Scott Forbes praises Ryan Lynch for gutsy performance in Game 3 start vs. Arizona

North Carolina opened the Chapel Hill Super Regional with a dominant 18-2 victory over Arizona last Friday, but fell in the next two games in what was a heartbreaking turn of events for Tar Heel fans.

They dropped the second game of the Super 10-8, but led 3-1 heading into the eighth inning of the Super Regional Final on Sunday. However, disaster struck for the Heels when Arizona plated two unearned runs in the top of the eighth to take the deciding 4-3 lead.

North Carolina freshman right-handed pitcher Ryan Lynch however turned in a stellar performance, as he allowed just three hits and two earned runs with five strikeouts in seven innings of work. Tar Heel head coach Scott Forbes was full of praise for his freshman arm postgame.

“He was phenomenal,” Forbes said. “Ryan was the reason we were in the position we were in. He had complete control of the game and he was attacking the strike zone. Coach [Bryant] Gaines and him had a great gameplan. He was really executing the pitches. Coach Gaines was calling and [Forbes] had great mound presence. It didn’t surprise me honestly because he’s had big starts and he’s been good for us the last two times.”

Lynch made three appearances in NCAA Tournament

The freshman started three games for North Carolina this season (27 appearances), where he pitched to a 2.93 ERA with 73 strikeouts in 61 1/3 innings. Over the duration of the Chapel Hill Regional and Super Regional, Lynch made three appearances against Oklahoma (x2) and Arizona. In 14 combined innings, Lynch allowed just nine hits and four earned runs with 13 strikeouts.

Even in a loss, the future remains extremely bright for the Moorestown, NJ native. He will be a major part in next season’s returning core, consisting of himself, junior third baseman Gavin Gallaher, senior center fielder Kane Kepley and junior right-handed pitcher Jason DeCaro. DeCaro was another extremely impressive young arm on the Tar Heel staff this season, as he pitched to a 3.78 ERA with 70 strikeouts in 83 1/3 innings.

North Carolina was the second highest remaining national seed in the tournament at the time of its elimination, just behind Arkansas. The Tar Heels finish the 2025 season as ACC Tournament champions and Chapel Hill Regional champions. Arizona now heads to the Men’s College World Series, where it will open play against Coastal Carolina on June 13 at 2:00 pm EST.