COLLEGE BASEBALL: McGee, teammates ready to battle in Omaha

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on June 15, 2018 5:51 AM

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By RUDY COGGINS

rcoggins@newsargus.com

CHAPEL HILL -- Stetson's Brooks Wilson dialed in on a belt-high pitch and drilled Josh Hiatt's offering to deep center field.

North Carolina's Brandon Riley drifted back toward the warning track as a hush fell over the sun-drenched fans at Boshamer Stadium.

Catcher Brandon Matorano grabbed his head in an "oh no" moment.

Hiatt watched from the mound as the red-seamed pearl drifted high into the Carolina blue sky.

"Was it going to get out or go over his head?" Ashton McGee asked himself. "I just stood there. My legs kind of locked up. I wasn't really sure if I needed to go over there, or what."

Another five feet further...

Riley caught Wilson's fly ball near the wall, snapped his glove closed and points toward Hiatt. Moments later, he joined his teammates in the celebratory dogpile near the UNC dugout.

"When I saw him catch it...pure joy," McGee said.

Yes, the Tar Heels are back in Omaha.

Carolina, the No. 6 national seed, opens the College World Series against Oregon State on Saturday at 3 p.m. The Heels and Beavers are in the same four-team, double-elimination pod with Mississippi State and first-time CWS participant Washington.

Defending national champ Florida, Arkansas, Texas Tech and Texas round out the eight-team field.

McGee heads to college baseball's mecca in a confident mood.

The sophomore broke a slump with two hits and two RBI in the regional-clinching victory over the Hatters. He had gone 0-for-4 the day before and entered the super regional with a 2-for-17 worksheet.

"What we focus on as a team is not always hits, but quality at-bats," McGee said. "On the day, I had four quality at-bats [in game one]. I hit balls hard, but right at people so there wasn't really anything I could do. The next day, I stayed with the same thing and luckily I had some things to show for it."

UNC has assembled a deadly offense in the postseason.

The Heels are averaging nearly 10 runs and 12 hits, while batting .355 entering the CWS. They're 5-0 in the postseason while plating 48 runs, cranking out 58 hits and mashing six home runs.

It's a grind-it-out type of lineup that saws off pitches in the box and forces opposing hurlers to work for outs. Carolina has drawn 337 walks, eighth-best in the nation.

But the meat and potatoes is the bullpen.

Gianluca Dalatri, after a 12-week absence due to injury, is slated for duty in Omaha. He joins a pretty good staff that includes seven-game winner Austin Bergner, and six-game winners Cooper Criswell, Caden O'Brien and Brett Daniels.

"We knew that was going to be our strength going into the year, but you didn't see it at the beginning of the year because people were worried about us not scoring and we were losing," McGee said. "Now, when pitching really matters, everybody is starting to see how good our pitching is with the starters and the bullpen."

Carolina (43-18 overall) is in Omaha for the first time since 2013 and 11th time overall in program history. Head coach Mike Fox has taken six teams to the CWS, most recently in 2013.

However, Fox is 1-4 all-time against the Beavers -- including losses in the CWS finals in 2006 and 2007.

"We just know that everybody thinks they're the team to beat, so we're going to go out there and play our best, try to win a game," McGee said. "As long as we keep playing well, playing hard and playing for each other, I think we'll be fine."