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The Men’s College World Series shared a graphic before the tournament began charting the mileage traveled by all eight fanbases to get to Omaha. Oklahoma is the closest, with the Sooners traveling “only” 475 miles to get to Charles Schwab Field.
The farthest away? That honor belongs to UNC, which had to log 1,208 miles from Chapel Hill to Omaha. And yet, when the Diamond Heels recorded the final out of Sunday’s 5-2 win against No. 16 West Virginia to advance to the national semifinals, they could look up and see plenty of happy fans in Carolina blue.
“It’s been unbelievable,” said shortstop Jake Schaffner. “They’re such a great fanbase. I think they’re one of the best in the country.”
Head coach Scott Forbes has several family members in Omaha, so much so that he’s taken to calling them the Griswolds. That Forbes, a former assistant, inherited the job from longtime head coach Mike Fox in 2021 adds to the familial mystique which surrounds the baseball program. It’s something which has made the Diamond Heels, under Forbes, one of the most consistent programs since then. And now, it’s carried UNC to within a game of the national championship series.
“We use the word ‘love’ all the time as the backbone of our program,” Forbes said. “I explained to our guys: there’s some tough love in there. But it’s the strongest thing on the planet.”
College sports teams are the epitome of the “found family” concept, and there were plenty of UNC baseball alumni in the stands for Sunday night’s win. Several of them played on the 2006 team, which prior to Sunday was the last Carolina team to start 2-0 in Omaha. That group finished as national runners-up.
The 2006 team has been feted multiple times this season, celebrating its 20th anniversary at Boshamer Stadium during a weekend series against Georgia Tech. That they, and hundreds of other UNC fans, made the trip to Omaha is meaningful to the current batch of Diamond Heels.
“I think now’s a good time to thank them for everything that they do for us,” said Gavin Gallaher. “They’re awesome at the Bosh. They show out weekend after weekend, and especially in the postseason they’re awesome. And also, families. This is a tough trip to make. It’s not cheap. And our families, they sacrifice a lot to get here and support us. [We] really appreciate that and thank them as well.”
Gallaher has had family on his mind a lot lately. After UNC’s win against Ole Miss Friday night, he made sure to wish his sister, Regan, a happy birthday before starting his on-field interview.
Happy birthday Regan ?@GallaherGavin postgame ?️ pic.twitter.com/nZOPaUsxQ2
— Carolina Baseball (@DiamondHeels) June 13, 2026
UNC has made a habit of casting a wide net when searching for new talent in its program – Schaffner is from Wisconsin, for example – but wins like Sunday’s and the support that came with it likely carry just a little extra weight for in-state talents like Gallaher (Apex) or Walker McDuffie (Broadway), who earned the win with 3.2 innings of relief against the Mountaineers.
McDuffie’s hometown is not too far away from Forbes’ home base of Sanford, and the kid who watched UNC win at the Bosh two years ago relished his chance to add to the program’s list of postseason moments.
“It means the world,” McDuffie said. “This is why you come to UNC, because you play in the biggest games and you have the best fans. It’s what you dream for and it’s what you live for, so we take full advantage of it.”
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Featured image via UNC Baseball on Twitter
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