USC baseball walked off 4-3 to UNC to end breakout season

USC baseball had its heart ripped out Sunday in a dramatic 4-3 walk-off loss to No. 5 seed UNC, ending a memorable season in the Super Regionals.

Left it all out there ✌️#FightOn x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/ZmOFcyxZXm

— USC Baseball (@USC_Baseball) June 7, 2026

The Trojans sat three outs from their first College World Series in 2025 years, but allowed two runs, the winning score coming off a two-out double from star Owen Hull. Hull finished the game 4-for-5 with four doubles, two RBI and a run.

USC sophomore pitcher Andrew Johnson put forth another incredible performance in another elimination game with 7.2 innings, seven hits allowed and two runs. He struck out four.

USC baseball finishes the year at 48-18, the program’s first season 40-win season since 2005. The Trojans won their first regional title and returned to the Supers for the first time in 21 years as well.

Turning Point

UNC refused to go down after trailing by two runs for most of the day, making its move in eighth. The Tar Heels ripped back-to-back two-out doubles off Johnson to make it a 3-2 game with runners in scoring position. The Trojans turned to closer Adam Troy, who recorded a strikeout to get out of the jam.

USC did enough early to unflappable UNC freshman Caden Glauber, making his third start of the season. The Big Ten Freshman of the Year entered the game 10-0 on the season with a 2.06 ERA, sixth in the nation, as an elite reliever. UNC moved to 25-0 when Glauber makes an appearance.

But the Trojans came out firing with a one-out single from Adrian Lopez and double from Augie Lopez in the first, matching USC’s total hit output from Saturday. Glauber committed a balk on a stumble after the second single, scoring Adrian Lopez for a 1-0 Trojan lead. He quickly fired back with two strikeouts.

Overall, Glauber gave 7.1 innings with six hits, three runs allowed and 11 strikeouts on the day.

The Tar Heels struck back to tie the game in the bottom of the third thanks to an RBI double from Hull. But the Trojans met the challenge, launching solo home runs from junior Kevin Takeuchi in the fourth to retake the lead and junior Andrew Lamb in the fifth for a 3-1 advantage.

USC baseball was in control for most of the game after taking the 3-1, but failed to close out with the bullpen of Troy (0.2 IP, hit, walk, ER), Sax Matson (0.0, HBP) and Chase Herrell (0.1, hit, run).