Lucas: Together Again

By Adam Lucas

OMAHA—Twenty years later, they're back again.

For two decades, Carolina's 2006 and 2007 baseball teams have carried the distinction of being the only teams in program history to advance to the national championship series. Now they've got company—and they couldn't be happier about it.

Several players from those two teams were in Omaha last weekend when the 2026 Tar Heels began play in the College World Series. Even more will be back this weekend as Carolina meets Oklahoma for the championship.

You can say it's a good excuse for a reunion, but they just had one in April at Boshamer Stadium, reuniting to celebrate the 20^th anniversary of that 2006 team (if you missed it, this special 2006 anniversary edition of the Carolina Insider podcast is highly recommended, complete with radio calls and interviews). Now they're doing it again, booking last-minute flights and rescheduling summer plans and finding a way to make it to middle America to see it in person one more time.

In 2006 and 2007, it's unlikely that anyone had a full appreciation of what a seminal moment the Omaha trips were in the lives of everyone involved. Like most good things you don't understand at the time, it all happened very, very fast.

With 20 years to look back on it, the significance becomes much more obvious. Sure, Rosenblatt Stadium is mostly a parking lot now, Zesto has drastically reduced their available flavors (there's still something about a hot fudge shake while walking the perimeter of Charles Schwab Field) and parking is now in garages instead of resident backyards.

But there are still whiskey filets and chilled pewter plates at The Drover, the Henry Doorly Zoo is still a main attraction, the people of Omaha are still extraordinarily proud of their event—and it is their event, not the NCAA's event—and, oh yeah, the Tar Heels are still here.

"Omaha is a special place," says Rob Wooten, a member of the 2006 and 2007 teams. "It's where my career met the national stage but more importantly it's where my teammates became brothers. From the whiskey steaks at Drover to playing in two national championships, Omaha will always hold a special place not only in my heart, but in my family's heart."

The standard of excellence required to maintain this level of national success has changed dramatically, but the Heels have figured out a way to continue it even as roster construction changes dramatically. They played for the title in 2006 with 20 North Carolina natives on a 28-man roster. They'll do it again this year in the transfer portal era with 15 Tar Heel natives out of 38 on the roster.

But Jake Schaffner doesn't feel like any less of a Tar Heel even though the Wisconsin native is likely in his only year at Carolina. Owen Hull showed up from George Mason and in addition to hitting nearly .400, has been one of the most vocal players throughout the postseason in reminding everyone of key mantras the Tar Heels have had in the clubhouse.

If anything, the new era has made it even more impressive that the program still has a cohesiveness across the years and decades.

Former players have committed to being in Omaha this weekend not just to relive their glory days, but to celebrate these new ones. College sports has changed. But anytime the baseball program gathers anywhere, and especially in Omaha, you see a group that appreciates their shared history. It's fun for the alumni to reunite. But it's also fun for the current players to realize they're part of something bigger than just this year's team.

"Those are the guys who put us on the map and allowed us to be in this position today," says Jason DeCaro. "We wouldn't have the nice stadium, the weight room, all of this new stuff without them coming here and doing their part. It's awesome to have them around and we're just trying to pay that back."

If that sounds like an unusual perspective, it's because it is. Wooten pitched in the major leagues and has had teammates from dozens of other college programs. "No one I played with after my UNC days could comprehend the Carolina experience," he says. "The only people who understand are the ones in that locker room. When we get together, it's like we never left. To experience Carolina baseball in Omaha as a fan with my Carolina family is indescribable."

Former head coach Mike Fox is an important part of that family. He's the de facto alumni coordinator in Omaha, sitting in the stands to root on the Tar Heels during the games and then joining a former player or two for dinner while also enjoying time with his family. The 2006 version of Fox might not have considered that one day he'd enjoy a June stay in Omaha with a grandchild in tow. The former head coach made a concerted effort, especially in his later College World Series visits, to enjoy these trips. But he'd be quick to tell you that you can have even more fun if you substitute time with a grandchild for time with scouting reports.

"The consistency of the coaching staff over the last 20 years has made it easy to stay connected and feel welcomed whenever I come back," says Jonathan Hovis, who led the nation in ERA in 2006 as a senior. "It has always felt like a family. No matter how much time has passed, you can show up and they're genuinely happy to see you. That sense of belonging and community is special and has remained constant throughout the years."

During that first Tar Heel trip in 2006, it felt remarkable that Cal State Fullerton had the "Fullerton House," a home rented each June by the athletic department where fans and baseball alums and the current team could gather to celebrate the program. It was located on South 13^th St., just a couple doors down from Stadium View Sports Cards and directly across 13^th from Rosenblatt Stadium. Creighton was always the host and Nebraska was always the beloved "home" team but in 2006 it felt like the Titans had earned honorary resident status by virtue of their 10 Omaha appearances in the previous 20 years.

As the world has gotten smaller over the last 20 years, the Tar Heels don't need a physical house. But through the hard work of the coaches and players over that time period, they've become the type of program that has that same type of culture—and similar results, including nine Omaha trips in the last 20 years. They Zoom together and have a group text during games and keep up with families and births and celebrations.

And they don't miss a chance to get together in a location that has become a central part of their lives. Most times, meaningful trips like this are once in a lifetime. You do it and then you remember it and eventually, you miss it because you can't recapture it.

Thanks to Scott Forbes and Ryan Lynch and Gavin Gallaher and everyone on this year's roster, the 2006 and 2007 teams are getting the chance to do it again. Their fastball velocities might be down a little bit and the first-to-third times might be a little slower, but their appreciation for the program and the place has dramatically increased.

This time, they'll bring wives and kids and some, like Hovis, will even be joined by their parents who still fondly remember that initial trip. They're coming back to cheer for this year's team, to remember their own teams, and to revisit a place that's unexpectedly become an important part of their Carolina experiences.

"Omaha was the culmination of an amazing journey at UNC that shaped me as a player, person and friend," says Hovis. "It's a place that will forever strongly bind our friendships and our place at UNC."

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