Diamond Heels build on experience ahead of College World Series opener

OMAHA, Neb. — No player currently donning a Carolina Blue uniform has ever seen a single pitch on Charles Schwab Field.  

Not one. 

So, to mark his eighth visit to the College World Series, head coach Scott Forbes fought for his young Tar Heels to travel to Omaha early — three days to be exact. When they touched down in the Cornhusker State, they were the first team to do so.

Forbes wants his team to take it all in. The 24,000 open seats. The national championship trophy engraved in the center field grass. The chance to do something no other UNC baseball team has ever done before. 

“It's a privilege that we get to be here and experience all this,” first-year pitcher Jason DeCaro said. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

By settling in before a potential career-defining moment, Forbes hopes that his Tar Heels will acclimate to the limelight and reach their goal — UNC's first national championship for baseball. Reaching Omaha is an achievement and Forbes recognizes that, but the Tar Heels have always had their eyes set on something bigger.

As early as the fall, the players and coaches discussed their objectives for the year. A standard was set, and everyone bought in. 

“It wasn’t to get [to Omaha],” junior center fielder Vance Honeycutt said. “It was to win it.”

But this is all new to them. And in the inexperience, they’re in it together. 

Sitting in the locker room after their first practice in Charles Schwab Field on Thursday,  the players likely could feel the gravity of the moment with College World Series logos in every direction.

But even with that weight, the team can find still relief. 

Senior first baseman Parks Harber sat at his locker answering questions from the media. Slowly, paparazzi started to form around him.

The multitude of cameras and phones didn’t belong to the media. They belonged to his teammates. 

This camaraderie is nothing new. The Tar Heels have utilized the additional days to enjoy Omaha for the first time as a team. 

“We want to do our job to help them win a national championship,” Forbes said. “But we also want them to experience what they should experience by getting there.”

On Wednesday, they went to the Omaha Zoo and sat down for a nice steak dinner afterward. They have explored various ice cream joints down the road.

But just a day away from beginning play in the College World Series against No. 12 Virginia, the script has flipped. 

“During our practices, everybody's locked in,” first-year third baseman Gavin Gallaher said. “But then once we're done with practice, once we're done with our lift, then we just kind of have our free time.”

While they are looking to soak in everything in Omaha, the team still has unfinished business ahead of them. The true test starts on Friday afternoon when DeCaro takes the mound to kick off the 2024 CWS.

This is a moment they have been working toward all year. 

Despite their inexperience in the CWS, they earned Coastal Division and ACC regular season championships. They conquered the Chapel Hill Regional, beating the reigning national champions in LSU. They punched their ticket to Omaha in the Chapel Hill Super Regional, and the following week booked the CWS — the programs 12th in the franchises history.

Now, it’s time to complete the final step.

“[We’re] really going to enjoy all this and all the media and all the events,” Harber said. “[We’re] really looking forward to it. But also knowing that we are here to play baseball and to win a national championship."

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