Every College World Series team’s title chances, ranked3. North Carolina - Other than Texas Tech, the Tar Heels are perhaps this College World Series’ dark horse. They have yet to lose a game in the tournament, dancing happily through the Chapel Hill regional, and downing No. 14 overall national seed Stetson in the supers. As for the Heels’ pitching, one narrative to follow out will be the health and longevity of Gianluca Dalatri. (SB Nation)
Omaha 2018As the UNC team bus headed down Dodge Street in Omaha, and toward Creighton for practice Thursday, Mike Fox turned to Scott Forbes. The bus had just passed a hotel on the side of the road. And after Fox confirmed with Forbes that the Tar Heels had once stayed there, they started listing each hotel they'd stayed at on past trips here. This week, they added another to that lengthy list. (GoHeels.com)
Past heartbreak pushing North Carolina to new heights in OmahaNorth Carolina baseball coach Mike Fox had to fight back tears after losing in the 2006 College World Series championship game. But time has moved on and so has Fox, and here he is again, back at the College World Series, still coaching the Tar Heels. But how can he not sense the past a little -- especially given the Tar Heels’ opponent Saturday? (NCAA.com)
5 numbers to know for each team in the 2018 College World SeriesThe Tar Heels can be tough on opposing starting pitchers. UNC has a 55-15 scoring advantage in the first inning. That’s one reason the Tar Heels have gone 5-0 in the NCAA Tournament and trailed at the end of only one inning – the second inning of a 19-11 regional win over Houston. Trying to make up those deficits against the Tar Heels late in games is no bargain, either. (NCAA.com)
2018 CWS: Bracket One BreakdownNorth Carolina has a solid but not spectacular .286 team batting average (55th in the nation), but that doesn’t tell the whole story. The Tar Heels rank 17th nationally in scoring (7.1 runs per game) in large part because of their exceptional plate discipline. This lineup grinds out at-bats from top to bottom, helping UNC rank eighth nationally with 337 walks. (D1 Baseball)
With renewed commitment, Tar Heels make it back to CWSThere was a time when UNC baseball coach Mike Fox regularly took his team to Omaha. Never able to complete the mission was discouraging, but perhaps nothing like the past four years when the Tar Heels didn’t make it to the College World Series. Fox is back, along with his team, but it was a process that required an evaluation of the program, beginning at the top. (Burlington Times News)
Luca Dalatri's Return Gives UNC Edge, Rotational DepthLuca Dalatri wanted to get back for his teammates. The sophomore pitcher started two games before being sidelined on Feb. 23. He returned against Virginia Tech on May 19 and has since started four games, pitched 17.1 innings and registered 18 strikeouts and a 2.08 ERA. He gives UNC a huge boost as the Tar Heels begin the College World Series on Saturday. (Inside Carolina)
Mike Fox Friday College World Series Press Conference TranscriptMike Fox on dealing with player emotions during the CWS: "I think each coach knows their team and knows their players and their personality. So if you're an experienced coach, you can just feel it and you can see it. You want your kids to have the same personality that they've had all year long or when you've seen them play confident and loose. It has to be all in together." (ASAP Sports)
After season of watching and waiting, UNC's Dalatri ready to throw at CWSLuca Dalatri was supposed to be UNC's ace, but a stress reaction in his throwing arm sidelined the sophomore for much of the season. Now, Dalatri's ready to compete without excuses at the College World Series. Dalatri will get his chance in the first game of college baseball's main event Saturday as the starter when the Tar Heels take on Oregon State. (WRAL Sports Fan)
Breaking Down UNC’s Path Through the College World SeriesEight teams will compete in the College World Series over the next couple weeks, with teams split into two brackets of four. Games will be played under a double-elimination format until one team from each bracket is left standing. The winners of each bracket will then meet in a best-of-three series for all the marbles, with losses from the previous round being erased. (Chapelboro.com)
Carolina Insider Podcast: College World SeriesThe Tar Heel baseball team is back in Omaha for the College World Series for an 11th appearance, and Friday's episode of the Carolina Insider podcast is along for the ride. Former North Carolina standouts Chad Flack, Jonathan Hovis and Rob Wooten share memories from Omaha and the College World Series with hosts Jones Angell and Adam Lucas. (GoHeels.com)
Remembering North Carolina’s first three College World Series appearancesIt wasn’t that long ago when the Tar Heels' College World Series appearances were rare. And Vaughn Bryson, Bruce Bolick and James Parks, remember what it was like to help North Carolina to its first three visits. Bryson helped the Tar Heels’ to their first-ever appearance in 1960, Bolick the second in 1966 and Parks the third in 1978. Here’s are their stories: (Shelby Star)
UNC Baseball Set for College World SeriesIt begins Saturday. No. 3 seed North Carolina (43-18) will embark on the final chapter of the 2018 season against No. 3 seed Oregon State (49-10-1) in the College World Series. It will be coach Mike Fox's seventh World Series and first since 2013. Win on Saturday and the Tar Heels will take on the winner of Mississippi State (37-27) and Washington (35-24) on Monday. (Inside Carolina)
Mike Fox evaluates himself before helping UNC get back to College World SeriesFrom 2006 to 2013, the North Carolina Tar Heels went to the College World Series six times. They twice finished as runner-up to Oregon State, the team the Heels (43-18) open up this year's CWS with on Saturday at 3 p.m. The five-year Omaha drought forced head coach Mike Fox and his staff to reevaluate. "What do we need to do. What do we need to change?" (WRAL Sports Fan)
Lucas: Omaha MemoriesWhen members of the last UNC baseball team to face Oregon State in Omaha are asked for advice for the 2018 Diamond Heels, their advice is simple: enjoy it. Eleven and twelve years later, the members of the teams that faced the Beavers in 2006 and 2007 think about the experience a little differently than those who bought a ticket or watched on television. (GoHeels.com)
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