OMAHA, Neb. – Scott Forbes and the North Carolina Tar Heels were a win away from history.
Never had the Tar Heels won a Men’s College World Series. They lost in three games in their two previous appearances in the Finals, falling to Oregon State in 2006 and 2007, Forbes’ first two seasons as the Tar Heels pitching coach. But the loss doesn’t diminish Forbes’ pride in what his team accomplished in 2026.
“I couldn’t be prouder of a group. I just talked to them in the locker room. We talk all the time about service, about serving one another. I don’t tell them this, but I write it down every day for myself, in Galatians 5:13: ‘True service, serving one another through love, humbly in love and how powerful love is,'” Forbes said following the game. “This group loved each other all season. They took us on a ride that was unbelievable. We came up a little bit short. But I would take that ride again every day of the year.”
And while there will be a lot of turnover on the Tar Heels roster from this year to next – the Major League Baseball Draft and graduation will likely make nine roster spots turn over, and don’t forget the transfer portal – there’s a lot that Forbes and his returning players will take away from the 2026 season.
“I just told them in there, they taught me the importance of what being a team means, because you do have a lot of new guys. But they kept the team first. And because of that, we’re sitting here right now. We’re just not on the right end of it,” Forbes said. “So I would say the main thing I learned from them is, if you work and you put that work in every single day, with a team-first mentality, you have a real chance to play in the national championship, even if it’s a bunch of new faces, even if maybe it’s not five first-round draft picks.”
The Tar Heels have won an NCAA Regional in four of the last five seasons, so it’s pretty reasonable to expect them to reload and be back in Omaha soon.
“I sure hope so. We’re going to try. That’s for sure. That’s something that we’re always going to do. We’re going to work our tails off to get back here,” Forbes said when asked if the program’s first national title might be in the near future.
“And the more you get to a place, hopefully you can knock that door down. We’ve just got to keep the main thing the main thing, and that’s the players, and helping them get better and leave here better people. And you’ve got to feel like eventually that winning will take care of itself and eventually we’ll find a way to be on the other end.”
The Quotable Skip Johnson – Oklahoma coach Skip Johnson is always good for a folksy, homespun quote, keeping the inkstained folks seated in front of the press conference dais smiling over the last two weeks. Here are some of his best lines from this year’s College World Series.
Giving credit to his director of baseball operations for his organization, Johnson said, “I mean, I’m organized when it comes to deer hunting or filling deer feeders, but I ain’t organized when it comes to that. I got the best guy, so I just get out of his way and let him do it.”
“I think I’m the same guy. I mean, I still dip snuff, deer hunt, fish. I’m the same guy. I love teaching players. That’s my biggest deal is the relationship with the players and the coaches. That’s what I love more than anything,” Johnson said when asked what he brought with him from Oklahoma’s last trip to Omaha in 2022.
Following Oklahoma’s win against Georgia on June 17, Johnson asked a reporter to repeat a question, quipping, “What was the first question? I was a D student at a state institution.”
After Game 2 of the Finals, Johnson was asked by a reporter if Nick Wesloski would start Game 3, Johnson replied, “We’ll throw Wesloski tomorrow. I’m sure we will.”
The reporter came back with, “You like him in that spot?”
“Do you?” asked Johnson with a hint of a grin.
“I love it,” the reporter replied.
“Good, as long as you like it, I like it,” Johnson said.
“You’re in charge. Not me,” the reporter said.
“Yeah, we can blame it on you if he doesn’t pitch good, right?” Johnson said with a chuckle, and plenty of reporters chuckling along with him.
Willits Was a Hitting Machine – On his way to winning the Most Outstanding Player at the College World Series, Jaxon Willits had at least one hit in all but one game during the NCAA Tournament. The only game where he was held hitless was Game 2 of the Lawrence Super Regional, where Oklahoma punched its ticket to Omaha with a 13-2 win over the Kansas Jayhawks. In total, Willits went 20-for-44 through 13 games in the NCAA Tournament, scoring 12 runs and driving in 12 with seven doubles and two homers.
All-Tournament Team – The All-Tournament Team was announced following Game 3 of the Finals, with Jaxon Willits being named to the team as the shortstop. The other All-Tournament Team members were catcher Deiten LaChance of Oklahoma, first baseman Erik Paulson of North Carolina, second baseman Gavin Gallaher of North Carolina, third baseman Tyrus Hall of West Virginia, outfielders Jason Walk and Dasan Harris of Oklahoma and Owen Hull of North Carolina, designated hitter Adrian Rodriguez of Texas, and pitchers Joey Volchko of Georgia and Caden Glauber of North Carolina.
Talk About the Weather – Aside from the rescheduling of Game 1 of the Finals from a 7 p.m. start to a 3 p.m. start due to expected rain (which, did, in fact, arrive and would have washed out the game had it been played when originally scheduled), the weather was pleasant for the entire Men’s College World Series. A year ago, the temperature frequently rose above 90 degrees, and thunderstorms caused several rain delay
Photo: North Carolina head coach Scott Forbes, left, shakes hands with Oklahoma head coach Skip Johnson before Game 1 of the NCAA College World Series baseball finals in Omaha, Neb., Saturday, June 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz)
