OMAHA, Neb. — The Men’s College World Series has always relished its role as one of Earth’s greatest Father’s Day celebrations. This time around it felt a bit greater than usual. Because this time it was the day and game that set the stage for a Monday night winner-take-all national title matchup (7 p.m. ET on ESPN). The college baseball, ahem, Daddy of Them All.
“This is what you play for and work so hard for, to be in this game today and the game tomorrow night,” UNC head coach Scott Forbes said. “If you’re doing things right, over the course of a season you feel like a family. I see them as sons. I hope they feel that. Now we get to experience a championship game together.”
As North Carolina rebounded from a Saturday loss and beat Oklahoma 6-2 to even the best-of-three finals and force a decisive third game, the fathers of that UNC roster were using twice as much energy in the first-base concourse of Charles Schwab Field as their sons were in the dugout and field below. Down the third-base side, their Oklahoma counterparts did the same…