Ryan Lynch: North Carolina’s Unsung Hero in CWS Win Over West Virginia

OMAHA, NE — Omaha is a place where legends are made. It’s also the land of unsung heroes like North Carolina starter Ryan Lynch, who grinded through the first 4.2 innings of the Tar Heels’ 5-2 win over West Virginia on Sunday night.

Lynch made his name as a big-game pitcher as a freshman last year, when he made his first career start against Clemson in the ACC Championship game. After Wednesday, the sophomore fireballer boasts a career 2.97 ERA in over 30 NCAA Tournament innings.

While fellow arms Walker McDuffie and Caden Glauber stole the headlines with scoreless outings, Lynch willed his way through nearly five innings without his best stuff. His gutsy start was overshadowed, but cannot be ignored.

“His slider wasn’t as on as it was the last two outings, but he still battled,” said head coach Scott Forbes. “It was just a gritty performance. His stuff is so nasty, and it plays up.”

Lynch relies on a mid-to-high 90s mph fastball and a wipeout slider to carve through lineups. The slider wasn’t on, as he generated just 6.9% whiff rates on the evening, and he was unable to get the Mountaineers to chase his fastball even once.

“I didn’t feel as good as I wanted to,” Lynch told me post-game. “I didn’t quite put my team in the best spot, but I was grateful to be able to be out there and do what I can. I’ll be better next time.”

Lynch was on the starter last season against Arizona in the Chapel Hill Regional, where he gave up just two earned runs over seven innings of work. North Carolina lost that game.

The New Jersey native walked Armani Guzman to start the game, then cruised through six straight outs, earning one of his two strikeouts against WVU centerfielder Paul Schoenfield. Despite not having his best stuff, Lynch attacked the zone as best he could. 

“They located pitches where they needed to,” Guzman said after notching two hits off Lynch in the third and fifth innings. “I happened to hit the ball where they weren’t. For me personally, I just got lucky today.” 

The third and fourth innings showed not just Lynch’s fortitude, but the shining strength of this Carolina squad – their defense and specifically their ability to turn two and stifle surging momentum.

The Mountaineers lasered three base hits with exit velocities well over 100 mph in the third off Lynch, but none of them went for extra bases. Guzman nearly took off Lynch’s foot with an RBI single up the middle that left the bat at 103 mph.  

The underrated Colin Hynek was then tested against elite basestealer Guzman when WVU attempted a double steal, throwing the speedy first baseman out thanks to some help from third baseman Cooper Nicholson. Lynch then earned his second and last strikeout by catching Schoenfield looking.

Sean Smith walked to lead off the fourth inning, then advanced to third on a Matthew Graveline single. Momentum had shifted in West Virginia’s favor, and Carolina was on the ropes despite a 2-1 lead.

“Clutch pitchers make clutch pitches in big situations,” said Forbes.

Matthew Ineich then grounded the ball to second, where one of the nation’s best defenders – Gavin Gallaher – fielded the ball cleanly and flipped it to Jake Schaffner at shortstop. The Wisconsin wizard tagged second and threw a dart to first to complete the double play.

“I told him that I thought that was the biggest pitch of the game,” added the Carolina head coach. “The momentum had shifted a little bit. And they had first and third with no outs. And then, boom, just like that, they only get one run. It’s 2-2. And we get back in the dugout.” 

Lynch threw just 72 pitches against the Mountaineers, but he did his job on a night that could’ve easily gone the other way. West Virginia had won six games in a row and was among the hottest teams in the field. For Lynch to hold them to just two runs was massive.

Fellow sophomore Walker McDuffie relieved Lynch with two outs in the fifth after Guzman’s second hit up the middle, and he tossed 3.2 innings of shutout baseball. ACC Freshman of the Year Caden Glauber finished the job and the game by striking out back-to-back Mountaineers.

“We have the best bullpen in the country, without a doubt,” said Lynch. “It’s so easy pitching with these great catchers and the great defense behind us, let alone this bullpen. You know that no matter what happens in the game, the best bullpen in the country is going to pick you up every time.”  

With his slider not as effective as he hoped, Lynch relied mostly on his fastball, throwing 53 heaters for 64% strikes. He mixed in 19 sliders, but chase, whiff, and strike rates were all lower than average. WVU had five balls hit over 100 mph off Lynch, yet he persevered.  

After North Carolina won, ‘Country Roads’ was left unsung by the Mountaineer faithful. Captain Carolina, Gavin Gallaher, came through with another winning hit while McDuffie and Glauber were showered with superlatives. 

“Your starter, anytime, the more length they give you, the better the chances, especially when you really like your bullpen, as we do,” said Forbes. “And that’s what you have to have to win championships.”

North Carolina is one win from playing for a National Championship. They play either Troy or West Virginia on Wednesday afternoon.