard once again in the fifth, extending their lead to two runs, 3-1.

Despite giving up three runs, Glauber was pitching efficiently, striking out eight batters through the first five innings, tying his career high in a single outing. The Tar Heels continued to fight and escaped a two-out, two-on jam in the top of the sixth inning.

In the bottom of the eighth, Hull got into scoring position with a two-out double to left, and designated hitter Macon Winslow then got his first hit of the Super Regional to deep center off the wall to bring Hull home, cutting the Trojan lead to just one, 3-2. Erik Paulsen was then hit by the first pitch USC relief pitcher Sax Matson threw. After that one pitch, Matson was pulled from the mound, and Adam Troy arrived at the mound for the first time this series with two Tar Heel runners on base. A wild pitch from Troy advanced pinch runner Perry Hargett and Paulsen both to scoring position, but Troy then delivered strike three to strand the Tar Heels.

Relief pitchers Jackson Rose and Walker McDuffie kept the game in reach for Carolina, and Bosh Magic came into full effect in the bottom of the ninth, as USC pitchers continued to struggle locating the strike zone.

With one out, Carolina third baseman Cooper Nicholson drew a walk to get the tying run aboard. The Trojans then made another pitching change to throw the Tar Heels off balance.

Chase Herrell went to the mound with one on base and one out facing right fielder Carter French. In a full count, French singled past the second baseman to advance a sprinting Nicholson to third. Schaffner came up to the plate and did what he needed to do, hitting a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Nicholson to even the score at 3-3. Herrell then walked Carolina second baseman Gavin Gallaher on just five pitches to put two on base for Carolina.

Hull, the Tar Heel’s hottest batter, was next to enter the batter’s box. On a 1-1 count, Hull made strong contact and sent the ball to deep left center, scoring French from second to walk off the Chapel Hill Super Regional.

Carolina travels to Omaha and will square off against Ole Miss in its first game of the MCWS at Charles Schwab Park at 7 p.m. EST.

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