Building the stage for Ole Miss vs North Carolina

OMAHA, Neb. –The time has come, the moment is back, Ole Miss is back in Omaha!

After defeating Auburn in the super regionals 6-4 and 5-3, the Rebels clinched their ticket back to Omaha for the first time since 2022.

With a special story to tell, this team has endured much success and setback, but nonetheless, this team has fought and fought, and rightfully earned their spot amongst the best teams in the country.

The Rebels will take on the North Carolina Tar Heels in their first matchup in the College World Series, one of the hottest teams in all of baseball this season.

The Tar Heels finished the season with a 50-12-1 record, defeating the USC Trojans in dramatic fashion to reach their 13th World Series in program history.

Carolina head coach Scott Forbes will send out ace Jason DeCaro on Friday night, he threw a complete game 2-hitter against USC in the super regional. DeCaro is a native of New York, a right-handed pitcher who earned a 2.28 ERA this season, while also accumulating 87 strikeouts in 84 innings this season.

The Tar Heels only dropped one series in conference play this season, so this team will be equally ready to earn the right to win their first ever National Championship, and will be ready to play spoiler to anyone getting in their way.

Offensively, the Tar Heels have relied heavily on two players more than others. Owen Hull remained one of the hottest batters in the country throughout the season, hitting .390 with a 1.094 OPS, and Jake Schaffner isn’t far behind at .358 and 1.038. Power and speed is scattered throughout the UNC lineup, with four players in double-digit home runs and Cooper Nicholson leading the way with 16. It’s not a top-heavy order. It’s nine hitters who can and will make you work for every at bat. Ole Miss will have to be prepared for all situations.

For Ole Miss, Sophomore Taylor Rabe will get the start on the mound, and will need to have everything in his pitch arsenal working for the Rebels to walk away with a win.

Some people may have different opinions on Rabe getting the start over veteran Hunter Elliot, but Rabe has remained hot to end the season, making a strong case for himself to earn this opportunity.

Rabe has dominated within every level over his last three starts, and he’s done it in very pressurized moments. Rabe has pitched 19 innings with a 1.42 ERA, 30 strikeouts, and just four walks the last three games. When they needed him most, Rabe completed a seven-inning start against Auburn in the Super Regionals, helping the team get back to Omaha despite trailing much of the game.

The pitching rotation has remained a constant success for Ole Miss throughout much of the season, and this is imperative for any teams success in Omaha.

A victory could surge Ole Miss in a strong direction, as three straight wins will get them to the National Championship game. However, a loss would require two consecutive wins to get back into the winner’s bracket. West Virginia and Troy join UNC and Ole Miss in the first bracket.

Brayden Randle has been a outlet for driving in runs for the Rebels throughout the post season so far, and the Rebels will need him early as playing catchup to the Tar Heels won’t be easy. 

The Rebels have gone undefeated in five games played so far in the regionals and super regionals. Despite being 5-0, Ole Miss held just one early game lead, going up 1-0 against Auburn in game one of the super regionals. The Rebels have become known to fight and crawl back from deficits, but this isn’t a team you want to try and do that against.

How to Watch: Ole Miss vs. North Carolina, College World Series

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