This story is part of Peak, The Athletic’s desk covering the mental side of sports. Sign up for Peak’s newsletter here.Carter French is a senior outfielder on the North Carolina baseball team. He scored the winning run Sunday to give the Tar Heels a 4-3 win over USC and send them to the College World Series in Omaha. He plans to attend medical school in the future.When I stepped to the plate in the bottom of the ninth inning with a trip to the College World Series in Omaha on the line and my team down one run, I wasn’t nervous.I was pumped.My head coach at North Carolina, Scott Forbes, talks all the time about preparation. In big moments, he says, the best way to feel confident is to be fully prepared. If you put yourself in that moment and visualize it ahead of time, then it doesn’t surprise you when it happens.I had actually thought about this at-bat two innings before. I did some math in my head and realized I might end up in a big spot at the end of the game.I felt prepared.I’ve never been the most talented player on any team I’ve played on, but I love to win. And I know I can help any team win if I just work hard at it.I came to North Carolina four years ago as a walk-on. Out of high school, I had decided I was just going to go to North Carolina for academics, to eventually go to medical school and become a doctor.Two weeks after my senior season of high school baseball, however, I felt weird about never playing again. Before the start of my freshman year at North Carolina, I reached out to coach Forbes and told him I was coming to campus in the fall.He said he was willing to give me a shot.I went up for freshman orientation and met with him. He wanted to know if I was fully bought in. He didn’t want to see me quit in the first few weeks.