Scott Forbes is an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
coach and former player, who is the current head baseball coach of the
North Carolina Tar Heels
The North Carolina Tar Heels are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The name Tar Heel is a nickname used to refer to individuals from the state of North Carolina, the ''Tar Heel ...
. He played
college baseball
College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...
at
Middle Georgia College
Middle Georgia College (MGC) was a four-year state college unit of the University System of Georgia. On January 8, 2013, it was consolidated with Macon State College into a new institution, which is now known as Middle Georgia State University.
T ...
transferring in 1994 to
North Carolina Wesleyan College
North Carolina Wesleyan University (NCWU) is a private Methodist university in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. It was founded in 1956. North Carolina Wesleyan also offers evening courses at its main Rocky Mount campus, as well as satellite locations ...
where he played for head coach
Mike Fox from 1995–1997.
Coaching career
In 1999, Forbes followed his head coach at
NC Wesleyan,
Mike Fox, to Fox's alma mater, North Carolina, to become an assistant coach. Forbes then became an assistant coach for the
Winthrop Eagles
The Winthrop Eagles are the intercollegiate athletics teams that represent Winthrop University, located in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Winthrop's 17 men's and women's teams compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I ...
on August 27, 2002. He returned to Chapel Hill in 2006, and remained an assistant under Fox for the next 14 years.
On August 7, 2020, Fox retired as the head baseball coach of the Tar Heels, and Forbes was named his successor. Forbes' tenure as the Tar Heel head coach got off to a hot start, going 6–0 before suffering their first loss to the Virginia Cavaliers on February 28, 2021. On April 12th, against rival Duke, Forbes' Tar Heels routed the Blue Devils by scoring 21 runs, the most in a game since a win against Virginia Tech in 2013. The Tar Heels ended the season 28–27, finishing tied for third in the ACC Coastal Division. The team made it to the Lubbock Regional of the NCAA Tournament (hosted by Texas Tech University) where they upset UCLA before ultimately being eliminated in the double-elimination bracket.
In his second season, Forbes' Tar Heels got off to another scorching start, compiling a record of 16–2 in the non-conference portion of the schedule. Te Tar Heels soared as high as No. 6 nationally in some polls thanks to their hot hitting and strong pitching to start the year. Centerfielder
Vance Honeycutt, the Tar Heels' freshman phenom, excelled early, hitting two home runs in his collegiate debut. However, the Tar Heels began to falter once ACC conference play began in the middle stretch of the season. Despite sweeping
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
and winning the next series against rivals
Duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...
, the Tar Heels would lose their next five conference series, culminating in a sweep by then 11th ranked
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
. The month of May saw a dramatic upswing in the Tar Heels' fortunes, and put Forbes' team back in the hunt for a potential NCAA tournament bid. After the Virginia sweep, the Tar Heels won 15 out of their next 17 games, including four straight wins in Charlotte in the
ACC Tournament, leaving the Queen City with the ACC Championship and a legitimate chance to host an NCAA Tournament Regional. The Tar Heels beat rivals
NC State
North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The university ...
9–5 in the championship game to win the crown. The Tar Heels did earn a regional hosting bid, being selected as the No. 10 national seed. The Chapel Hill regional was paired up with the Stillwater Regional and No. 7 national seed
Oklahoma State
Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...
. In the winners' bracket game against
VCU, Forbes was ejected and subsequently suspended for two games for arguing a controversial infield fly rule call. While the Heels lost the game, they won three straight games including back-to-back games against VCU. They faced Arkansas in the Chapel Hill super regional.
Head coaching record
Personal life
Forbes is married to the former Mandy Passwaters. They have two daughters. Forbes is a
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
.
See also
*
List of current NCAA Division I baseball coaches
The following is a list of current NCAA Division I baseball coaches. Currently, 297 programs compete at the Division I level in NCAA college baseball. Each program employs a head coach. The longest-tenured head coach is Tony Rossi, who has been ...
References
External links
North Carolina Tar Heels bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Forbes, Scott
Living people
Middle Georgia Warriors baseball players
North Carolina Wesleyan Battling Bishops baseball players
North Carolina Tar Heels baseball coaches
Winthrop Eagles baseball coaches
Year of birth missing (living people)