OMAHA, Neb. - The pain was on his face, and it was clearly in his voice.

North Carolina coach Mike Fox couldn't bear to watch Oregon State celebrate a College World Series victory over the Tar Heels for second straight year. After all, he had just seen his team drop its fourth in a row to the Beavers - the Tar Heels went 8-1 against all other comers in the College World Series the past two seasons.

"What an unbelievable accomplishment, that is, to win back-to-back national championships," Fox credited Oregon State.

An unbelievable accomplishment to finish second back-to-back, too.

The Tar Heels never got untracked in the College World Series championship series. The comebacks that fueled their run to Omaha were nowhere to be found, as hard-hit balls found gloves and scoring opportunities went by the wayside.

"We’re obviously disappointed, but that disappointment quickly turns to our season and how proud I am of our players," Fox said. "You just get a flow of emotions. The last game of the season is always the hardest."

He later added, "This is a special place. I wouldn’t want to end our season anywhere else, honestly."

Thus, the pain, as the Tar Heels became the first team since Stanford in 2000-01 to lose back-to-back titles.

Most of his players watched the celebration from the top step of the third-base dugout. Reid Fronk, according to Fox, didn't want to watch, and Fox said that he didn't either. His voiced cracked a bit as he swelled with emotion, saying, "I have to appear tough, but I'm really not."

As for the players, shortstop Josh Horton may have summed it up best.

"I’m just appreciative that I’ve been blessed to have two years like that back to back," he said.