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‘We’re going to win it’: UNC baseball driven to do more at College World Series in Omaha

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CHAPEL HILL — As he walked out of the North Carolina baseball players lounge at Boshamer Stadium on Saturday night, Vance Honeycutt kept repeating the same thing. 

“We got a chance,” Honeycutt said, referring to the Tar Heels’ upcoming trip to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. as one of eight teams competing for a national championship.

Following a sweep of West Virginia in the Chapel Hill Super Regional, UNC (48-14) will make its first appearance in the College World Series since 2018 and 12th overall. But a trip to middle America in mid-June was just one piece of the puzzle.  

“Well, it wasn’t to get there, it was to win it,” Honeycutt said after the Tar Heels’ 2-1 victory against the Mountaineers.

“This is just another stepping stone toward that. Whenever that first meeting comes, I think everyone believes it. If you didn’t believe it, you wouldn’t be here. To get there and to be on that track now, it’s rewarding.”

OMAHA BOUND: Vance Honeycutt, UNC baseball sweep West Virginia to snag spot in College World Series

UNC head coach Scott Forbes echoed that preseason goal, as did pitcher Dalton Pence. The theme of the season was centered around a process-oriented approach with a focus on being “selfless” as roles shifted for several players. Everything was leading toward the chance to get to Omaha and compete for a championship.

“The first team meeting this year we just said, ‘Hey, our goal is to win a national championship. Let’s get it out of the way, and that’s it.,’ ” Forbes said. 

Pence said: “We’re going to win it. That first team meeting, everybody was like, ‘OK, let’s get after it.’” 

Following Saturday’s celebration at Boshamer Stadium, the Tar Heels created a circle around Forbes. In a video posted on social media by UNC athletics, Forbes garnered the attention of the group before a yelling a four-word proclamation.

“We ain’t done yet!”

As UNC prepares to face ACC rival Virginia (46-15) at Charles Schwab Field Omaha, it’ll be Forbes’ first trip to Omaha as skipper of the Tar Heels.

After getting there seven times as an assistant coach under Mike Fox, including back-to-back championship series in 2006-07, Forbes is approaching the latest opportunity with hopes of helping the program make history. 

“If anything, for me, as a head coach I just want to do all we can to win that national championship for all the guys that I’ve been in the dugout with,” Forbes said. 

“They set the standard.” 

Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter.

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