UNC baseball hopes its 13th trip to Omaha is the one that finally ends with a national title.

The Tar Heels left for the airport Wednesday, bound for the program’s 13th College World Series appearance.

Other WRAL Top Stories

UNC (50-12-1) is still chasing its first national championship despite first reaching the College World Series in 1960. The Tar Heels have now reached Omaha nine times since 2006. They were runners-up that year and again in 2007.

“What I explain to the guys — this is a unique business trip,” UNC coach Scott Forbes said. “Because a lot of times on business trips, you may not exactly love where you’re going to be. But we’re going to love where we are in Omaha, Nebraska.”

The field includes five SEC teams, including Ole Miss, which UNC will face Friday at 7 p.m.

This is the seventh 50-win season in program history for UNC and its first since 2013. Forbes, who has led the Tar Heels since 2021, is savoring the remaining time he has with a team that includes likely MLB draft picks Jason DeCaro, Ryan Lynch, Jake Schaffner and Gavin Gallaher.

“That’s the other thing I’m so excited about going to Omaha for — I get to be with them longer,” Forbes said. “In reality, a lot of these guys get drafted high.”

Freshman pitcher Caden Glauber has been one of UNC’s breakout stars, going 9-0 with a 1.93 ERA and 80 strikeouts in 70 innings. Opponents are hitting just .180 against Glauber, the ACC Freshman of the Year. He started the winner-take-all Game 3 of the Super Regional against USC.

After dropping Game 1 of the Super Regional, UNC had to win two straight to keep its season alive. The Tar Heels responded with a 4-0 win in Game 2 behind a complete-game shutout from DeCaro. In Game 3, Owen Hull’s walk-off double broke a 3-3 tie in the ninth inning and sent UNC back to Omaha.

The winner of UNC-Ole Miss will play the West Virginia-Troy winner on Sunday.

“That day off is huge, especially for your bullpen,” Forbes said. “You’re not thinking about winning a series going into Friday’s game. You’re just thinking, ‘We’re going to beat Ole Miss,’ and nothing else.”

The 2026 College World Series field includes North Carolina, West Virginia, Troy, Ole Miss, Alabama, Georgia, Texas and Oklahoma.