Reunion of UNC's 2006 College Word Series Team Inspires Current Squad

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Back in Chapel Hill for a reunion of North Carolina’s 2006 College World Series runner-up team, former head coach Mike Fox brought a copy of UNC’s Omaha-clinching win over Alabama in the super regionals to play for the current Diamond Heels.

The only problem? UNC’s state-of-the-art clubhouse doesn’t have a player to watch the now 20-year-old anniversary footage. As an intuitive solution, current players popped the disc into an Xbox 360 and gathered around to watch the last few innings with Fox narrating the big moments, player approaches and his coaching decisions throughout.

The rest of the weekend, current players enjoyed spending time with former Diamond Heels, sharing stories, watching old clips and learning from those who have been in their shoes before. But No. 3 North Carolina didn’t just honor the 2006 squad before Saturday’s game; it continued to build on its blueprint for success in Chapel Hill with the highest-ranked series win at Boshamer Stadium in program history over No. 2 Georgia Tech. 

“Having them around was great,” Carter French said after the series. “They’re honestly like heroes to us. I mean, that was what, 20 years ago? So we hear about that team all the time.” 

Perhaps the person to whom the reunion meant the most was Scott Forbes. As the pitching coach in 2006, Forbes is the natural bridge of the two-decade gap between the squads.

He voiced his appreciation for the pitching staff that propelled the team, naming Jonathan Hovis, Andrew Miller, Daniel Bard, and Matt Danford, some of whom were in attendance over the weekend and were able to share advice with UNC’s current arms over dinner on Saturday night. 

“That team, doing what they did and then continuing to do it, led by the older guys on that team… I owe everything to them,” Forbes said. “I wouldn’t be sitting here today without how they took me in as a pitching coach.” 

More importantly, however, the momentum of the 2006 team, created by being the first UNC team to reach Omaha since 1989 and the first to host an NCAA regional in Chapel Hill since 1983, carried over for years after. Forbes credited the group for playing a large part in laying the foundation of what the program has built upon in recent years. 

Just by being runners-up in Omaha that year, national attention was brought to Chapel Hill in the following seasons, which helped with recruiting, roster retention and a stretch of six CWS appearances in eight years, including four straight from 2006-2009. 

“They ramped up our program from the standpoint of people wanted to come here,” Forbes said about the 2006 CWS run. “They want to be a part of it. They saw us playing on TV, and they did that.” 

Though the landscape of college baseball may have drastically changed since the mid 2000s, the tangible reasons for UNC’s success remain the same. This year’s team — similar in a lot of ways to the squad of ‘06 — resembles an elite staff, solid defense and high plate IQ approache that helped the Diamond Heels get so far. 

But, most importantly, the current team also embodies both the resilience and joy that the honored team did, showing so in a monumental series win against the Yellow Jackets. In comparing how both teams have found success, Forbes recalled a conversation he had with Miller at dinner on Saturday. 

“He said every great team he’s played on, they love each other, and they have just a blast playing,” Forbes summarized. “So that’s the one thing I see in this team. I think they’re really close and they care about each other, and they’re starting to learn to have fun when they go out there and just whatever happens, happens.”