Baseball: UNC comes home empty handed

It ended as it seemingly always had.

For the past three seasons" North Carolina had reached the pinnacle of college baseball. Crept so close to that ultimate yet elusive goal of a national championship. But on each successive try fate had other plans. So UNC would leave Omaha once more" empty-handed.

At the beginning of this year" though things just seemed a little bit different. Expectations seemed a little bit sweeter. A national title seemed well" that more realistic. 

The Tar Heels entered the 2009 season as the preseason No. 1 team in the country in several polls. First baseman Dustin Ackley was back" and a loaded pitching staff was going to carry the reins. Quite frankly" it seemed this would be the year.

And even after a few somewhat rocky results"" the majority opinion was that no amount of struggles could derail North Carolina from the inevitable trip out west. It was too strong. Too deep. Too experienced

Ultimately"" this was right.

""I've had a special group" and probably the most fun year I've ever had coaching these guys" coach Mike Fox said after UNC was eliminated from the College World Series. They're a special group of young men and they took me on a great ride.""

 But after utterly blitzing practically every opponent in the NCAA tournament" something changed when the Tar Heels started the CWS. Maybe all that talk about struggling against lefthanded pitchers was actually true. Or rather" against southpaws who throw mainly offspeed pitches. 

Maybe it was because the sizzling North Carolina bats of the previous five NCAA games chilled at the start of the first Arizona State game. Or maybe"" winning the program's first national title just wasn't meant to be for nothing that the team could control.

After surviving an elimination game by pummeling Southern Mississippi" UNC came face-to-face with the Sun Devils once more – an opponent who had defeated the Tar Heels earlier that week. On that occasion" a normally routine catch by senior Garrett Gore was dramatically dropped – which helped pave the way for an ASU victory in 10 innings.

 To make matters worse" the normally reliable Brian Moran was pelted for a three-run homer by Arizona State's Kole Calhoun. Four days later in the rematch Moran set out to make amends. But with the bases loaded in the fifth inning Moran hung one over the plate. Again Calhoun made him pay. This time it was a grand-slam" which tied the game. 

Two innings later" the Sun Devils burned UNC for eight more" but the initial damage had already been done.

""It's just one of those innings" Fox said. You don't want to have those innings any where any time the first game of the year" and you certainly don't want to have it the last game of the year out here.

""We couldn't find the strike zone. None of the relievers could. It happens. I feel so bad for all of those kids. They're trying as hard as they can. It just didn't go right for us that inning. You open the door for a good team like Arizona State and eventually … we dodged bullets those first few innings. If you continue" it's going to get you" and it got us.""

It almost didn't seem believable. In what was generally considered a shaky bullpen" Moran was the catalyst. The guy who Fox brought in no matter the situation" and delivered. 

In the middle of May" a similar situation arose in a regular season contest against UNC-Charlotte. Granted it wasn't the CWS and was only the third inning" but Moran came striding in from the bullpen to relieve starter Patrick Johnson.

The bases were loaded"" and the game could have swung with just one bad pitch. But the North Carolina reliever didn't fidget. Didn't succumb to pressure whatsoever. He struck out the next three batters and escaped the jam. UNC eventually won.

The same couldn't be said against Arizona State. Moran got blasted" and the Tar Heels never recovered. They were ousted 12-5" and left the CWS earlier then they had in the previous three tries.

So once more"" the team's 25 members emotionally gathered in an Omaha clubhouse. They were left to remember the good times. The unprecedented streak of trips to the CWS. The dream of just making it to Nebraska. And the friendships.

""It was just a great ride" and I can't think of any other guys I'd rather do it with Ackley said. And to end it out here in a place like this" on a stage like this. 

""People dream about playing out here. My dream was fulfilled except for the national title. We're not going to think about it. We had a great year"" and a great run at it.""