Another former North Carolina Tar Heels baseball player is heading to Texas.
To open up the third day of the 2024 MLB Draft, the defending World Series champion Texas Rangers drafted reliever Dalton Pence in the 11th round with the No. 345th overall pick. The Rangers also selected outfielder Casey Cook with the last pick in the third round of the draft, reuniting the former Tar Heels.
With the selection of Pence, North Carolina has now had four players selected from a team that reached the College World Series in Omaha this past season. Vance Honeycutt went in the first round to the Baltimore Orioles as the first UNC baseball player picked this year.
Rangers select left-handed pitcher Dalton Pence from the University of North Carolina in the 11th round (345th overall) of the 2024 MLB Draft.
— Texas Rangers PR (@TXRangersPR) July 16, 2024
Pence was North Carolina’s most reliable reliever this past season, coming into high-leverage situations for Scott Forbes. That included a few times in the postseason during UNC’s run.
The left-handed reliever appeared in 36 games out of the bullpen for the Tar Heels this season, going 5-1 with 8 saves. He posted a 2.45 ERA during those appearances. He also started in five games during the 2023 season.
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