North Carolina baseball did not play USC last season in the NCAA Tournament and its super regional round. Yet, as the Tar Heels prepare to meet the Trojans in the 2026 super regional in Chapel Hill, there is an obvious and recognizable parallel with 2025, as Tar Heels Wire notes:
“Last year, UNC hosted Arizona — USC’s longtime former Pac-12 rival — in a super regional. The Wildcats, who have won four national titles, took the series in two out of three games to upset the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill,” Tar Heels Wire wrote.
So, for the second straight season, North Carolina baseball is hosting a traditional West Coast power in the supers. The fact that UNC fell short against Arizona last season should motivate the Tar Heels for this season, but USC’s bats caught fire in the College Station Regional and might stay hot in Chapel Hill. USC needs to carry its confidence at the plate into this series. If the Trojans remain locked in at the plate, no amount of UNC motivation will matter in this best-of-three competition.
North Carolina is widely seen as a top national championship contender, being a No. 5 national seed in the NCAA Tournament bracket. The only team whose national title odds are generally viewed as being better than Carolina’s: Georgia, the No. 3 seed in this tournament. USC took down Texas A&M. Now the Trojans will try to step up in weight class and knock the No. 5 team in the country out of the field.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC super regional series will feel very familiar for North Carolina
Reporting by Matt Zemek, Trojans Wire / Trojans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Matt Zemek, Trojans Wire | USA TODAY Network
