Carter French Reflects on UNC's Victory and CWS Semifinal Berth

North Carolina outfielder Carter French addressed the media following his team's 5-2 triumph over West Virginia at Charles Schwab Field, which secured the Tar Heels a spot in the College World Series semifinals in Omaha. French, batting ninth in the lineup, delivered a strong performance, recording two hits in three at-bats against Mountaineers pitcher Maxx Yehl, who kept the Tar Heels' offense at bay for the initial six innings.

Discussing the atmosphere of the game, French said, “It’s unreal. I mean, their crowd was really loud, and it honestly made the game a lot more exciting, got me pumped up, got me in the game. I was telling some other guys in the first game, the first few innings, it felt like we were in a dream, like it didn’t feel real. And then once you get in the game, you kind of lose all that and just get lost in the game, and that’s how it felt the whole day today.”

He also highlighted the impact of teammate Gavin Gallaher’s pivotal two-run triple, stating, “Oh, everyone got so rowdy (after Gallaher’s triple), it was awesome. I mean, we were locked in all game, but that really kind of just broke it open and loosened everyone up a little bit, and then we went from there. We’re rolling.”

French expressed confidence in his pitching teammates, praising Walker McDuffie and Caden Glauber, saying, “Both those guys are nails. Every time, we have full trust in them, we know that they’re going to go out there and pitch their butts off. So they did all we can ask for.”