Just like last year, the Tar Heels are two wins away from a trip to Omaha.
Just like last year, the team they are facing is not the team people thought they would be facing.
Hopefully this year is not like last year.
In an NCAA Tournament that has seen a boat load of upsets that includes the one, two, eight, nine, ten, twelve, and thirteen national seeds, all of the sudden the Tar Heels are the betting favorite to take home the National Championship. To do so, they have to get to Omaha and they have to do what
they couldn’t do last year—beat an upset minded team from the western part of the United States.
Last year it was Arizona; this year it’s the USC Trojans. Southern Cal played deep into the night Monday, upsetting the host Texas A&M Aggies as the clock passed midnight on the east coast, and their reward for the feat is to hit the diamond four days later on the east coast, and in some of the hotter temperatures the area has seen in a few weeks.
If you need to know more about the Trojans, Tar Heel Blog writer Akil Guruparan broke down the only LA-based B1G team to make it to the Super Regionals.
For Carolina, it looks like they are going to go with the same order of pitchers as last weekend. Rather than flipping Jason DeCaro back to his normal first pitching spot, coach Scott Forbes instead decided to let Ryan Lynch, DeCaro, and Folger Boaz pitch on their normal rest. Thus, Lynch will be the one to face off against USC ace, pitcher of the year candidate and likely first round pick Mason Edwards. This Tar Heel bunch has shown a propensity to be able to play the small ball necessary to work out some runs against some dominant pitching, and they’ll need to do so again today.
Once again, if you’re going to the Bosh, be aware that they are closing down the road in front of the stadium to both host a “block party” and to keep cars out of the area in front of the stadium. Plan accordingly when you’re heading over there, and also mind the fact that today is still a University Business day, meaning pretty much all the parking on Stadium Drive will be ineligible for the public to park in.
Get there early, dress for some heat, put on some sunscreen, and cheer the Heels loudly.
If you aren’t going to make it to the Bosh here’s how you can catch the action:
- Time: 3:00 PM ET
- Location: Boshamer Stadium, Chapel Hill, NC
- TV: ESPN2 where Mike Ferrin will handle play-by-play with Gaby Sanchez doing color.
- Streaming: ESPN Unlimited. If you subscribe to a cable service, some now have agreements with ESPN to have access already included.
- Radio: WCHL 97.9 in Chapel Hill as well as online and through the Varsity app. Dave Nathan will take you through the game for the Tar Heels, and it’s free.
