Scott Forbes describes his mindset of battling pitching fatigue entering College World Series

The North Carolina Tar Heels have earned a spot in this year’s College World Series. Heading into the final stretch of the 2024 season, the effects of fatigue are likely on their minds.

When it comes to pitching, and the Tar Heels’ pitching rotation, head coach Scott Forbes has a plan. According to the North Carolina skipper, it has little to do with pitch counts.

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“To answer the question on pitch counts, it’s just the workload that the kid has had up to this point. How many days of rest he has had? But if he’s throwing well and he doesn’t have those really taxing innings, I think pitch counts are overrated…but we’ll monitor it,” said Forbes. “For me, it’s more if the guy has one long inning, 3-plus pitches, then you have to keep an eye on that pitch count.”

North Carolina baseball will face off against ACC nemesis Virginia to kick off the College World Series. The Tar Heels were able to sweep the West Virginia Mountaineers and the Super Regional round after surviving and eliminating last year’s national champions, LSU, in the Chapel Hill regional.

According to Forbes, he will use the pitch count method if needed, primarily focusing on how many pitches are thrown in an inning rather than an overall number per outing on the mound. One of the reasons the North Carolina head coach has this mindset is to adjust to the setup of the College World Series. Forbes believes there is a uniqueness in the scheduling that will help him better manage his pitching rotation.

“The format there is unique from the standpoint of we played a weekend series that’s been a midweek game. Obviously, you don’t have a day,” Forbes said. “So you can definitely manage and that’s where the comes in. We’ve been out there, you know; we’ve gotten ourselves in the losers bracket, and we’ve also won the first three games; all of a sudden, you’re playing the national championship. And that’ll help me from the pitching standpoint. But the way I look at it is when you have that day off. You just go after that first game — you have a starter in your mind [and]save that starter for Game 2.”

North Carolina and Virginia will face off on June 14, with the winner advancing in the winner’s bracket to take on the winner of the game between Tennessee and Florida State. The Tar Heels and Cavaliers opening pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. EST.