How to Watch UNC Baseball fight to save their season against USC

It was all going well until that sixth inning.

While you can be upset that the Tar Heels wasted a situation in the bottom of the first where they had bases loaded and no out, for the most part in the first five innings Carolina got exactly what they needed against USC. They had built a four run lead, usual second day starter Ryan Lynch was throwing a gem, and even though the Trojans had trimmed the lead to 5-2 in the top of the sixth, Lynch had recovered to get two out. UNC coach Scott Forbes elected to bring in Walker McDuffie at that point and surely, Tar Heel fans thought, they would continue to roll.

Except USC figured out how to hit McDuffie.

By the time the inning was over the Trojans hit a grand slam to take a 6-5 lead over Carolina, and the bats for the Tar Heels immediately went silent. McDuffie would be hit further, USC would ultimately take a 9-5 lead, and Carolina never mounted any sort of threat from there.

Thus, once again at the Super Regionals the Tar Heels are in the position of fighting for their season. Recent history isn’t kind to Carolina. When they’ve advanced to Omaha in 2019 and 2024, it was on the backs of a win in Game 1.

There are reasons to think this season may be different. For one, Carolina will have their usual Friday ace Jason DeCaro up on the hill, with Caden Glauber ready to back him up, and that combo is what helped lift the Tar Heels to this position last weekend thanks to their joint effort against a dangerous ECU team. They are going to need it as USC has yet another strong arm going up against them in Grant Govel. He of the 10-2 record with a 2.93 ERA which is daunting. That said, he’s coming off some heavy use last weekend in College Station. He pitched 9 2/3 innings over two games, and in the first match against Texas State he gave up three earned runs in the loss. He last pitched on Monday, so it’s possible that his routine will be just as off as apparently Mason Edwards’ was.

Carolina will need to continue to work the pitchers like they did against Edwards. After USC took the lead the Trojans’ bullpen became ridiculously efficient as they only needed 38 pitches to get out of the last three innings, while they pushed Edwards to 77 over his three. It appeared panic started to set in for the Tar Heel hitters, and that’s just not going to win you any sort of Super Regional.

Most folks felt this weekend was going to need all three games, and for Carolina to get to Omaha they will need just that. It’s going to be even hotter at the Bosh than it was yesterday so bear that in mind when you head to the stadium—and remember unlike other facilities they DO allow you to bring outside food and non-alcoholic drinks there, including bottles that you can use to refill your water.

If you aren’t going to be there in person, here’s how you can catch the action.

• Time: 2:00 PM ET
• Location: Boshamer Stadium, Chapel Hill, NC
• TV: ESPN where Mike Ferrin will handle play-by-play and Gaby Sanchez doing color.
• Streaming: ESPN Unlimited. If you subscribe to a cable service, some now have agreements with ESPN to have access already included.
• Radio: WCHL 97.9 in Chapel Hill as well as online and through the Varsity app. Dave Nathan will take you through the game for the Tar Heels, and it’s free.