UNC-Oklahoma College World Series: Preview, schedule and more

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North Carolina will face Oklahoma in the best-of-three College World Series national championship series, with both teams entering the finals unbeaten in Omaha and chasing their first title in more than a decade.

The Tar Heels (53-12-1) have advanced to the championship series for the first time since 2007. UNC has reached the finals twice in program history, losing to Oregon State in back-to-back seasons in 2006 and 2007.

North Carolina has opened this year’s CWS 3-0, beating Ole Miss in its opener and then defeating West Virginia twice to move on. Starters Jason DeCaro and Ryan Lynch turned in long outings to protect the bullpen, allowing coach Scott Forbes to lean on relievers Caden Glauber, Walker McDuffie and Jackson Rose in shorter stints.

At the plate, Gavin Gallaher and Owen Hull have powered the Tar Heels’ offense. Hull is batting .538 (7-for-13) in Omaha with two doubles, a triple, a home run and four RBIs. Gallaher is hitting .429 (6-for-14) with a triple and seven RBIs.

Oklahoma has been just as dominant. The Sooners, making their 13th CWS appearance and first since 2022, surged through the postseason as road warriors. They won the Atlanta Regional by upsetting No. 2 seed and ACC champion Georgia Tech in the final, then swept Big 12 champion and No. 15 seed Kansas by a combined score of 21-3 in the Lawrence Regional.

The Sooners, who are 3-0 in Omaha after beating No. 7 seed Alabama and knocking off No. 3 seed and SEC champion Georgia twice, are seeking their third national championship. Oklahoma won titles in 1951 and 1994 and finished as runner-up to Ole Miss in 2022.

Oklahoma’s offense has been fueled by power throughout the postseason, slugging 26 home runs in 10 games, including eight in Omaha.

The national championship series begins at 8 p.m. ET at Charles Schwab Field. The first team to win two games will finish the season as national champion in the final college baseball series — and the last major college sporting event — of the 2025-26 athletic year.

Series Schedule​

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Game 1 - vs. Oklahoma, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN (UNC will be the home team)

Game 2 - vs. Oklahoma, 1:30 p.m. ET, ABC (Oklahoma will be the away team)

Game 3 - vs. Oklahoma, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN (UNC will be the home team)

Key to Victory​

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Put pressure on Oklahoma’s pitching staff.

All three pitchers in Oklahoma’s projected starting pitching rotation are freshmen. While they have pitched well in the postseason, this is the biggest stage of them all.

If UNC gets players on base and gets timely hitting, as they have throughout the postseason, it may be the difference in the series.

Projected Starters on the Mound (Based on last three games)​

Game 1​

Oklahoma - Cord Rager, Fr. (6-3): 4.69 ERA, 71.1 IP, 89 K

North Carolina - Jason DeCaro, Jr. (11-2): 2.31 ERA, 93.2 IP, 93 K

Game 2​

Oklahoma - Xander Mercurious, Fr. (1-2): 5.51 ERA, 50.2 IP, 56 K

North Carolina -Ryan Lynch, Jr. (5-4): 4.20 ERA, 94.1 IP, 84 K

Game 3​

Oklahoma - Nick Weslowski, Fr. (2-1): 4.69 ERA, 71.1 IP, 89 K

North Carolina - Caden Glauber, Fr. (11-0): 2.17 ERA, 87.0 IP, 106 K

Players to Watch​

North Carolina​

OF Owen Hull: .398 BA, 99 hits, 26 doubles, two triples, eight home runs, 85 RBI

SS Jake Schaffner: .352, 90 hits, 19 doubles, seven triples, six home runs, 48 RBI

2B Gavin Gallaher: .292 BA, 81 hits, 14 doubles, three triples, 12 home runs, 61 RBI

Oklahoma​

OF Dasan Harris: .359 BA, 51 hits, eight doubles, three triples, six home runs, 30 RBI

C Dalton Lachance: .333 BA, 78 hits, 12 doubles, two triples, 16 home runs, 65 RBI

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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: College World Series finals: UNC-OU preview, info, prediction, odds

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