The Tar Heels will play for a national championship. No. 5 North Carolina advanced to the final stage of the 2026 College World Series by way of a 12-7 win over No. 16 West Virginia on Wednesday.
Owen Hull needed no time at all to get North Carolina on the board in the Bracket 1 championship, as he laced a 108-mph RBI double off the wall in the top of the first inning and proceeded to score on a stolen base and throwing error. That was the start of a remarkable day at the plate for Hull, who finished 4-for-5 with all of those hits going for extra bases. He was a home run shy of the cycle and knocked in four runs on the afternoon.
North Carolina led 12-1 at the seventh inning stretch, but things got a touch dicey for it later in that frame. West Virginia, starting with an infield single from Armani Guzman, strung together five runs in a two-out rally to make the game interesting. It plated one more in the eighth inning, but the hole proved too deep to climb out of as the Mountaineers fell five runs short.
West Virginia's magical season -- which included its first appearance in the CWS -- comes to an end with the defeat. North Carolina, meanwhile, awaits the winner of the Bracket 2 title matchup between Oklahoma and No. 3 Georgia.
This is the first time Steve Forbes' club has been this close to a title since it made consecutive appearances in 2007 and 2008. The Tar Heels came up short both times, and with this being their 13th trip to Omaha, Nebraska, the program has the second-most CWS appearances without a national championship.
The Sooners and Bulldogs get underway at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday at Charles Schwab Field Omaha. If Oklahoma wins, it will advance to the championship series. Georgia, having lost to the Sooners earlier in the tournament, must win to force a decisive game on Thursday.
Check back here throughout the CWS for scores and schedule updates as the brightest stars and most talented squads compete for the 2026 national championship.
2026 College World Series schedule
All times Eastern
Wednesday, June 17
Game 12: Oklahoma vs. No. 3 Georgia, 7 p.m. on ESPN
Thursday, June 18
Game 13 (if necessary): Oklahoma vs. No. 3 Georgia, TBD on ESPN
Saturday, June 20
CWS Finals, Game 1: No. 5 North Carolina vs. Bracket 2 Winner, TBD on ESPN
Sunday, June 21
CWS Finals, Game 2: No. 5 North Carolina vs. Bracket 2 Winner, 2:30 p.m. on ABC
Monday, June 22
CWS Finals, Game 3 (if necessary): No. 5 North Carolina vs. Bracket 2 Winner, 7 p.m. on ESPN
2026 College World Series results
Friday, June 12
Game 1: No. 16 West Virginia 7, Troy 5
Game 2: No. 5 North Carolina 6, Ole Miss 2
Saturday, June 13
Game 3: Oklahoma 9, No. 7 Alabama 0
Game 4: No. 3 Georgia 7, No. 6 Texas 1
Sunday, June 14
Game 5: Troy 12, Ole Miss 8
Game 6: No. 5 North Carolina 5, No. 16 West Virginia 2
Monday, June 15
Game 7: No. 6 Texas 14, No. 7 Alabama 2
Game 8: Oklahoma 4, No. 3 Georgia 3
Tuesday, June 16
Game 9: No. 16 West Virginia 12, Troy 0
Game 10: No. 3 Georgia 2, No. 6 Texas 0
Wednesday, June 17
Game 11: No. 5 North Carolina 12, No. 16 West Virginia 7
