Manager Decisions, Key Moments That Helped UNC Advance to National Championship

Here is how the Tar Heels officially clinched their spot in the National Championship on Wednesday against West Virginia.

Jun 17, 2026; Omaha, NE, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels center fielder Owen Hull (8) scores on an overthrow as West Virginia Mountaineers catcher Matthew Graveline (0) looks on during the first inning at Charles Schwab Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

The North Carolina Tar Heels cemented their spot in the National Championship by defeating West Virginia 12-7 on Wednesday afternoon.

Wednesday's outing was the perfect representation of how dominant the Tar Heels have been during this portion of the College World Series, going undefeated in the quadrant, with a 3-0 record. Heading into Wednesday's game, head coach Scott Forbes highlighted the team's 2-0 start and explained what it meant for the program.

Jun 5, 2026; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Scott Forbes reacts during the seventh inning against the USC Trojans at Boshamer Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

• "I mean, I believe in honesty. It feels great," Forbes said. "I mean obviously we want to prepare and play well on Wednesday. But my first year back here as pitching coach in 2006, I wasn’t in here. Coach Fox was in here after a Robert Woodard complete game at Clemson. But we haven’t won that second game since then."

With that being said, here are the manager's decisions and key moments that led to North Carolina's comfortable win on Wednesday, propelling it to the National Championship.

Forbes' Decision

Jun 17, 2026; Omaha, NE, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels starting pitcher Folger Boaz (36) pitches against the West Virginia Mountaineers during the first inning at Charles Schwab Field. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Once again, the 51-year-old head coach pushed all the right buttons in his pitching assignments, as he gave Folger Boaz the start, which he made official earlier this week.

• "The way this format is set up, if you start Caden Glauber, he might be done for the rest of the tournament if he does 100 pitches,” Forbes said. "We’re doing the same thing we did in the regional. I thought Folger Boaz was outstanding against East Carolina. I thought he threw the ball well, especially early against Georgia Tech, one of the best offenses in the country. I think he can beat anybody.”

Jun 17, 2026; Omaha, NE, USA; The North Carolina Tar Heels cheer action against the West Virginia Mountaineers during the third inning at Charles Schwab Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

Boaz is a natural reliever, so Forbes only had him pitch one inning, in which Boaz allowed two hits and one run, while totaling one walk and one strikeout. Forbes brought on Jackson Rose to replace Boaz, and that decision was justified. Rose threw 4.2 innings, allowing two hits and zero runs, while compiling two walks and two strikeouts. Rose exited the sixth inning with bases loaded, but no damage was done.

Key Moments

Jun 17, 2026; Omaha, NE, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels center fielder Owen Hull (8) doubles in a run against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the first inning at Charles Schwab Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

It did not take long for the Tar Heels to impose their will, jumping out to a 2-1 lead after the first inning. From that point forward, they did not look back, especially after a two-run triple from Cooper Nicholson in the third inning, increasing the lead to 5-1.

Overall, North Carolina's offense was impeccable, scoring in five of the first seven innings, which culminated in the lead ballooning to an overwhelming margin for West Virginia. Owen Hull and Gavin Gallaher were instrumental, combining for eight hits and six RBIs.