Gavin Gallaher continued his scorching offensive streak in the regional series, helping power the No. 5 Diamond Heels to the 14-4 win against Oklahoma to send UNC to the NCAA Super Regional round.
Carolina’s sophomore third baseman belted a pair of home runs late in the game: the first, a solo homer in the top of the eighth inning and followed with a three-run blast in the top of the ninth to put the icing on the cake against the Sooners. After going 4-for-6 on Monday — and reaching base five times thanks to an error in the first inning — Gallaher finished the regional series 13-for-18 with three home runs and 10 RBIs. After earning the regional Most Outstanding Player award in 2024 thanks to his late-game heroics, the Apex native was a shoe-in for the honor once again this year.
The Heels rebounded from their offensive and pitching mistakes in Sunday’s initial regional final against Oklahoma, attacking the Sooners’ pitching staff early. Playing as the away team, Carolina got on the board in the top of the first inning thanks to a two-run double by first baseman Hunter Stokely followed by an RBI single from shortstop Alex Madera. While the Sooners responded with a two-run homer in the second — as OU freshman Drew Dickerson picked up where he left off on Sunday night — UNC quickly responded in the next frame. With the bases loaded, Madera legged out a ground ball to first base to driven in a run and a Tyson Bass grounder scored another on a fielder’s choice. Carolina then pushed its score to 7-2 after Sam Angelo smacked an RBI single to right and drove in Madera with Carter French then singling up the middle to score Bass.
The third inning explosion, paired with Gallaher’s two-run blast in the ninth, highlighted UNC’s success at hitting with two outs in the regional round. Twenty-one of the team’s 31 RBIs during the four games came with two outs.
Stokely finished 1-for-3 with two walks and three RBIs, thanks to a sacrifice fly in the top of the fourth inning that scored Jackson Van De Brake — who broke out of his hitting slump with a 3-for-6 afternoon that included a two-run homer in the eighth.
While Carolina’s bats tore through Oklahoma’s depleted bullpen, the Tar Heels did not have to rely on their own pitching depth despite playing their fourth consecutive day. Freshman right-hander Ryan Lynch got the start once again after pitching well vs. Clemson in the ACC Tournament final last week. Pitching a career-high five innings, he navigated the Oklahoma lineup relying on his slider and racking up six strikeouts. While Lynch picked up his fifth win of the 2025 season, freshman reliever Walker McDuffie picked up his eighth save — covering the remaining four innings and striking out seven Sooners thanks to his own off-speed pitches. Meanwhile, Oklahoma used seven pitchers, four of whom lasted less than one inning after playing five games in four days.
The win means UNC (45-13 overall) will host Arizona in the super regional round this weekend, after the Wildcats swept the Eugene, Ore. regional round. Game 1 will be Friday at 12 p.m., and Game 2 will be Saturday at 12 p.m. — with both matchups broadcast on ESPN2 for television and on 97.9 The Hill for radio. If the Diamond Heels can string together two wins over the weekend, they would make the program’s 13th appearance in the College World Series.
Featured photo via UNC Athletics Communications / Diamond Heels on X.
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