UNC's Fox expects to have new contract signed soon

North Carolina baseball coach Mike Fox, returning Thursday with the Tar Heels from the College World Series, says he has a lot planned for the next few days.

Among the things for Fox to do: put the finishing touches on a new contract.

Fox, whose contract ends June 30, said he expects to soon reach an agreement with UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham and continue as coach.

"It's just a formality," Fox said. "It's all good. It's just timing and getting some paperwork at this point. It's not anything I'm concerned about."

Fox, 62, joked that at one time he held the UNC job for 12 years on a string of one-year appointments, saying, "They were all just kind of a formality. Nobody even thought about it, quite honestly."

The Tar Heels reached the College World Series for a seventh time under Fox -- the first since 2013 that UNC advanced to Omaha, Neb. The Tar Heels opened with a win over Oregon State but was beaten by Mississippi State and then Oregon State on Wednesday in their elimination game.

"Obviously we're disappointed to be here now," Fox said outside Boshamer Stadium as the players and staff collected their bags and gear. "It's a memorable season, I thought, and I'm very proud of our kids, to get us back to the College World Series. It's a difficult place to get to. They were very determined.

"Obviously today is bittersweet but they created some great memories for themselves for the future, which is a big part of it."

Asked if he had any interest in watching the rest of the College World Series, Fox smiled.

"Well, we've got our next class already here in summer school," he said. "We've got games on our field this weekend. We've got a recruit coming Saturday. I'll squeeze it in, but right now we've got to go back to work."

And get that contract done. There's that, too.

This story was originally published June 21, 2018 at 5:25 PM with the headline "UNC's Fox expects to have new contract signed soon."