The seeds held to form on the opening day of the College World Series. West Virginia and North Carolina each took care of business, with the Mountaineers notching a 7-5 win over Troy and the Tar Heels beating Ole Miss 6-2.
The seeded teams will meet Sunday in the winner’s bracket, while the Trojans and Rebels try to keep their seasons alive. Here’s a look back at what happened on Day 1.
Tar Heels Walk To Victory
One of North Carolina’s biggest strengths has been incredible plate discipline. The Tar Heels ranked fifth in the nation in walks this season, and they showed their discipline against Ole Miss ace Taylor Rabe.
Rabe has excellent control of the strike zone most days. In 70.1 innings pitched before Friday, he’d walked just 11 hitters. He never walked more than two batters in a start, and that’s against a full slate of SEC opposition. The Tar Heels worked out four walks against him, and although North Carolina didn’t turn any of them into runs, it helped get Rabe out of the game in the sixth inning.
North Carolina made its move once Rabe was out. The Heels started the seventh inning with two walks and a sacrifice bunt, which played perfectly in Omaha’s large park. Carolina followed with a sacrifice fly and an RBI single for a 3-2 lead that it never lost.
The win showed off two realities. First, Carolina might be the team most built to win in Omaha. The Heels’ home park, Boshamer Stadium, plays large and home runs are difficult to come by. Charles Schwab Park plays the same way, which could give Carolina an edge. Second, the Heels have the easier path to the final series. With only one SEC team in their path, and that team now behind them, North Carolina has a great shot to play for a championship.
Rebels Make the Wrong Move
To win in college baseball, a coach has to manage their bullpen properly. Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco probably wishes he’d not sent Hudson Calhoun back out for the seventh after Calhoun got the Rebels out of the sixth.
Calhoun is excellent at getting outs when opposing hitters put the ball in play. Opponents hit just .215 against him for the year. But Calhoun had the second-highest total of walks among the Rebel pitchers, making him the wrong arm for this game.
In the seventh, Calhoun allowed two walks before Bianco turned the game over to Walker Hooks. That was the right move, but it came two batters too late. Hooks had the control needed for the Heels’ lineup, but with two runners on, Carolina dictated how the rest of the inning went. Hooks had to make too many pressure pitches, leading to a three-run home run in the eighth.
If the Rebels are going to battle back, Bianco has to read the situation better moving forward.
Korn Saves The Day for Mountaineers
West Virginia coach Steve Sabins had a decision to make with his pitching. Troy hadn’t had any issues getting to Chansen Cole, who didn’t make it through the third inning. But Sabins didn’t want to use Maxx Yehl, whom he needed for his Game 2 starter.
Enter Ian Korn, who stepped up with six innings of two-hit baseball. Korn got the Mountaineers into the ninth inning, where Ben McDougal finished the job.
Korn, normally a middle reliever, might have saved his team’s tournament. West Virginia only had to use three pitchers to beat the Trojans, and McDougal threw just three pitches in getting the final out. If the Mountaineers can beat North Carolina, Cole could come back for a second try on four days’ rest.
That doesn’t happen without Korn’s bullpen session. Omaha is littered with stories of teams who lost their chance on Day 1 because they had to use too many pitchers. Korn’s sharp outing made sure that didn’t happen to West Virginia.
Janicki Proves The Hype
Even though Troy’s Jimmy Janicki plays for a smaller school and isn’t draft-eligible until 2027, he’s seen as the best pure prospect in Omaha. With 20 home runs and 86 RBIs, the catcher has one of the best swings of anyone in college baseball.
Janicki doubled and homered in a 2-for-4 day, scoring a pair of runs. He’s one to watch for however long the Trojans get to stay in Omaha.
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