Omaha Bound! Tar Heels Advance To CWS After 4-3, Walk-Off Win Over USC

Sunday, June 7

Chapel Hill

3 PM

North Carolina

50-12-1

USC

48-18

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
USC	1	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	3	6	0
North Carolina	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	2	4	9	1

Photo by: AINSLEY E. FAUTH

Omaha Bound! Tar Heels Advance To CWS After 4-3, Walk-Off Win Over USC

June 7, 2026 | Baseball

Box Score Lucas: Rapid Reactions

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – In a thrilling, come-from-behind, walk-off win, North Carolina punched its ticket to Omaha after topping USC, 4-3, in the Super Regional Final Sunday evening from Boshamer Stadium. Carolina makes its 13th trip to the Men's College World Series and the second under head coach Scott Forbes. The victory also is a special one for Forbes, his 250th at the helm of the Tar Heels.

After falling in the first game of the Super Regional, Carolina clawed back by rattling off back-to-back wins to reach the pinnacle of college baseball. Prior to this weekend, Carolina had never won a Super Regional while trailing 0-1. The win is also Carolina's first in game three of a Super Regional since 2013.

The Tar Heels have established themselves as a perennial program, reaching the MCWS for the ninth time since 2006 to tie the most appearances nationally.

North Carolina (50-12-1, 22-8 ACC) claimed the super regional title after a win over the Trojans in Sunday's rubber match. The RBI double from Owen Hull in the bottom of the ninth gave the Tar Heels the go ahead run to secure the victory. It 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.

Starting pitcher Caden Glauber got off to a shaky start in the top of the first. After a double down the right field line, Glauber allowed a balk to score the runner from third putting Southern California on the board early, 1-0. Into the second and third innings, Glauber got back on track striking out five of the seven batters he faced.

The Carolina bats started making contact against Trojan pitcher Andrew Johnson, but multiple attempts resulted in fly outs. In the bottom of the third inning, Jake Schaffner hit one to no man's land to reach first. Owen Hull later ripped one down the right field line for a double scoring Schaffner from first evening the score at 1-1.

Southern California then responded with a solo shot homerun to regain the lead. The 362-foot long ball was just the sixth homerun Glauber has allowed all year.

Returning to the plate in the top of the fifth, the Trojans went yard once again, extending their lead, 3-1.

Despite giving up three runs, Glauber was pitching efficiently through the lineup, striking out eight batters through the first five innings of play, 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. On the other half of the side, Hull recorded his second double of the day, but no one was able to bring him home.

Glauber continued to compete on the bump. The freshman reached 10 strikeouts in a career high of seven innings, the most by a Carolina pitcher in an NCAA Tournament since Patrick Johnson against JMU in the Chapel Hill Regional of 2011.

In the bottom of the eighth, Hull reached second base once again on a hit to left field with two outs. 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. Erik Paulsen was then hit by the first pitch relief pitcher Sax Matson threw. After the one pitch, Matson was pulled from the mound. 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 Perry Hargett and Paulsen both to scoring position. Troy delivered strike three to strand the Tar Heels.

The Bosh Magic came into full effect in the bottom of the ninth. Southern California pitchers continued to struggle locating the ball in the zone. With one out on the board, Nicholson came up to bat and waited at the plate earning himself 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 on to the mound with one on base and one out facing 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. Schaffner hit a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Nicholson to even the score at 3-3. Herrell then walked Gallaher in just five pitches to put two on base for Carolina.

Hull, the Tar Heel who had been hot all day, was next to enter the batters box. On a 1-1 count, Hull made contact. The junior sent yet another double to left, scoring French from second to walk off the Chapel Hill Super Regional, 4-3.

Carolina travels to Omaha to square off against Ole Miss in its first game of the College World Series next Friday or Saturday. Date and time for the opening game from Charles Schwab Park will be announced by the NCAA in the coming days.