When the North Carolina Tar Heels came to bat in the bottom of the eighth inning of Game 3 of their Super Regional matchup against USC, the No. 5 team in the nation trailed 3-1 and was just six outs from elimination.
After a dramatic comeback to win 4-3, the Tar Heels now head to Omaha for the second time in the last three seasons.
UNC got a key hit off the bat of Owen Hull in the bottom of the ninth, the outfielder’s fourth double of the game, to bring home the winning run and book a trip to the Men’s College World Series for the Tar Heels.
“Oh, it means a lot,” Hull told ESPN after the game. “This is a special team and we are looking forward to playing in Omaha.”
UNC lost Game 1 on Friday, but took advantage of a gem of a start by Jason DeCaro on Saturday to force a decisive Game 3. But the Tar Heels fell behind early, when a lightning strike from Sunday’s starting pitcher Caden Glauber brought a run home for the Trojans in the top of the first.
The Tar Heels tied the game in the bottom of the third with Hull’s RBI double down the right field line that led to MLB Draft prospect Jake Schaffner scoring from first. But the Trojans rallied for runs in the fourth and fifth innings, with solo homers by Kevin Takeuchi and Andrew Lamb, to give USC a 3-1 lead.
Glauber settled in from there, keeping the Tar Heels close.
However, USC starter Andrew Johnson was calm. The second-year right-hander, who pitched 3.2 innings Friday in relief to earn the save, lasted well into Game 3, exiting in the bottom of the eighth after giving up a double to Macon Winslow that got Hull to score.
USC came out of the eighth with a 3-2 lead, but everything changed at the end of the ninth.
Adam Troy, who closed the eighth, retired Tyler Howe with a groundout to second to start the inning. But after Troy walked Cooper Nicholson and started 3-0 against Carter French, USC head coach Andy Stankiewicz came out of the dugout again to get closer, handing the game to Chase Harrell, who earned the win in relief on Friday, to get the final two outs.
The USC reliever battled French to make the count 3-2, with a pair of fastballs low in the zone, but French then singled through the right side, advancing Nicholson to third and putting the potential winning run on first.
That brought leadoff hitter Schaffner to the plate. He flew out to center on the first pitch he saw from Harrell, driving it deep enough for Nicholson to come home with the sacrifice fly and tie the game at 3-3:
Gavin Gallaher was next to the plate, already a hero in Chapel Hill history. In 2024, Gallaher, then a freshman, hit a grand slam to cap a comeback victory over Long Island in the Chapel Hill regional. Gallaher walked, bringing Hull, UNC’s RBI leader, to the plate with a pair of runners and French on second as the potential winning run.
Harrell missed on his first two pitches, falling behind 2-0 to Hull, who had an RBI single early in the game. After a conference on the mound, Hull stepped into the batter’s box for the third pitch of the at-bat and launched a fly ball down the left field line. But the ball fell harmlessly between the USC fielders, giving Hull an extra life.
Hull hit a deep liner to left-center field, and Takeuchi’s sliding attempt at the warning track fell short. It was Hull’s fourth double of the game, sending UNC to the Men’s College World Series for the second time in the last three years.
The loss means the Big Ten will be left without a team in the Men’s College World Series, as the Trojans were the last team alive in the Super Regionals.