UNC Players Lean on Lessons From Past Heartbreak

The North Carolina Tar Heels are just two wins away from earning their first national championship in program history. However, they’ve been in this situation before.

The #5-ranked team in the nation will be tasked with taking 2 out of 3 against the Oklahoma Sooners if they want to secure the national title. For the Tar Heels, it’s their first time playing in the College World Series Finals since 2007.

Tar Heels Back in Familiar Territory

Jun 5, 2026; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels pitcher Matthew Matthijs (24) pitches the ball to the USC Trojans during the seventh inning at Boshamer Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

In 2006, the Tar Heels finished as the runner-ups in the College World Series Finals to the Oregon State Beavers. Ironically, they followed the exact same script as the following season, as in 2007, UNC also made it all the way to the championship series, just to lose to Oregon State once again for the second-straight season.

Now, they’ll look to put those prior heartbreaks behind them for good, and secure the national title for the first time in their history. They have a really good chance of doing so, as they’ve cruised to an 8-1 record in the NCAA Tournament, and have been strong offensively, and on the mound throughout the postseason so far.

Jun 5, 2026; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels outfielder Owen Hull (8) reacts after making it to first base in the seventh inning against the USC Trojans at Boshamer Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

Ahead of the championship series, infielder Gavin Gallaher shared what he has learned from those who were part of the dominant teams from the mid-2000s, including his head coach, Scott Forbes, who was on the 2006 and 2007 rosters as an assistant coach.

Gallaher’s Thoughts

Jun 17, 2026; Omaha, NE, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels second baseman Gavin Gallaher (5) drives in a run against the West Virginia Mountaineers during the second inning at Charles Schwab Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

“They’ve really paved the way for the UNC baseball program. They’ve kind of opened the door to letting everybody know that UNC is going to be contenders, going to be in Omaha,” Gallaher said. “So those guys having those experiences in the past, they’ve been super supportive of us."

"They’ve been around a ton of games. It’s more so just seeing their support for us means a lot. So it’s really special when you have players from that long ago still keeping up with the program. And I think that speaks a lot to this program as a whole truly is a family. So we’re very grateful for their support. And, yeah, they’ve been nothing but awesome for us.”

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

The Tar Heels will look to get the job done this weekend as they are in familiar territory for the first time in nearly 20 years. They’ve been this close before and came up just short, and they’ll hope that history doesn’t end up repeating itself this time around.

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