What Went Wrong in USC Trojans' Collapse Against North Carolina

Here's what went wrong as the USC Trojans baseball season came to a heartbreaking end against the North Carolina Tar Heels in the Chapel Hill Super Regional.

Jun 5, 2026; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; USC Trojans infielder Dean Carpentier (6) rounds third base after hitting a grand slam against the North Carolina Tar Heels in the sixth inning at Boshamer Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

The USC Trojans' historic 2026 season came to a heartbreaking close on Sunday afternoon at Boshamer Stadium as the No. 5-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels rallied to win 4-3 in a winner-take-all Game 3 of the Chapel Hill Super Regional to advance to their second College World Series in the last three seasons. 

North Carolina junior outfielder Owen Hull’s double with the game tied at three with two outs walked it off for the Tar Heels and sent the crowd at Boshamer Stadium into a frenzy. It was a heartbreaking end to what was a remarkable season for coach Andy Stankewicz’s USC baseball program. 

June 7, 2026; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Scott Forbes celebrates a win with the coaching staff against the USC Trojans at Boshamer Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

Here’s a breakdown of what went wrong for the Trojans in the Super Regional loss to North Carolina that denied USC a spot in the CWS for the first time in 25 years. 

What Went Wrong For USC In Loss to North Carolina

Jun 7, 2026; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; USC Trojans pitcher Andrew Johnson (13) pitches the ball to the North Carolina Tar Heels during the second inning at Boshamer Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

With six outs to go entering the bottom of the eighth inning and the momentum on their side, North Carolina’s bats came alive. In what was a strong pitching performance by USC sophomore right-handed pitcher Andrew Johnson, the Tar Heels cut it to a one-run deficit, courtesy of North Carolina junior catcher Macon Winslow’s double. The Tar Heels cutting USC's lead to one run resulted in Johnson getting pulled after 7.2 innings on the mound. 

In the start, Johnson finished with four strikeouts and allowed two earned runs. North Carolina’s bullpen in the bottom of the ninth took advantage of USC redshirt junior closer Adam Troy and redshirt sophomore right-handed pitcher Chase Herrell. 

After Troy struggled to find the strike zone and gave up a walk and nearly a home run, Stankiewicz made a questionable decision to go to the bullpen and bring in Herell with one out and a runner on first. While it was clear that Troy didn’t have his best out on the mound, bringing in Herell while leading still resulted in the Tar Heels tying the game and eventually winning on a walk-off.  The performance of USC’s bullpen ultimately led to the season's end and the CWS drought continuing for another year.

Dissecting USC’s 2026 Season and What’s Next

Jun 5, 2026; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; The USC Trojans celebrate a grand slam by USC infielder Dean Carpentier (6) against the North Carolina Tar Heels in the sixth inning at Boshamer Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

While a heartbreaking end for the Trojans, the 2026 season was a step in the right direction for USC’s baseball program as they exceeded every expectation set on them at the beginning of the year. USC started the season as one of the hottest teams in college baseball and carried that momentum all the way to the Super Regional against North Carolina.

Perhaps the highlight of their season was upsetting the Texas A&M Aggies in the College Station Regional, beating them twice in dominating fashion.

USC finishes the 2026 season with a 48-18 overall record and went 20-10 in Big Ten play. After coming one win away from reaching the CWS two times in the Super Regional, the expectation entering next year will be to take the next step and reach that stage in 2027.

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