UNC baseball vs Oklahoma prediction: Who wins NCAA Regional at Chapel Hill?
The top-ranked Tar Heels (44-13), who haven't lost a regional at home since 2017, are trying to host a super regional for the second consecutive season. Oklahoma (38-21), which earned a 17-1 win against Nebraska before a 9-5 victory against UNC on June 1, will try to take down the Tar Heels for the second straight day.
Advertisement
"If we met August 19 — that was our first meeting — if I'd asked y'all in there that we were going to play for a regional championship against Oklahoma on Monday at the Bosh, what would you say? They'd be like, 'Heck yeah.' ... Thankfully, that wasn't an elimination game for us. We have another game," UNC coach Scott Forbes said.
First pitch is set for 3 p.m. at Boshamer Stadium. The game will be televised on ESPNU.
If UNC beats Oklahoma in the winner-take-all game, the Tar Heels will host the Chapel Hill Super Regional against Arizona or Cal Poly. UNC hasn't lost a regional at home since 2017.
Buy UNC tickets here
Advertisement
Here's a look at some players to watch, along with a prediction for UNC vs. Oklahoma:
Who will pitch for UNC baseball vs Oklahoma in NCAA Regional final?
The Tar Heels used six pitchers in their first regional final game against UNC, but they saved a few of their top arms for a Game 7 scenario. Freshman pitcher Ryan Lynch is "most likely," who UNC coach Scott Forbes said the Tar Heels will start against the Sooners.
"There's a good chance he will be our pitcher," Forbes said. "We got him and (Walker McDuffie) well-rested and ready."
Lynch, a freshman, has a 4-1 record and 2.92 ERA. He made his first start against Clemson in the championship game of the 2025 ACC Tournament, pitching four scoreless innings, allowing two hits with two walks and seven strikeouts. Fellow freshman Walker McDuffie has a 3-1 record and 3.04 ERA.
UNC baseball vs Oklahoma prediction in NCAA Regional final
The Tar Heels have more pitching at this point, but the Sooners are blistering hot at the plate. Still, in a game that could be tight coming down to the final outs, it's safer to bet on UNC's arms to get it done at the Bosh. UNC 7, Oklahoma 4
Advertisement
Rodd Baxley covers Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding those teams? Send them to rbaxley@fayobserver.com.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: UNC vs Oklahoma prediction for Chapel Hill Regional final
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
28 minutes ago
- USA Today
Oklahoma Sooners offensive lineman named to freshman All-American team by On3
The Oklahoma Sooners' offensive line has been one of the more talked-about positions this offseason after a 2024 season that dealt with injuries and inconsistencies up front. There's a lot more stability in Bill Bedenbaugh's unit as it returns four players who started games for Oklahoma last year and a number of talented transfers and blue-chip prospects. On a unit that is looking to remind everyone what Oklahoma football looks like, one player has stood out since his arrival as part of the 2025 recruiting class: former five-star offensive tackle Michael Fasusi. Fasusi was named to On3's preseason freshman All-American team ahead of the 2025 season. Fasusi was one of the more sought-after players in the cycle. Fasusi has received a lot of praise since joining the Sooners and could be in line for some significant snaps in 2025. As offensive tackles Jacob Sexton and Derek Simmons have been dealing with concussion symptoms during fall camp, Fasusi has received a ton of first-team snaps up front. He may not start the season running with the first-team offensive line when Sexton is back at left tackle, but as happy as offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh has been with Fasusi's progress in his first year in the program, it wouldn't be surprising to see the five-star freshman taking a starting role at some point this year. Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on X@john9williams.
New York Times
29 minutes ago
- New York Times
Auburn's claim of 7 football titles is a throwback to a flawed system. Don't blame the Tigers
Not so long ago, in a land not so far away, what sounds like a fairy tale was reality. An SEC team won every game it played. It beat four top 15 teams. Only two wins came by single digits. The BCS computers said, 'Thanks, but no thanks,' and tapped undefeated USC and Oklahoma teams to play for the national title. Advertisement That was 2004. Two decades later, Auburn is — why now? who knows! — rewriting history. Tuesday, it announced plans to recognize that 2004 team as a national champion, one of seven new titles the program will now commemorate. With one decision, it also added national championships 1910, 1913, 1914, 1958, 1983 and 1993, taking it from two to nine all time. It might be absurd. But I say let Auburn cook. College football has never made sense. It's never been fair that a team can win every game on its schedule and not get to compete for a national title on the field. It's infuriating. It's unlike other sports. It'll likely never happen again after the College Football Playoff expanded from four teams to 12, a new world from the two-team BCS National Championship Game that locked out Auburn 21 years ago. Auburn's decision Tuesday harkens back to a bygone era of the sport, where national championships could routinely be claimed and disputed. Ironically, in 2017, Auburn failed to end UCF's undefeated season in the Peach Bowl, which gave the Knights the impetus to controversially hang '2017 National Champions' signage in the Bounce House after the season. Auburn, welcome to the club. 'For too long, Auburn has chosen a humble approach to our program's storied history — choosing to only recognize Associated Press National Championships,' athletic director John Cohen said. 'Starting this fall, we have made the decision to honor the accomplishments of our deserving student-athletes, coaches, and teams from Auburn's proud history.' The 2004 team, led by future first-round picks Jason Campbell, Ronnie Brown and Cadillac Williams, could make a case. Not all of the seven new titles are as legitimate. In 1993, Terry Bowden led the Tigers to an undefeated season, but the program was under NCAA sanctions and unrecognized by the coaches' poll and bowl games. It ranked fourth in the AP Top 25. Advertisement I'll begrudgingly allow it. The 1910 Auburn team, which went 6-1, was named champion by the Maxwell Ratings and College Football Rankings. It's important to note that neither of these rankings existed at the time. They're run by Loren Maxwell and Kyle Matschke. They are not grizzled pre-World War I college football sickos who died decades ago. They're men living in 2025 who built ratings systems and crowned retroactive champions. Now, a school is recognizing them. The same is true of the Howell Ratings System, which gave Auburn the 1914 title. Auburn lost a game in 1910. Champion Pitt did not. It tied a game in 1914. Champion Army was unbeaten and untied. But a sport with no one in charge has no mechanisms to prevent teams from claiming titles out of thin air. And while the legitimacy of Auburn's titles is questionable, it's not like those teams went head to head. There's at least some debate, even if it's being spawned by ratings models decades later. It's all silly, but credit to Auburn for recognizing it and giving their program more things to celebrate and honor from the past. Don't hate the player. Hate the game. Alabama fans — so long as no one takes a closer look at the dubious claims behind many of their 18 titles — will laugh. So will fans of other rivals like Georgia. Anyone associated with Auburn should ignore the complaints and derision and join the parade. Hundreds of players from the proudest teams in Auburn history are more revered than they were yesterday. Ultimately, that's what this is about. That and making Jordan-Hare Stadium feel a little cooler and more historic. Come and take the signage down. Try it. They'll just put it back up again. Auburn got a little prouder on Tuesday. And there's nothing anybody can do to change that. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Trio of Oklahoma Sooners named to Coaches Preseason All-SEC teams
The 2025 college football season is about to get underway and the Sooners enter the year with something to prove after being left outside the US LBM Coaches Poll a couple of weeks ago. The Sooners look like a legitimate bounce-back candidate after a big offseason. Oklahoma has talent in all three phases of the game, and it was recognized by the coaches in the SEC. Ahead of the start of the season, three Sooners were named to the Coaches' Preseason All-SEC teams. Transfer running back Jaydn Ott was named to the second team. He's expected to lead the Oklahoma Sooners running back room and is looking for a resurgent season after injuries limited him in 2024. He was electric at Cal, racking up 3,000 yards and 30 touchdowns in three season. Texas A&M's Le'Veon Moss and Texas' Quintrevion Wisner were named to the first team. Also on the second team is Oklahoma's star pass rusher, R Mason Thomas. Thomas is coming off of a breakout season in 2024, where he had nine sacks, six of which came in SEC play. He was a problem for opposing offenses, often commanding double and triple teams. Going into his fourth season, Thomas is one of the best pass rushers in college football and will be a force for Brent Venables defense again. Also making the All-SEC teams was long snapper Ben Anderson. He's handled all of Oklahoma's long-snapping duties each of the last two seasons and has been fantastic. The red-shirt junior was named to the Patrick Mannely Award watch list earlier this month, which is given to the nation's best long snapper. Missing the cut was quarterback John Mateer. The quarterbacks selected to the Coaches All-SEC teams were LSU's Garrett Nussmeier, South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers, and Florida's D.J. Lagway. Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on X@john9williams.
