Favorite Spotlight: North Carolina Tar Heels
Now, a team I’ve been invested in for weeks—and one I believe isn’t getting enough attention—is North Carolina. Despite not being a top-four national seed, the Tar Heels got one of the most favorable setups in the bracket.
Their regional features (2) Oklahoma, (3) Nebraska, and (4) Holy Cross. Oklahoma is one of the more beatable SEC squads this year—they’re thin on the mound and lack the pitching depth to push through a loaded weekend. Nebraska's bid-stealing Big Ten tournament title looks flashy, but their underlying metrics don't stack up.
UNC, meanwhile, is armed to go deep. They boast one of the most complete pitching staffs in the country, sporting a 3.74 ERA (4th nationally) and a 1.21 WHIP (5th). The rotation is elite—Jake Knapp, Jason DeCaro, and Aidan Haugh have the stuff, poise, and experience to neutralize any lineup they see in June.
If form holds, UNC would host a Super in Chapel Hill against the winner of the Oregon regional, which includes (1) Oregon, (2) Arizona, (3) Cal Poly, and (4) Utah Valley. I expect Arizona to come through there, and while they’re a quality club, stylistically they’re a strong matchup for the Tar Heels.
And then there’s Scott Forbes—one of the sharpest baseball minds in the country. His in-game decision-making is top-tier, consistently putting his players in the best position to succeed. That kind of leadership doesn’t show up on stat sheets, but it's why I’ve been high on this UNC team all season.
Don’t sleep on North Carolina—this team has the talent, the draw, and the head coach to make a serious run to Omaha.
