Winners and Losers From USC's Shutout Loss to North Carolina

The USC Trojans looked like a well-oiled machine on the baseball diamond before Game 2 of the Chapel Hill regional. USC emerged as an offensive juggernaut in scoring more than nine runs against Lamar, Texas State, Texas A&M (twice) and North Carolina.

Except the host Tar Heels humbled the visiting Trojans 4-0, forcing a deciding Game 3 in the process.

Here are the winners and losers from this crucial contest as a trip to Omaha hangs in the balance.

Winner: Colin Hynek, North Carolina Tar Heels

North Carolina Tar Heels Folger Boaz Colin Hynek USC Trojans Andy Stankiewicz Mason Edwards Jack Basseer College Baseball — May 31, 2026; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels pitcher Folger Boaz (36) fist bumps catcher Colin Hynek (23) after the first inning against the East Carolina Pirates during the Chapel Hill Regional at Boshamer Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Howard-Imagn Images | William Howard-Imagn Images

North Carolina wasted little time in igniting its offense. The catcher Hynek is the reason why.

Hynek responded to a strike by ripping a fast ball 395 feet into the air, scaling the left field fence for the first homer of the game.

Hynek pounded one other hit against the Trojans. He also delivered his success against Grant Govel, one of the top pitching options at the disposal of USC.

Loser: Grant Govel, USC Trojans

USC Trojans College Baseball North Carolina Tar Heels Omaha Grant Govel Mason Edwards Andy Stankiewicz Dean Carpentier — 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

Staying on the topic of Govel, unfortunately for the Trojans, even top pitching options like him have their rough days.

Yet his comes one day after Mason Edwards struggled early against UNC before the batting carried the load for the Trojans. Govel, again, became on the wrong end of the Hynek homer.

But overall, Govel allowed five hits, one run, and surrendered the home run. Plus took the loss on the mound for this contest.

Winner: Jason DeCaro, North Carolina

This contest became far different on the hill for UNC. This time the Tar Heels didn't need to cycle through multiple pitchers in attempting to slow down USC's offense in Game 1.

DeCaro's arm spearheaded this victory. North Carolina didn't need to make any changes on the mound because he was on his game the whole way.

DeCaro pitched all nine innings. USC mustered just two hits against him. But he struck out eight batters to keep the Tar Heels' season alive.

Loser: Sax Matson, USC

Govel wasn't the only Trojans' pitcher who stumbled in this contest. Even the top reliever option for this contest, Matson, struggled.

And Matson witnessed three errors occur when he led the pitching charge. But that's not all. He too surrendered a home run to Erik Paulsen.

Matson pitched only one inning, allowed two hits, but surrendered three runs off that Paulsen homer that helped put the game out of reach.

Winner: Erik Paulsen, North Carolina

Paulsen, again, provided a huge lift for UNC when the Tar Heels needed it.

His home run rip occurred in the sixth inning, and with USC still lingering around. But Paulsen shifted the confidence back over to North Carolina's side during that middle game sequence.

Paulsen has emerged as a consistent hitting option for UNC. The Trojans will need to find new ways to attack him with both teams' season on the line for Game 3.

Loser: USC's Offensive Output

Andrew Lamb USC Trojans North Carolina Tar Heels College Baseball Omaha Chapel Hill Jack Basseer Grant Govel World Series — Jun 5, 2026; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; USC Trojans catcher Andrew Lamb (29) rounds third in the sixth inning against the USC Trojans at Boshamer Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

It doesn't matter if it's Jack Basseer having a quiet game, or no one pounding a home run plus a Grand Slam this time. The bats got silent at Chapel Hill.

Only Dean Carpentier and Augie Lopez provided hits for USC against DeCaro. This output became worse than the Game 1 defeat during the College Station Regional against Texas State.

USC will need to reawaken itself at the bat or will miss out on its Omaha bid.

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