North Carolina has named freshman left-hander Jackson Rose as its starter for Monday night's winner-take-all College World Series Finals Game 3. The red-hot freshman has not allowed a run during the NCAA Tournament and will face Oklahoma freshman Nick Wesloski.
North Carolina has its answer for the biggest pitching decision of the season.
UNC announced Monday that freshman left-hander Jackson Rose will start Game 3 of the College World Series Finals against Oklahoma, placing the season—and perhaps the most important game in program history—in the hands of one of the Tar Heels' youngest players.
Rose has earned that trust throughout an impressive freshman campaign. Entering Monday night's national championship showdown, the southpaw is 5-0 with a 2.15 ERA and 1.05 WHIP across 50 1/3 innings pitched. This will be his seventh start and 23rd appearance of the season. In those outings, Rose has allowed just 29 hits and 12 earned runs while striking out 46 batters and walking 24. Opponents have managed only nine doubles and two home runs against him all year.
More importantly, Rose has been at his best when the lights have been brightest.
During the NCAA Tournament, the freshman has been nearly untouchable. Across four appearances spanning 12 innings, Rose has retired 35 of the 43 batters he has faced. He has surrendered only three hits and has yet to allow a run in the Tournament.
That recent success played a major role in Forbes' decision, especially after Sunday's 6-2 victory over Oklahoma forced a winner-take-all Game 3. With Caden Glauber throwing 65 pitches in Game 2, Carolina's ideal script likely involves Rose carrying the load through five or six innings before turning the game over to Walker McDuffie and, potentially, Glauber if his arm is ready to answer the call one final time.
Of course, with a national championship on the line and no tomorrow awaiting either team, expect every available Tar Heel arm to be active in the bullpen. Pitch counts, roles, and season-long usage patterns tend to disappear when a program is 27 outs away from a title (or elimination).
The matchup will feature an all-freshman starting pitching duel. Oklahoma will counter with freshman right-hander Nick Wesloski, who threw 90 pitches last Wednesday while helping close out Georgia. Rose also last pitched on Wednesday, tossing 58 pitches in North Carolina's victory over West Virginia. Both freshmen enter Monday on standard four-day, MLB-style rest.
Now, the stage is set.
One game. One championship. One opportunity for North Carolina to finally capture the first baseball national title in program history on its 13th trip to Omaha. Standing in the way is an Oklahoma program seeking its third national championship and an SEC conference chasing a seventh consecutive College World Series crown.
First pitch of the final game of the 2026 college baseball season is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET Monday night from Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska, with ESPN carrying the national broadcast.
The Tar Heels have waited decades for this moment. On Monday night, Jackson Rose gets the ball and the chance to help deliver history.
