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UNC coach Scott Forbes and shortstop Alex Madera after season-ending loss to Arizona. #UNC
Jun 8, 2025
UNC coach Scott Forbes and shortstop Alex Madera after season-ending loss to Arizona. #UNC
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0:02
hard to say much at all obviously. Um,
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first thing I want to do is congratulate
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uh
0:09
Arizona. Um, they played tough the whole
0:12
weekend. Obviously, we jumped on that
0:14
first game, but they have a really good
0:16
team. Uh, they're extremely well
0:19
coached.
0:22
Um, you know, they they found a way to
0:25
win that game. So, I want to
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congratulate them. I told them how hard
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it is to get out there when they get out
0:30
there to to soak it in and enjoy it.
0:32
[Music]
0:34
Um, so I have written on my game card uh
0:38
a Bible verse that I look at all the
0:40
time, so I'm going to revert to that.
0:44
I'm not a very emotional person, so I
0:46
may get a little emotional today because
0:48
that's a special team in there. Um, just
0:51
says be thankful in all circumstances,
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which can be extremely difficult to do.
0:56
Um, but that's what I'm going to hold on
1:00
to and cling
1:01
to because that's just a really special
1:04
group
1:06
um in there. And to see them hurting
1:10
obviously is the reason for the tears
1:13
and I apologize for those. But I've been
1:16
a player, been a coach a long time. Uh,
1:19
you know, sports will will rip your
1:22
heart out sometime. But what I'm most
1:24
thankful for and what our staff is most
1:26
thankful for is how our players played.
1:29
Um how they conducted themselves the
1:31
entire season. Um they have nothing at
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all to hang their heads about. Um they
1:37
represented this university. They
1:39
represented our program in an absolute
1:41
first class manner. Um, you know, our
1:45
our staff, our job as coaches was
1:48
extremely easy this season. Um, because
1:51
of the leadership we have in that locker
1:54
room, uh, and the work that the
1:57
players put in. Um, and the longer you
2:00
coach, uh, the more you should realize
2:03
is completely and only about your
2:06
players. So,
2:07
uh, you know, I'm I'm I'm I'm extremely
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heartbroken for them. Um, selfishly
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heartbroken because I don't get to put
2:16
this uniform on with them again and uh
2:19
take them to the College World Series.
2:22
But they have so much to be proud of.
2:25
Uh, they should walk out of here. Um, we
2:27
define success as a team doing the best
2:29
you can do with what you have and every
2:30
every single one of those guys has done
2:33
that. Questions. have in person.
2:36
Scott, obviously the the double play
2:38
ball in the the eighth inning turned out
2:40
to be a costly mistake. What did you see
2:43
there um in terms of why that happened
2:45
and and did you have any words for for
2:48
Van Break afterwards? Yeah, you
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know, no player I remind myself this all
2:55
the time because when you play, you
2:56
never make a mistake on purpose
2:57
obviously. Um and our middle infield has
3:00
been phenomenal. Ball just bounced up on
3:02
them. Um obviously he he tried to make
3:06
the play. Uh we just have a next play
3:08
mentality and you know the fact that we
3:10
got out of it with two mistakes and
3:13
still had a chance says a lot about our
3:14
team. Um but I just hurt for for the
3:18
player always. Uh because nobody's
3:21
perfect and man they've been so good.
3:23
But the only word of advice was just
3:25
move on.
3:27
Ryan Lynch obviously fantastic today.
3:30
Can you just speak to his growth this
3:31
season?
3:33
Yeah, I
3:34
mean he he was phenomenal. He he was the
3:38
reason we were in the position we were
3:40
in. Uh he had complete control of the
3:43
game. Um he was attacking the strike
3:45
zone. Coach Gains and him had a great
3:47
game plan. He was executing the pitches.
3:49
Coach Gains was calling. He had great
3:51
mound presence. Um and it did surprise
3:55
me honestly because he's had those big
3:56
starts and he's been so good for us the
3:58
last two times. Jaden
4:02
Did you think about going to Knap or
4:05
Darro, you know, in the eighth inning to
4:07
try and get y'all out of it? You know,
4:10
put all the chips on the table sort of
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thing. You know, Darro threw less than
4:16
nap. Um, they both were available in a
4:19
certain situation, but not in that
4:21
situation. We had to have uh late maybe
4:24
the ninth inning. You know, you have to
4:26
keep the health. Both those guys are
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going to be big leaguers.
4:30
um you know, Aiden a little less w wear
4:34
and tear. And we also know how all of
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our guys recover, so you have to take
4:37
that into account. Uh and no doubt in my
4:40
mind, it was the right move with with
4:42
Aiden. He just let one change up up, the
4:44
other change up, you know, got a swing
4:45
and miss and need a change up against
4:48
that guy. He's a heck of a hitter.
4:49
Grace, coach, can you just talk about I
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mean this season with this group of
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veterans like Alex and
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Jackson, Jake, Hunter, how's that been?
4:58
phenomenal. I
5:01
mean, you know, you hope you're
5:04
surrounded by kids that you love being
5:07
around every single day. And, you know,
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this group, I mean, there wasn't a day
5:12
that I wasn't smiling, having a blast,
5:15
and that that was because of them.
5:20
Scott, did you think about leaving Lynch
5:22
in in the eighth inning? I I know he was
5:24
getting he was his pitch count was
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getting up a little bit, but He had
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rolled the ball that that you know what
5:30
I'm saying? Like was that a was that a
5:31
hard decision for you to make? No, you
5:33
know, he was he was his velocity was
5:35
dropping pretty good. He still had sink
5:37
on the ball. Um and we knew they were
5:39
going to bunt right there. Um and that's
5:40
something that Ryan has to get much
5:42
better on. Hunter made a really good
5:43
play on the bunt or the uh swinging bunt
5:47
earlier. Um so we also know our our
5:49
pitchers who's good at hopping off the
5:51
mound, who's better at fielding their
5:52
position. Um and 100% they were going to
5:54
bunt. Walker's one of our best fielders
5:57
on PFP and bunts and uh you know the
6:01
hitter dropped down a good bunt and
6:03
Gavin makes that play in his sleep and
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unfortunately we just didn't make it.
6:06
Tommy Alex I know is fresh but just the
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journey um baseball's cruel sport but
6:13
your journey here at Carolina has been
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pretty special. Yeah. Um you know
6:17
obviously just super thankful for the
6:19
opportunity um to play here and you know
6:22
I mean that's pretty much all I can say.
6:24
is just thankful for the opportunity. I
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mean, the fans, coaching staff, players,
6:29
you know, it's just everybody in
6:30
between. I mean, just so thankful.
6:33
Um, Alex, can you talk about your kind
6:35
of immediate emotions, reactions on the
6:37
game and kind of conversations you've
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had with the team? Um, you know, haven't
6:42
had many conversations yet. Um, trying
6:45
not to honestly. Um, but you know,
6:47
obviously sad. Don't know if that's your
6:49
last game playing baseball ever. Um, you
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know, just kind of a lot of emotions.
6:56
Alex, if you can speak to it, could you
6:59
just talk about what you were seeing?
7:04
Yeah. Um, you know, I mean, it happens
7:06
the game in baseball. Um, you know, it
7:09
is what it is. Obviously, any one of
7:11
those guys wants to make the play be the
7:13
guy. Um, I had an opportunity in the
7:15
eighth inning to, you know, hit in a run
7:17
and I didn't do it either. So, you know,
7:19
obviously everybody wants to be, you
7:21
know, that guy to to do it, but you
7:23
know, things happen and so they went.
7:26
Anybody else? Adam and Rob. Rob, go if
7:31
you want to. Go ahead, Adam. uh for both
7:34
of you guys just again I know it's very
7:37
fresh but the journey as a whole for for
7:39
this team after replacing the entire
7:42
outfield from from the college series
7:44
team last year I mean you know there's
7:46
so many differences but you're right
7:47
here on the doorstep of getting back
7:49
there just I mean what can you speak to
7:51
the journey that this group has been on
7:53
just for both guys? Yeah, I mean it's
7:56
obviously every journey is different,
7:57
but it's so much fun. Um, you know, you
8:00
create a b a bond and a and a
8:02
brotherhood with with these guys and,
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you know, I go to battle with these guys
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any day of the week. Um, you know,
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obviously we came up short today, but
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you know, I don't think that shows, you
8:10
know, the work we put in all season to
8:12
get to this point. Um, you know,
8:14
obviously the goal is to get to Omaha
8:15
and win that national championship, but,
8:17
you know, we just came up a little
8:18
short.
8:19
Yeah, I would just say again,
8:20
thankfulness. Just uh it's one of our
8:23
pillars, you know, just thankful to even
8:25
be in this opportunity. Uh it sucks and
8:28
it and it hurts uh when you don't take
8:30
the next step. Uh but you want to be in
8:32
those opportunities and uh Carolina
8:34
baseball's been a lot of them, been in a
8:37
lot of them, won a lot of them. We've
8:38
lost some tough ones. Uh, but the
8:40
journey, you know, the the the joy of of
8:44
coaching to me is helping the team that
8:47
you have that year have the most success
8:50
they can possibly have because every
8:52
team is different. Um, and to see these
8:55
guys with what you said about some of
8:57
the losses,
8:58
um, start figuring out what their
9:00
identity was, uh, playing to those
9:03
strengths and being so coachable is why
9:06
they made it this far. Last one, Rod.
9:08
Scott, eighth inning aside, what were
9:10
some of the other differences you
9:12
noticed as far as throughout the game
9:13
that couldn't quite get you off? Yeah,
9:15
you know, we had some chance to add to
9:17
our lead.
9:18
Um, you know, unfortunately, a couple
9:21
double plays. Uh, and again, that's the
9:24
game of baseball. You got to capitalize
9:25
and the team that capitalizes the most
9:28
usually comes out on top. I thought both
9:30
teams were having really competitive at
9:33
bats. Um, I thought our guys were having
9:36
great at bats one after the other. Hit a
9:38
couple balls hard that didn't find find
9:40
the grass unfortunately. And sometimes
9:43
you need, you know, when you get in
9:45
those situations, you can add one more
9:47
or add two more. The more length you
9:49
get, uh, the harder it is in the other
9:52
dugout. Um, so it wasn't just the
9:55
mistakes on defense. It was it was you
9:57
win as a team and you lose as a team and
9:59
unfortunately we lost as a team. Thank
10:01
you, gentlemen. Thank you.
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