UNC baseball routs West Virginia; Men’s College World Series title series up next
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- UNC defeated West Virginia 12-7 to reach the Men’s College World Series finals.
- UNC set a new MCWS program record for runs and had 16 hits.
- Freshman Caden Glauber closed the win, improving UNC’s record to 28-0 when he pitches.
Back in 2006, shortly after the Carolina Hurricanes won their first Stanley Cup, North Carolina baseball advanced to the Men’s College World Series championship series.
On Wednesday, as the Canes celebrated another NHL championship back in the Triangle, the Tar Heels once again moved within two wins of a baseball national championship.
UNC defeated West Virginia, 12-7, on Wednesday for the second time this week in Omaha to make the Men’s College World Series championship this weekend. The Tar Heels will play Georgia or Oklahoma at 8 p.m. Saturday to start the best-of-three series.
This will be the UNC’s first finals appearance since back-to-back finals appearances in 2006 and 2007.
“It’s an honor and a privilege to wear our uniform at the University of North Carolina,” said Carolina head coach Scott Forbes. “It’s also an honor and a privilege to be here playing on that field. I want our guys to feel that, play with joy and have a blast playing together. They did that. Obviously we had one bad inning, but I don’t care about that bad inning. I could care less. We’re playing in the national championship, and I’m excited for these guys. I’ll just keep jumping on their backs and watch them when we start playing on Saturday.”
The Tar Heels (53-12-1) put on arguably its best overall performance of the season, at least through the first six innings, to pick up the victory over the Mountaineers (47-16), while setting a new program record for runs scored in the MCWS.
UNC led West Virginia 12-1 entering the bottom of the seventh. It gave up five runs to cut its lead in half and used three different pitchers in the inning. Freshman closer Caden Glauber faced 11 batters to close the game. He only allowed one run to cross, despite four runners reaching base. UNC is now 28-0 when Glauber pitches.
Despite being down by 11 runs, West Virginia coach Steve Sabins said the goal was clear.
“I’m probably sick, but in those moments I’m like, ‘We’re going to pull every bullet out of North Carolina humanly possible. Even if we lose this game, we’re going to bleed them out,’” Sabins said. “That’s what I’m thinking in the box. Our goal was just to scratch and to claw.”
Carolina was led by the top of the order (and No. 9 hitter Carter French), which combined for 14 hits and 11 runs, with center fielder Owen Hull stuffing the stat sheet.
Hull started 4 for 4 at the plate with a single, two doubles and one triple, becoming the first UNC player since 2011 to record four hits in a single world series game. The junior was a home run shy of hitting for the cycle. He finished 4 for 5 at the plate.
The George Mason transfer pushed in the team’s first run of the game and scored its second. In the fourth, Hull hit a two-out RBI double, extending the Tar Heels’ lead to five. He did it again in the sixth, hitting a two-out triple on a 1-2 count. Hull dashed home on Gavin Gallaher’s subsequent at-bat and put the Heels up eight.
Gallaher went 4-for-5 and drove in a game-high four RBI, including a hit off the end of his bat for an RBI single to put Carolina up eight. The senior was also effective on defense. He turned a double play, assisted on two putouts and made a handful of quick decision plays.
As a team, the Tar Heels hit 16 for 42 overall and 8 for 10 with runners in scoring position. This was the highest offensive output since North Carolina scored 13 runs against Pittsburgh on May 23 during the ACC Championship.
“It really hasn’t set in yet,” Gallaher said. “After the game, (we) shook hands, and I was walking around, looking up in the stands, looking at my family and kind of speechless, to be honest. We were here in ‘24, ran into two good teams, came close. Then last year we’re one inning away from being in Omaha again. That really hurt. To be back here, win our first three games, be in the national championship. It’s truly amazing.”
UNC, WVU starters have shaky mound appearances
The leashes were short for the starting pitchers on Wednesday.
Folger Boaz started for the first time since May 31, but his outing didn’t last long.
Forbes made a mound visit after the left-handed junior gave up a five-pitch walk and a six-pitch single. Boaz recorded two straight outs after the brief meeting, before Armani Guzman scored West Virginia’s first run on catcher Matthew Graveline’s RBI single.
Boaz threw one inning in which he gave up a pair of hits, one run and walked a batter. He threw 28 pitches and faced six Mountaineers in his shortest start of the year. He hoped Boaz would make it one time through the lineup or get the Tar Heels to the fourth, but it wasn’t going quite as planned.
“I just felt like we needed to make a change right there. … but every out is vital,” Forbes said. “That was a hard game to win. They made a run at us. We didn’t make a couple plays. And I told Folger, ‘You still got us three outs, so keep your confidence.’ He’s going to have to pitch for us to win this national championship.”
On the other side, Chansen Cole lasted 2 1/3 innings before he saw his outing end. Cole gave up four runs and four hits in what was also his shortest start of the season.
A freshman and a fifth year
Freshman Jackson Rose entered the game for UNC in the second inning and made an immediate impact. The rookie retired the Mountaineers in order, using just seven pitches. He gave up a leadoff bunt to West Virginia’s Armani Guzman, but responded with three quick outs.
Rose gave up a leadoff walk in the bottom of the fourth, but clutch defense and a timely strikeout ended the inning without any damage. He retired West Virginia in order in the fifth.
The rookie loaded the bases in the sixth and came out of the game. Rose finished the day with 4 1/3 innings pitched, two hits, two walks and a pair of strikeouts. Senior Matthew Matthijs induced a double play to end the threat, following Rose’s return to the dugout. Rose’s solid outing ultimately earned him the win.
“It’s great being able to pitch out here as a freshman and be able to wear Carolina,” Rose said. “It’s like a dream to be honest. Then, playing with these guys in the field, if you get ahead, you don’t have to worry about the defensive side. It’s awesome.”
West Virginia went to Ian Korn out of the bullpen. Like Cole, the fifth-year right-hander struggled to contain Carolina’s bats. He lasted 3 1/3 innings before he was replaced with Reese Bassinger. Korn gave up seven hits, six runs and struck out three Tar Heels. He was also responsible for three extra base hits.
This story was originally published June 17, 2026 at 5:38 PM.
