OMAHA, Neb. − Tennessee baseball is off a good start in the College World Series.

The Vols (56-12) face North Carolina (48-14) on Sunday (7 p.m. ET, ESPN2) in their second CWS game after winning 12-11 against Florida State on Friday. UT walked off the Seminoles on a ninth-inning single from Dylan Dreiling to cap a four-run inning that erased a three-run deficit.

UNC also walked off its first game on a single from Vance Honeycutt in the ninth inning against Virginia in the opening game Friday.

UT and UNC have not played since the 2019 Chapel Hill Regional. The Vols lost 5-2 in the regional final in the first postseason appearance under coach Tony Vitello.

Tennessee baseball live score updates vs North Carolina in College World Series

Parks Harber singles for the first UNC hit, but Drew Beam pitches around the runner for another scoreless inning. He’s now up to 34 pitches through four innings.

The Vols go down 1-2-3 in the third inning, including a Christian Moore flyout to center.

Drew Beam is through third inning with just 21 pitches after a clean run through the Tar Heels lineup.

Dylan Dreiling leads off the inning with a walk but the Vols don’t do anything with it.

Hunter Ensley robs Anthony Donofrio of extra bases with a catch as he crashes into the centerfield wall. What a catch.

Otherwise, a clean first two innings by Drew Beam

The Vols go down 1-2-3 against Shea Sprague, including a 115 mph groundout by Christian Moore to open the inning.

Drew Beam deals a 1-2-3 first inning against the UNC top of the lineup. Better start for the Vols, including a nice stretch by Blake Burke at first base to secure a 4-3 groundout.

What channel is Tennessee baseball vs. North Carolina on today?

TV: ESPN2 (Watch on Fubo)

MORE: Watch Tennessee baseball live vs North Carolina with Fubo (free trial)

Tennessee baseball vs. North Carolina start time

Tennessee baseball vs. North Carolina location

• Omaha, Nebraska
• Charles Schwab Field

LIGHT: Meet Carlee Beam, the brightest light at Tennessee baseball’s Lindsey Nelson Stadium

Tennessee baseball schedule

See the Tennessee baseball schedule here

North Carolina baseball schedule

See the North Carolina baseball schedule

Tennessee baseball roster

See the Tennessee baseball roster here

North Carolina baseball roster

See the North Carolina baseball roster

College World Series schedule

Below is the full 2024 schedule for the 2024 College World Series:

All times Eastern

Friday, June 14

• Game 1: North Carolina 3, Virginia 2
• Game 2: Tennessee 12, Florida State 11

Saturday, June 15

• Game 3: Kentucky 5, NC State 4 (10 inn.)
• Game 4: Texas A&M 3, Florida 2

Sunday, June 16

• Game 5: Virginia vs. Florida State | 2 p.m. | ESPN (Fubo)
• Game 6: North Carolina vs. Tennessee | 7 p.m. | ESPN (Fubo)

Monday, June 17

• Game 7: NC State vs. Florida | 2 p.m. | ESPN (Fubo)
• Game 8: Kentucky vs. Texas A&M | 7 p.m. | ESPN (Fubo)

Tuesday, June 18

• Game 9: Winner of Game 5 vs. loser of Game 6 | 2 p.m. | ESPN (Fubo)
• Game 10: Winner of Game 7 vs. loser of Game 8 | 7 p.m. | ESPN (Fubo)

Wednesday, June 19

• Game 11: Winner of Game 6 vs. winner of Game 9 | 2 p.m. | ESPN (Fubo)
• Game 12: Winner of Game 8 vs. winner of Game 10 | 7 p.m. | ESPN (Fubo)

Thursday, June 20

• Game 13 (if necessary): TBD vs. TBD, 2 p.m. | TBD
• Game 14 (if necessary): TBD vs. TBD, 7 p.m. | TBD

College World Series championship finals schedule 2024

Saturday, June 22

• Game 1: TBD vs. TBD | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN (Fubo)

Sunday, June 23

• Game 2: TBD vs. TBD | 2 p.m. | ABC (Fubo)

Monday, June 24

• Game 3 (if necessary): TBD vs. TBD | 7 p.m. | ESPN (Fubo)

College World Series odds

According to BetMGM

2024 College World Series bracket

See the bracket here.

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.

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Tennessee and North Carolina clash in the winner’s bracket of the men’s College World Series on Sunday evening after their respective opening-round wins.

The Volunteers are vying to become the first No. 1 overall seed to win the CWS since Miami accomplished the feat 25 years ago. And their high-powered offense showcased its mettle in a zany, 12-11 victory over No. 8 Florida State on Friday night.

Staring down an 11-7 eighth-inning deficit, Tennessee mounted a furious comeback to push the Seminoles to the brink. Overall, the Volunteers recorded 18 hits, with star second baseman Christian Moore hitting for the cycle.

North Carolina also picked up a walk-off victory Friday, edging Virginia, 3-2. Prized outfielder Vance Honeycutt secured the game-winning hit on a ninth-inning single, setting up the Tar Heels for a date with SEC foe Tennessee.

Here is everything you need to know about Tennessee vs. North Carolina, including TV and live stream information.

North Carolina vs. Tennessee schedule

North Carolina and Tennessee are set to meet in the College World Series’ winner’s bracket. The details of their matchup are outlined below. 

What channel is North Carolina vs. Tennessee on?

• TV channel: ESPN
• Live stream: Fubo

North Carolina vs. Tennessee will air live on ESPN, with Mike Monaco (play-by-play), Kyle Peterson (color analyst), Chris Burke (color analyst) and Kris Budden (sideline reporter) on the call.

Fans can also stream the game on Fubo, which offers a free trial, so you can try before you buy.

North Carolina vs. Tennessee start time

• Date: Sunday, June 16
• Time: 7 p.m. ET

First pitch between North Carolina and Tennessee is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 16. The game will be played at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska.

Tennessee vs. North Carolina radio station

Listen to Tennessee vs. North Carolina, and every game of the 2024 men’s College World Series, live on SiriusXM channel 84.

Get 3 months of SiriusXM for just $1. Listen to live NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL games, plus NASCAR, college sports and more. Stay updated with all the news and get all the analysis on multiple sport-specific channels.

Tennessee vs. North Carolina tickets

Tickets for games during the College World Series, including Tennessee vs. North Carolina, are available on StubHub. Use the link below to explore prices and seats for individual games.

Robeson and Scotland counties grew between 2020 and 2023, mirroring population increases across much of rural North Carolina during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Robeson County grew by 0.91% during the three-year span, accounting for an increase of 1,056 people, according to a new report from the North Carolina Rural Center. Neighboring Scotland County grew by 0.25%, an increase of 86 people.

While any growth is welcome news in the economically distressed counties in southeastern North Carolina, population increases lagged behind the average for the state’s 78 rural counties. From 2020 to 2023, rural North Carolina grew 2.7%, adding almost as many people in three years as in the previous decade.

In Robeson County, which lost more residents than any other in the state between 2010 and 2020, County Commissioner John Cummings attributed the growth to “overflow from Fort Liberty.”

“We’re at the crossroads of the state,” he said, “and it’s ideal for industrial growth.”

The population in rural America dropped slightly between 2010 and 2020, the first decline in 50 years, according to the report. But rural North Carolina grew by 2.9%, adding more than 106,600 people.

The report attributes much of the rural growth to increased net migration that began in the late 2010s and increased during the pandemic, when schools switched to remote learning and many companies allowed employees to work from home.

“COVID-19 had some undeniable effects on population change,” the report said. “North Carolina appeared to already be on a path of rural growth, COVID-19 just pushed it along at a faster rate.”

Urban and suburban counties have seen the most growth, however, growing by about 4% from 2020 to 2023. And it’s important to note that rural growth has not been spread evenly across the state.

Much of southeastern North Carolina saw population losses during the last decade, including Robeson, Scotland, Columbus and Bladen counties. (Bladen saw a 16% drop during the decade, the biggest among the four Border Belt counties.)

Uneven growth continued over the past few years. “While growth was expansive, the counties with the largest population increases appear to be those rural and suburban counties around major urban centers,” the report says.

Brunswick County, which neighbors Wilmington, saw the largest growth in the state between 2020 and 2023, growing by 18%.

But nearby Bladen and Columbus counties saw population decreases of 0.5% and 0.74%, respectively. They were among 18 counties, all rural, that lost population during that time. Most of the other counties were in the northeastern region of the state.

Columbus County is on the cusp of growth, though. More than 10,000 homes are slated to be built in the southern part of the county in the coming years.

Bill Holmes, communications director for the N.C. Rural Center, said rural growth is a balancing act. Some rural residents are resistant to change and don’t want their communities to grow dramatically. But they also want to ensure there are enough people and local amenities to keep their communities vibrant.

“You’re either growing or you’re dying,” Holmes said. “So it’s great to see so many of these communities growing after a long period where they were losing population.”

Mark Ward, economic development director for Scotland County, said the loss of factories over the decades has hurt the area.

“We saw two manufacturing facilities close and the people left in droves,” Ward said. “So even that slow trickle in is something we welcome.”

Ward said Scotland County is well positioned to slowly grow because neighboring Hoke and Moore counties have water issues that could stagnate growth. Meanwhile, Scotland has expanded its water system, receiving nearly $30 million in this year’s state budget for upgrades.

Scotland County Manager April Snead said the focus has always been on ensuring enough resources for everyone, regardless of population size.

“With population growth comes families, schools, entertainment and health care needs,” she said. “It’s a range of needs for people to be healthy and enjoy their quality of life.”

Ward said the key is to attract industries while “making sure we don’t lose that rural charm.”

“This growth, however small, didn’t happen overnight,” he said. “It may be one percent growth this year, but in six or seven years we might see five or six percent. We know this is a marathon and we are going to do what we can to make small steps yield better results in the years to come.”

Campbell Soup Company recently announced it would invest $150 million at its Robeson County facility, creating about 100 jobs in Maxton. Cummings said he hopes the jobs will attract young families.

“I would prefer my daughters to be living here than anywhere else,” Cummings said. “But the only way to do that is if Robeson County continues to grow.”

While population growth is a good sign for rural North Carolina, the report cautioned that the trends might not last. Data suggests that national population shifts are returning to pre-pandemic realities.

“We don’t know if this is short-term growth,” Holmes said, “or if this is going to kick off a long-term trend.”