UNC advances
North Carolina entered 2006 having won all of two games in four College World Series appearances.
The Tar Heels bettered that by one Wednesday night - and they're now headed for the Series' championship round.
"It's obviously exciting to think about and say the words, 'We're playing for a national championship,' " said UNC coach and friend of the "Nation" Mike Fox after his team's 6-5 over Cal State-Fullerton that propelled them to the best-of-three title round that begins Saturday.
Not bad for a team that detractors said would struggle to get out of the regionals after hitting a rough patch at the end of the regular season. The Heels' troubles began in Charlottesville in May when they lost two out of three to Virginia that preceded a two-and-done flameout in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.
After being ranked #1 for several weeks in the '06 campaign, Carolina ended up being left out of the top eight national seeds by the NCAA tournament-selection committee.
To say that the team responded well to the adversity would be understating things - UNC is 8-0 in tournament play heading into the weekend.
"The feeling is almost indescribable, because it's what all these kids have been working for. Just to see the looks on their faces is a thrill itself," Fox said.
- Chris Graham