The Hynek Maneuver: How UNC’s Colin Hynek Delivered After a Lifelong Playoff Drought

WARNING: When in danger of choking, utilize the Hynek Maneuver to save a season.

Colin Hynek’s first-ever postseason home run was the biggest of the year for the North Carolina Tar Heels as they grappled with the ECU Pirates in the winner’s bracket matchup of the 2026 Chapel Hill Regional. 

“It was a big swing of the bat down there by my man from Georgia, Colin Hynek,” North Carolina head coach Scott Forbes said post-game. “It’s the first time that he’s played in the postseason.”

Hynek went to Paulding County High School in Dallas, Georgia, a town about 30 miles northwest of downtown Atlanta. Despite hitting 25 extra base hits as a senior and earning second-team all-region honors, the future Tar Heel never made the playoffs in high school. Not once.

Now, five years post-high school, the fifth-seeded national seed UNC was trailing in a home Regional to their in-state rival, 3-0 in the fourth inning. The offense had been stifled by Pirates pitcher Luke Payne for three innings, only mustering two hits to that point while striking out five times.

After teammates Erik Paulsen and Tyler Howe reached with base hits, graduate transfer Hynek stepped to the plate, just hoping to get his Tar Heels back into the game. Despite it being his first true playoff experience, there were no nerves.

Prior to this season at North Carolina, Hynek stayed close to home and attended Georgia State, where he played 133 games over three seasons for the Panthers in Atlanta. Despite the Sun Belt Conference being a multi-bid league, Georgia State never got close to a Regional during Hynek’s tenure.

“The furthest we ever got was in 2023 when we won the Sun Belt play-in game,” Hynek said. “Every other year, we either lost the play-in game or we didn’t even make the conference tournament. So this is my first time in the postseason.”

No high school playoffs, no college playoffs. The closest that Colin Hynek has gotten to experiencing the joys of the postseason is either conference tournaments or bracket play during travel ball as a youngster.

“And Coach [Bryant] Gaines told me that conference tournaments don’t count,” Hynek added.

Going through middle school, high school, and most of college without tasting the playoffs is like reaching adulthood without experiencing the dazzling delight of an ice cream sundae. On Saturday, it was Hynek providing the cherry on top in a big moment.

In his critical at-bat against ECU on Saturday, Hynek swung and missed on a first-pitch change-up from Payne. The opposing hurler had wrought havoc with his change-up through three innings, so Coach Forbes called for a timeout to talk with his veteran slugger.

For four years at Georgia State, Hynek played in what he described as a “bus lot” in DeKalb County – 12 miles from campus. With a capacity of just 500, it’s safe to say that the atmosphere was quite different from Boshamer Stadium.

“It’s easier to play in front of more fans than fewer fans,” Hynek said, chuckling. “Because when you strike out in front of fewer fans, you can definitely hear someone’s parents, moaning and groaning.”

Hynek recalled midweek games played in front of fewer than a dozen people. North Carolina’s game against East Carolina on Saturday drew 4,200 people, most of whom were clad in light blue.

As Hynek focused on his head coach during that offensive timeout, he felt the nervous energy emanating from the stands all around him. Due to his veteran experience, he didn’t feel nervous or afraid; instead, he used the energy to motivate himself to come through for his team.

“Knowing you have that many people behind you pulling for you, that have your back, is amazing,” said the Georgia native. “It’s an amazing feeling that gets the juices going for you– even more so in the postseason.”

The portal had been open nearly a week in June 2025 when Hynek opted to enter his name with one year of eligibility remaining. One of his closest friends and fellow Georgia State captain, Michael Maginnis, had already entered the portal and taken an official visit to Chapel Hill.

Hynek, who would later serve as a groomsman at Maginnis’s wedding in December, understood that he may only have one year remaining in his baseball life. As Maginnis raved about his recruiting experience at UNC during the 2025 Regionals, Hynek decided to explore opportunities outside Georgia State.

A number of schools pursued Hynek, but his heart seemed set on North Carolina. A missed email from Carolina hitting coach Jesse Wierzbicki wasn’t discovered until September, but luckily, the Heels’ coaching staff was able to get him on the phone.

The Tar Heels were preparing for a Super Regional against Arizona while Hynek was working an internship at East Cobb. Other schools that wanted him were pressuring him to decide, but he was holding out for UNC.

When he explained the timeline pressure to the Carolina coaching staff, they offered him a position over the phone, despite his plan to visit in the near future. He committed on the spot before the visit, however, trusting his instincts and what his best friend Maginnis had told him of the coaching staff and what they were about.

“It was a no-brainer,” Hynek said. “Just the tradition that is here. We win here, and I was okay even if I was taking a lesser role in order to be a part of something bigger.”

Hynek is now certainly part of a big postseason moment, as he and Forbes enjoyed a brief conversation before he stepped back into the box against ECU to face his destiny.

ECU pitcher Luke Payne had been impressive through the first third of the ballgame, working his plus change-up to the bottom of the zone and mixing his fastball towards the top. Despite it being just the fourth inning, the moment was a pivotal one for UNC as they trailed 3-0.

Forbes calling timeouts to talk to his hitters isn’t unusual– a memorable one earlier this season comes to mind when a visit with freshman Tyler Howe resulted in a game-tying home run against Virginia in the 9th inning.

Normally, it’s as simple as an approach reminder or hitting advice. Against Pitt, Forbes told Hynek that he was lunging and to have the confidence he had when he was slugging home runs at Georgia State. In that game, Hynek delivered with a first-pitch single following that visit to drive in two runs.

On this occasion, Forbes kept his hitting advice short, but provided an extra boost afterward.

“I just reminded him to stay short to whatever was coming and not let himself get long,” Forbes said in the post-game presser. “He fights that sometimes.”

According to Hynek, the Carolina head coach then told him something that will be etched long in the annals of North Carolina baseball lore. 

“I believe in you, and if I could bet, I would bet on you getting this done right now.” 

Forbes then patted Hynek, and the fifth-year stepped back into the right-handed batter’s box to face Payne.

Despite his willingness, the power-hitting right-hander didn’t end up with a lesser role at UNC, but instead played in every game this season, enjoying a career year for the Tar Heels, slashing .271/.360/.486 with 16 doubles, three triples, and eight home runs.

The biggest adjustment Hynek has made in his development has been his ability to handle fastballs that carry. He’s always been able to light up sinkers, but carrying heaters at the top of the zone was his weakness.

At Georgia State, the backstop typically sold out for power and also benefited from lighter pitching depth in the Sun Belt, particularly on Sundays when the best arms had already been used.

Against better pitching, Hynek has handled the jump in competition thanks to the coaching staff, his own work ethic, and even because he’s facing more talented arms.

“There’s an aspect that forces you to be more locked in at the plate,” Hynek said. “We always feel like we’re not scared. We’re not scared of an arm.  We will admit that it’s a good arm, but we just know we’ve got to raise our focus level even more.”

Other adjustments he’s made at the plate include crouching less in his stance and learning when to hit and when to slug. His development has allowed him to anchor the bottom of the Tar Heel order and lengthen a dangerous lineup.

Hynek’s dedication to covering the top of the zone, particularly with carrying fastballs, paid off against ECU. On the first pitch following Forbes’ encouraging words, Hynek slammed a high fastball to the deepest part of Boshamer Stadium.

Normally, Hynek would’ve known when a pitch he hit was gone, but as the ball rose high in the air towards dead center field, he wasn’t sure it would get out. After all, just two players that he could remember had hit one to that spot all season: fellow UNC catcher Macon Winslow and Georgia Tech first baseman Kent Schmidt.

“I thought, ‘Damn, this is going to the wrong part of the field,’” Hynek was telling himself as he ran to first base. “But then I could see [the center fielder] kept going back, and then I heard Coach [Scott] Jackson yelling ‘YEAH!’ That was really cool, and just hearing the crowd pop off behind you is special.”

The ball ended up traveling 415 feet after coming off the bat at 104 mph. And just like that, the game was tied. Hynek had restored the air in North Carolina’s sails.

“The players are the ones that make the coaches look good,” Forbes said post-game of his timeout and Hynek’s home run. “I got lucky because he took a great swing. I wasn’t sure if it was going to get out. I think he thought it was out of here.”

While Forbes eschewed credit for Hynek’s heroics, the first-year Carolina player praised both Forbes and the UNC coaching staff. Most college baseball players, and especially successful ones at North Carolina, have no shortage of confidence, but there are many instances where they aren’t sure a head coach has their back or believes in them.  

Forbes meets with his team nearly every day and frequently affirms his love and belief in them. He often sends emails and texts, sharing inspirational videos and quotes with the entire roster and staff. It’s a critical part of a culture that has seen Carolina remain in the top echelon of baseball programs.

The ball Hynek hit landed over the center field fence, tying the game at 3-3. The Tar Heels would add another run in the 5th inning to take the lead, then tack on three more as insurance in the 6th. From there, the patented Carolina Arm Barn closed out the game and the 7-5 win.

For Hynek, it was a dream moment for his first playoff experience. While he celebrated in the dugout with his overjoyed teammates, a young boy went and retrieved the ball. After the game, the kid waited at the players’ gate to make sure Hynek received the baseball.

Half the Carolina roster ended up signing a different ball as a thank you, and now Hynek has a memento to commemorate his first-ever clutch postseason moment. It appears that a lifelong personal playoff drought was worth the wait.

The three-run blast for North Carolina in that game against ECU was the pivotal at-bat that launched the Tar Heels towards a Super Regional berth.

After winning that game, UNC rode their offense and freshman southpaw Jackson Rose to a 9-3 rematch win over the Pirates on Sunday. That victory clinched their third straight Regional victory. 

Another home Super Regional awaits, this time against the USC Trojans and their elite pitching staff. The postseason continues, and more opportunities for memorable playoff stories await.

The Tar Heels are just two wins from Omaha, and while the stress may get higher and the at-bats may get bigger, Colin Hynek will never forget his first playoff moment.

“It was such a cool moment,” Hynek said. “It’s one that I’ll never forget as long as I live. And just knowing that Coach Forbes believed in me meant everything.”