Greg: Omaha Bound, Seeking More
The Tar Heels return to the College World Series for the second time in three seasons.
Greg: Omaha Bound, Seeking More
- Thread starter GregBarnes
- Start date
Good article.Greg: Omaha Bound, Seeking More
The Tar Heels return to the College World Series for the second time in three seasons.www.on3.com
ETA: My bad: Only once as a No. 5 Seed (or better) did we reach the finals. But, of course, we have reached the finals twice. The first time was in 2006, as a "Darkhorse," fresh from an "upset" sweep in the Tuscaloosa Super Regional.
Last edited:
It's amazing to see all these factors come together to produce the kind of result as the final super regional game.
11 strike outs (from a freshman who could still be in high school) , 4 doubles by one player, great fielding plays all over the field and successful coaching moves time after time came together for a series win.
You can see why this sort of outcome doesn't happen very often.
11 strike outs (from a freshman who could still be in high school) , 4 doubles by one player, great fielding plays all over the field and successful coaching moves time after time came together for a series win.
You can see why this sort of outcome doesn't happen very often.
I went to Tuscaloosa in 2006. Assuming that both teams played to their potential, Carolina was a good deal better at nearly every position than the Tide. The Heels, however, got little national respect because of the ACC's dismal showing in 2005.
Alabama's program crashed after that defeat, and it has been largely irrelevant since then--until this year.
The ACC, with younger players coming into their own, stormed into the 2006 CWS, placing four teams in the event: Carolina, Clemson, Ga Tech and Miami. That was a heady time for the ACC because each of the four teams had earned its way to Omaha.
And it was a time of reflection for the SEC. Determined never to see an encore of ACC prominence, in a sport that ESPN had brought wide acclaim by featuring teams like LSU and Miss State, the SEC made structural and financial changes to reassert its dominance.
The NCAA "Baseball Committee" had always been susceptible to political influence. The ascendency of certain baseball programs can readily be traced to the periods of their representation on that committee. IMO, ESPN and the SEC pulled out all of the stops to make the current "Committee" basically a "vassal state" for the SEC, and they have surely succeeded.
Last edited:
basically a "vassal state" for the SEC, and they have succeeded.
Could not agree more.
Fox and Forbes have led UNC to national prominence. There's no doubt about it.
It's easy to say that the SEC is favored; but just go out and beat them.
UNC has plenty of opportunities in Omaha.
It's easy to say that the SEC is favored; but just go out and beat them.
UNC has plenty of opportunities in Omaha.