UVA’s matchup with UNC precedes the second game of Bracket No. 1 between national No. 1 seed Tennessee and national No. 8 seed Florida State. The four teams will progress through a double-elimination bracket with the winner advancing to a best-of-three championship series.
Wahoos247 is here to provide a quick preview of the opener in Omaha between the Cavaliers and Tar Heels, including a look at the history of both programs in the CWS, their respective paths to college baseball’s mecca this season, the players to watch for both programs and how the regular season series between the two teams played out.
VIRGINIA IN THE CWS
This will be Virginia’s seventh appearance in Omaha, all of which have come since 2009, and the third trip in the last four years – something only Stanford and Tennessee can also say they have done.
The Cavaliers have won at least one game in all but one of their six trips to the CWS. Last year was the exception as Virginia lost its opener to the eventual national runner-up Florida by one and then again by a run to TCU two days later.
The Cavaliers have advanced to the CWS Finals on two occasions. They finished runners-up in 2014 to Vanderbilt before avenging that loss by defeating the Commodores in 2015. Virginia has made two trips to Omaha since then but went a combined 1-4 in its trips in 2021 and 2023.
Virginia earned a national seed (No. 12) for the second consecutive year this spring, the first time they have done so in back-to-back seasons since 2013 and 2014. However, it is the first time the Cavaliers were a double-digit national seed. UVA has also advanced to the CWS as an unseeded team on three occasions, most notably in the 2015 national title-winning season.
The Hoos are 13-12 in the CWS all-time.
NORTH CAROLINA IN THE CWS
This will be UNC’s 12th trip to the College World Series but their first since 2018 and first under head coach Scott Forbes. Former head coach Mike Fox took the program to seven College World Series, last doing so in 2018. Since then, the Tar Heels have advanced to the Super Regional round in 2019 and 2022 but no further.
UNC has advanced to the CWS Finals twice all-time, doing so in back-to-back seasons in 2006 and 2007. Oregon State defeated North Carolina in three games in 2006 and doubled down with a sweep of the Tar Heels in 2007.
North Carolina is 18-23 in the CWS all-time.
VIRGINIA’S PATH TO OMAHA
The Cavaliers (46-15) are undefeated so far in this year’s NCAA Tournament, sweeping both their home regional and super regional. UVA knocked off Penn in its opener before defeating a tough Mississippi State team two nights in a row to win the regional
Their super regional opponent was Fayetteville Regional No. 3 seed Kansas State after the Wildcats won national No. 5 seed Arkansas’s home regional. The Wildcats beat Arkansas in the winner’s bracket, the Razorbacks were then eliminated with their loss to Southeast Missouri State in the loser’s bracket, and Kansas State knocked off SEMO to advance.
Virginia earned hosting duties for one more weekend as a result and took advantage of two sold-out crowds at Disharoon Park. Trailing 3-0 in the series opener, Virginia scored a pair of runs in the fifth and sixth innings to take the lead before allowing Kansas State to tie the game at four. The Cavaliers immediately responded with three runs in the seventh and did not allow a Wildcat to reach base in the final two innings to secure the win.
In game two, UVA held a slim 4-3 lead late in the game. The two teams traded runs in the eighth inning to make it 5-4 before the Virginia offense unleashed a five-run barrage in the ninth inning to make it 10-4. Kansas State then went three up and three down to end the game and the series.
Â
NORTH CAROLINA’S PATH TO OMAHA
The Tar Heels (47-14) have won five of six games in this year’s tournament as they too hosted both a regional and super regional. They nearly lost their regional opener to Long Island University after surrendering four runs in the top of the ninth to fall behind 8-5. However, the Tar Heels responded with six runs of their own, capped off by a walk-off grand slam from Gavin Gallaher.
UNC then knocked off regional No. 2 seed and reigning national champion LSU in the winner’s bracket. The Tigers advanced to the regional final in need of a win to stave off elimination. They won once and entered the ninth inning of the winner-take-all rematch in a tie game. UNC scored in the top half of the inning and avoided an LSU comeback to advance to the super regional round.
The Tar Heels then squeaked out a pair of wins over West Virginia, the regional No. 3 seed that won national No. 13 seed Arizona’s regional. Arizona lost each of its first two games, allowing the Mountaineers a path to the next round without even facing the Wildcats.
UNC overcame a ninth-inning, one-run deficit to win game one when Luke Stevenson hit a solo home run to tie the game, Alex Madera singled, and Vance Honeycutt hit a two-run shot for the walk-off win. Honeycutt led off game two with a home run as well and scored UNC’s second and final run of the day in the third inning. WVU scored one run in the seventh inning but couldn’t convert a bases-loaded opportunity in the ninth, sending the Tar Heels to Omaha.
VIRGINIA PLAYERS TO WATCH
Shortstop Griff O’Ferrall went 3-for-8 in the Super Regional, knocking in two runs and scoring three of his own. The First Team All-ACC selection struck out only once. He leads the team with 92 hits on the year. His 20 doubles are tied with Ethan Anderson for the team high.
First baseman Henry Ford went 4-for-10 in the Super Regional, knocking in three runs and scoring one himself. The All-ACC Freshman selection is tied for second on the team with 17 home runs and tied for first on the team with 68 RBIs.
Second baseman Henry Godbout went 3-for-7 in the Super Regional, knocking in three runs and scoring four of his own. He hit a home run and walked twice as well. The All-ACC Third Team selection is tied with Bobby Whalen for the team-high batting average at .370. He also has the third most doubles on the team with 18, trailing only Anderson and O’Ferrall, and has struck out just 19 times this season.
Right-handed pitcher Jay Woolfolk has reemerged in this NCAA Tournament as a reliable starter for Virginia after not starting since March 17. Woolfolk went eight innings against Mississippi State in the Charlottesville Regional Final, allowing just two runs on eight hits. He struck out a career-high seven batters in the game. Against Kansas State, he went 6.1 innings and allowed three runs on six hits. He struck out seven batters once again.
Â
NORTH CAROLINA PLAYERS TO WATCH
Centerfielder Vance Honeycutt was the star of the Super Regional round for UNC, going 4-for-9 at the plate with three RBIs and four runs. He has a team-high 85 runs this season, 19 more than any other Tar Heel. His team-high 26 home runs are six more than any other Tar Heel. So, his .702 slugging percentage is a team high as well.
Honeycutt was a First Team All-ACC selection and the ACC Defensive Player of the Year. He also has 28 steals on the year. Right fielder Anthony Donofrio is the only other Tar Heel with a double-digit number of steals with his 19. Honeycutt’s 65 RBIs are second only to left fielder Casey Cook. However, he also strikes out more than any other Tar Heel, doing so 80 times this season in 59 games.
First baseman Parks Harber went 2-for-7 in the Super Regional with three RBIs and a run. He has a team-high .341 batting average and ranks second on the team in home runs (20) and slugging percentage (.655). His 63 RBIs rank third. Harber was a Second Team All-ACC selection.
Freshman right-handed pitcher Jason Decaro has started 17 games this season, more than any other Tar Heel. He has a 3.89 ERA and 6-1 record this year across 85.2 innings. He has conceded 10 home runs on the season, two of which he allowed in his April 5 start at Virginia. In that game, he allowed five earned runs on six hits and three walks across six innings. He struck out five.
In three appearances in the NCAA Tournament, Decaro has pitched a combined 12.1 innings, allowing six earned runs on six hits and six walks. He has struck out eight batters and allowed two home runs.
SEASON SERIES
The Cavaliers took the first two games of the three-game set. They took a 6-2 lead in the first inning but quickly fell behind 11-6 through three innings. The Hoos pulled off the comeback, tying the game up after six innings before taking the lead in the eighth.
In game two, they took a 3-0 lead in the first inning and never trailed, winning 7-2 in the end. Then, in game three, the Hoos went down 6-0 but fought back to tie the game after six innings. The bullpen gave up six runs and the Tar Heels avoided a sweep with a 12-7 win.
Henry Ford had the best single-game hitting performance in the series, going 3-for-5 with six RBIs and three runs in the series opener. The best starting pitcher performance in the series was Virginia’s Evan Blanco who went 6.1 innings and allowed just two earned runs while striking out seven Tar Heels in the game-two win.
UNC’s Anthony Donofrio, Casey Cook, Parks Harber, and Luke Stevenson all had big offensive games in the series finale, recording 11 RBIs between them, led by four from Harber. The quartet also knocked in eight runs in the series opener led by four from Stevenson. Left-handed pitcher Shea Sprague had the best starting performance for UNC on the mound, allowing just one earned run over 4.1 innings despite giving up seven hits.
