Vance Honeycutt describes what it means for UNC to advance to Omaha

North Carolina star Vance Honeycutt knows how much it means to bring the program back to the College World Series. The Tar Heels are heading back to Omaha for 12th time in program history and the first time since 2018.

It also marks the first trip for Scott Forbes as a head coach, though he was part of seven appearances as an assistant coach at UNC from 2006-20. Following a 2-1 victory against West Virginia to win the Super Regional, Honeycutt opened up on the feeling of getting his coach to college baseball’s biggest stage.

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“From Day 1 that I’ve been here, it’s been about the process,” he said. “He really does care for us. He loves us and wants the best for us. The look on everybody’s face and our coach’s face after that last out, it was priceless. I’m just excited to have got it done and I look forward to getting out there.”

Vance Honeycutt leads the team and ranks 12th in the country with 26 home runs. That included a homer on the first pitch of the game Sunday against the Mountaineers that set the tone for the victory. He also scored the only other run of the game for North Carolina after leading off the third with a bunt single.

He wasn’t the only player to come up big for the Tar Heels. Dalton Pence pitched the final 2.2 innings to throw six strikeouts and allow only two hits. He also recorded the final out of the game after forcing a ground ball to first base and then beating the runner to the bag.

Like Honeycutt, Pence also had high praise for the Tar Heels’ coaching staff.

“The three years that I’ve been here so far has been amazing,” he said. “Coach Forbes and the whole coaching staff really shows this team and all the previous teams I’ve been on love. I don’t think you’ll find a coaching staff in the country that loves there players as much as this team. We owe everything to this program. They tell us that every day and they. We wake up and we’re entitled to nothing. That’s the reality here is we owe this university everything. So to get to Omaha and get him back there is an amazing feeling.”

North Carolina will begin the CWS with a matchup against Virginia at 2 p.m. Friday on ESPN.