World Series Roadblock: Everything UNC Baseball Fans To Know About USC

The North Carolina Tar Heels are moving on in this year’s NCAA Tournament after winning the Chapel Hill Regional. They’ll now advance to the Super Regionals as their title quest continues.

The No. 5-ranked Tar Heels swept the Chapel Hill Regional with a victory over VCU and back-to-back wins over East Carolina. They’ll now face off with the USC Trojans on both Jun. 5 and Jun. 6 as they look to advance once again to the College World Series.

May 31, 2026; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels infielder Jake Schaffner (2) throws to first for a double play with East Carolina Pirates third baseman Colby Wallace (10) sliding during the Chapel Hill Regional at Boshamer Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Howard-Imagn Images | William Howard-Imagn Images

The Tar Heels’ pitching staff and deep, balanced lineup have helped them get this far, but they’ll be up to the task against a USC team that won the College Station Regional with two wins over Texas State, a win over Lamar, and two wins over No. 11 Texas A&M. For the first time since 2005, USC is advancing to the Super Regionals.

University of North Carolina Head Coach Scott Forbes during the bottom of the third inning at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in Clemson, S.C. Friday, April 10, 2026. | Ken Ruinard / USA Today Network South Carolina / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

USC’s Offense Is Explosive

Despite needing five games to advance past the College Station Regional, the Trojans were able to rally from being in the losers’ bracket and advance on the heels of their explosive offense. USC outscored its opponents 59-19 last week, and scored 14 or more runs in three of its four wins, and 15 or more in two of those.

USC celebrates a home run by Isaac Cadena (20) as the Oregon Ducks host the USC Trojans on May 14, 2026, in Eugene, Oregon. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

USC also belted 10 home runs over the course of the tournament, and Augie Lopez was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament after blasting two home runs and driving in nine RBIs. In the two games against No. 11 Texas A&M alone, he went a combined 5-9 with two home runs and seven RBIs to push the Trojans to the Super Regionals.

Jun 8, 2025; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina head coach Scott Forbes during an interview with the media after a Super Regionals game against North Carolina in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Scott Forbes also celebrates his 200th win. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

Trojans Pitching Staff Holds Up End of Bargain

The Trojans’ pitching staff will also be a major test for the Tar Heels' offense. The Trojans pitched to a 3.46 ERA in the College Station Regional and got contributions from their entire pitching staff to rally out of the loser’s bracket. While much of the attention has gone to USC’s offense — and for good reason — their pitching staff has been arguably just as good over the past week.

USC’s Isaac Cadena makes a catch to clinch the Trojans' win in extra innings as the Oregon Ducks host the USC Trojans on May 14, 2026, in Eugene, Oregon. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Tar Heels will need to be on point as they were in the Chapel Hill Regional if they are to get past the red-hot Trojans. Their pitching staff will need to find a way to quiet the USC lineup, and the Tar Heels’ bats are going to need to muster some runs on the board against USC staff that just shut down a top-11 team in the country on back-to-back days.

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