This seems to be the summer of sports. The FIFA World Cup is underway across North America. Legendary tennis player Serena Williams is taking a break from retirement to compete at Wimbledon next week. The New York Knicks accomplished comeback after comeback to win their first title in more than 50 years. And, of course, our Carolina Hurricanes fought hard to bring the Stanley Cup home to North Carolina.
While college sports are a bit quieter during the summer months, we noted a few weeks ago that Tar Heels would be remiss to overlook our standout programs headed to national tournaments, including women’s tennis, men’s lacrosse and women’s lacrosse (the last of which made it all the way to the national championship).
Now, this week, we want to celebrate our baseball team. On Monday, they competed in their final game of the College World Series, falling to Oklahoma to conclude a stellar season.
While their many wins this season were impressive, what we are most proud of is how they represent Carolina. It is clear our Tar Heel baseball players love being Tar Heels. They show respect for each other, the program and their coach, Scott Forbes, who deserves enormous credit and recognition for the leadership he has shown on and off the field.
Carolina’s basketball and football programs get a lot of money and attention. But if you want a masterclass in sportsmanship, grit and grace, we suggest you watch some post-game remarks from the Tar Heel baseball team.
After the final game, Coach Forbes told the press:
“I couldn’t be prouder of a group. I just talked to them in the locker room. We talk all the time about service, about serving one another. I don’t tell them this, but I write it down every day for myself, in Galatians 5:13: True service, serving one another through love, humbly in love and how powerful love is. This group loved each other all season. They took us on a ride that was unbelievable. We came up a little bit short. But I would take that ride again every day of the year.”
With leadership and talent like that, we know our Heels will be back for another shot at a title. As sports writer Adam Lucas wrote in his post-series summation:
“Someday they will do it. There are no guarantees and I don’t know when, but I believe that someday North Carolina will win the NCAA baseball championship.”
Finally, we also want to congratulate our Tar Heel basketball players who are headed to the NBA. Henri Veesaar will join the Atlanta Hawks and Caleb Wilson will be a Chicago Bull. Our recollection is Tar Heels have a decent track record on the Bulls’ roster.
We hope everyone is having a great summer.