Owen Hull’s walk-off sends UNC baseball to College World Series

Owen Hull turned a tense ninth inning into a ticket to Omaha, driving UNC past USC 4-3 with a walk-off hit on June 7, 2026. The Tar Heels entered the bottom of the ninth trailing 3-2, then finished the rally and punched their place in the Men’s College World Series next weekend.

The moment gave UNC the signature finish every postseason team wants, but it also underscored why this team has been built for this stage. Hull, a junior outfielder from Alexandria, Virginia, arrived at North Carolina after transferring from George Mason, where he hit .367 with 83 runs, eight home runs and 63 RBIs in 2024-25. He has delivered again in Chapel Hill, batting .381 with 88 hits, 79 RBIs, 20 doubles and seven home runs across 62 games.

UNC did not reach this point by accident. The Tar Heels advanced to their 13th Super Regional after beating East Carolina 9-3 on May 31, then came into the NCAA’s June 5-8 super regional weekend needing two more wins to secure their 13th College World Series appearance. By beating USC in Game 3, North Carolina completed that step and extended a season that had already produced a 48-11-1 regular-season record.

Scott Forbes has guided the program through that climb in his sixth season as head coach. Named North Carolina’s 25th head baseball coach on Aug. 7, 2020, Forbes has overseen a roster that stayed composed through the pressure of elimination baseball and found another level when the game tightened in the ninth. That resilience is what separates a memorable upset from a team that can survive Omaha, where one mistake can end a run.

UNC’s finish also reflected the depth that has carried the Diamond Heels through the postseason. The program’s official athletics coverage had already framed the USC series as a chance to reach Omaha, and Hull’s swing confirmed it in the most dramatic way possible. For a program that has long measured itself against the sport’s best, the walk-off was not just a celebration of one hit. It was the closing argument for a team that has earned its place in the national title race.