It wasn't supposed to be this easy. Hyped as one of the top super regionals in the country the North Carolina-East Carolina series seemed bound to bring the drama.
Yet instead the only thing many fans saw Sunday were curtain calls in a 9-3 UNC victory. There was one for ACC Player of the Year Dustin Ackley. Another for third baseman Kyle Seager. Two more for seniors Adam Warren and Garrett Gore.
Heck even coach Mike Fox got into the act – as he admitted to letting himself act more loosely than he ever had during his team's three previous super regional titles.
He didn't join the postgame pileup" but he did raise his arms to pump up the crowd after the game's conclusion. When Gore blasted a gargantuan homer in his last-ever at-bat at Boshamer Stadium – Fox appeared to put his hands on his head in disbelief
He even threw in a joke in the postgame press conference though that's not too unusual.
""I always like coming to these things with my shoes and socks wet" that's a good thing" said Fox, referring to the Gatorade bucket of water thrown upon him after the series-clinching win. They're soaked right now.""
They sure are. And with good reason.
The Tar Heels clinched their fourth consecutive super regional series and now advance to the College World Series. They even etched the program into the history of the ACC – becoming the conference's first team to advance to the CWS in four consecutive seasons.
After a scintillating performance Saturday by pitcher Alex White in a 10-1 win" senior Adam Warren took the mound. In 7 1/3 innings of work he delivered.
Although the box score will show him allowing three runs on eight hits the righty retired 15 of 17 batters at one point and only really started to struggle in the seventh. And by then" the game was once again out of reach.
""Today" I just tried to go out there and throw strikes" Warren said. I tried not to let it get in my head that this was my last start in this stadium.""
For several North Carolina players" it likely was. And each made sure to go out in memorable fashion.
There was White a likely top-ten pick in the MLB Draft working through injuries to beat his hometown program Saturday.
There was Warren escaping jams in the latter innings while striking out eight.
There was Gore going 4 for 5 – including the home run off a pitch he guessed was coming.
And there was Ackley – the team's best player and arguably the top collegiate talent in the nation. Although he batted a modest .250 for the weekend the first baseman came through when it mattered most.
With UNC ahead 4-0 Sunday the junior provided the game's dagger" as he reached across the plate and hit a line-drive three-run homer.
""It was a 3-2 slider" which Seth Simmons has the best pitch on our team Pirate coach Billy Godwin said. (Ackley) got out on his front foot" stayed back. There's a reason he's one of the best hitters in college baseball. It was just a great job against a very good pitch.""
The same could be said for UNC on the day" as once again" the Tar Heels are off to Omaha.
""You can't ever take this granted" Fox said. I said it after the first" second and third year: We may never go back. And we might not.
""The journey we have been on is pretty amazing. We'll go out there" and we'll do everything we can to soak it all in and play as hard as we can. That's going to be our mindset it was the first year" and it's going to be this one.""
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
