North Carolina baseball dominates Oklahoma to reach NCAA regional final
Oklahoma did not play its ace and Golden Spikes semifinalist Kyson Witherspoon on Friday in its opener, opting to hold him with the expectation the team would face North Carolina.
The Sooners’ decision aged poorly.
No. 5 national seed UNC defeated OU, 11-5, in Game 2 of their NCAA Tournament regional Saturday night at Boshamer Stadium after the Tar Heels jumped out to a six-run, first-inning lead.
North Carolina next plays Sunday at 6 p.m., and will face the winner of an elimination game between Oklahoma and Nebraska
Witherspoon was one of the best pitchers in the country this season. He ranked sixth in strikeouts (120) and 18th in ERA (2.47). He’d only allowed 30 total runs — 25 earned — and batters were hitting .191 against the imposing righty.
With Witherspoon on the hill, Oklahoma allowed three or more earned runs in only two games this season. The junior from Jacksonville, Florida, also entered the tournament with six home runs allowed this season and had not allowed more than one in a contest.
But the Tar Heels showed no fear against Witherspoon and his fastball, which climbed as high as 98 mph. They swung away at the first pitch and read Witherspoon’s pitches efficiently. UNC sent nine batters to the plate in the first inning, and they all made contact — to the tune of five two-out hits, including a three-run home run from designated hitter Sam Angelo to go up 6-0.
Carolina’s six runs were the most allowed by Witherspoon in a game this season. However, all six runs were unearned after Oklahoma third baseman Dawson Willis allowed UNC center fielder Kane Kepley to reach base on a leadoff error.
“A little birdie apparently was saying we couldn’t hit 95 mph, so I think the guys took that personally,” UNC head coach Scott Forbes said. “Their approach, they stuck with it throughout the whole time (Witherspoon) was out there.”
UNC’s ability to time swings at the plate continued into the second inning, when its batters added a pair of hits and loaded the bases with a walk. The team’s seven total hits through two were the most allowed by Witherspoon in a single game this season. The Heels, however, did not extend their lead and left the three men stranded.
Kepley, by way of Gavin Gallaher’s RBI, gave Carolina a touchdown lead in the bottom of the fourth. Kepley drew a leadoff walk, stole second and advanced to third on a sacrifice fly. Gallaher’s two-out single pushed his teammate across home plate. He is 6-for-7 in the regional, including 4-for-5 against the Sooners.
Tyson Bass hit a leadoff solo home run to left field in the fifth. Angelo followed that up by launching a second home run over the center field fence, putting his team up nine. The graduate transfer’s four RBI were a season high, while his two homers were the most he’d scored in a single game in a Tar Heel uniform.
“Our mindest is just attack,” Angelo said. “Coach Forbes tells us all the time, ‘Go out there and attack., always be on the hunt.’ That’s really what we were looking forward to; just to see a fastball and go get it.”
The Sooners pulled Witherspoon after the consecutive homers. He gave up nine runs — three earned — on 10 hits and three walks while striking out four in four innings.
OU coach Skip Johnson doesn’t regret the decision to start Witherspoon and said much of the first-inning deficit came down to the leadoff error and panic that set in.
“He tried to do the best he could,” Johnson said, noting Witherspoon limited runs until fatigue set in. “I would want to pitch that guy in that game every day.”
Carolina not only recorded double digit hits for the fifth time this season, but they were timely. Eight of UNC’s runs came with two outs.
Jason DeCaro started opposite Witherspoon. He kept Oklahoma’s bats quiet until the second half of the game, when he gave up a pair of runs in the sixth. DeCaro threw six innings, allowed seven hits and tied his career high with eight strikeouts. He did not walk a batter.
The Sooners added three runs over the final three innings, but they couldn’t keep up with the hot-hitting Heels.
UNC finished the evening hitting 13-for-36 (.361) overall, finding the most success in the leadoff spot (7-of-8) and with two outs (8-of-15).
This story was originally published May 31, 2025 at 11:12 PM.
