It’ll be tough to forget the North Carolina Tar Heels’ run to the 2024 College World Series.
UNC compiled one of its best teams in recent memory, headlined by 5-tool center fielder Vance Honeycutt and the ACC’s top recruiting class. As the year progressed, North Carolina learned it had one of the country’s most dangerous batting orders – thank you, Casey Cook and Parks Harber – plus an exceptional bullpen led by Matthew Matthijs and Dalton Pence.
The Diamond Heels faced plenty of drama in the NCAA Tournament: almost losing the first game of their Regional, then facing elimination against LSU heading into the Regional Final. UNC also trailed West Virginia late in Game 1 of the Chapel Hill Super Regional, plus ACC rival Virginia late in both teams’ CWS opener, but came back to win all four contests – on walk-offs.
North Carolina lost a lot of talent from its 2024 run. Honeycutt, Cook, Pence, Anthony Donofrio, Shea Sprague and Aidan Haugh – all starters – were picked in the 2024 MLB Draft, while bullpen arm Cameron Padgett and starting first baseman Park Harber signed free agent deals.
Despite all this, UNC returns a lot of young talent from. That’s why the Diamond Heels are ranked 12th in Baseball America’s 2025 “Way Too Early” Top 25 rankings.
“UNC, this spring, won the ACC and advanced to the College World Series,” Baseball America’s Tommy Cahill wrote. “It has a solid core returning, built around Freshmen All-Americans Jason DeCaro and Luke Stevenson. Third baseman Gavin Gallaher is also back and getting starter Folger Boaz back to full health would be big. But UNC also has a lot to replace. Vance Honeycutt was arguably the best player in program history and must be replaced. UNC also lost All-American closer Dalton Pence, starter Shea Sprague and outfielder Casey Cook, its leading hitter.”
When an April elbow injury forced Boaz to miss the rest of his freshman season, Jason DeCaro became the pitching staff’s ace, finishing his freshman campaign with a 6-1 win-loss record, 3.81 earned run average and a team-best 78 strikeouts.
Power-hitting catcher Luke Stevenson returns a .281 batting average, 14 home runs and 58 RBIs, while Gavin Gallaher – best known for his walk-off in the North Carolina-Long Island University clash during the Chapel Hill Regional – hit .314, mashed eight home runs and drove in 38 runners last season.
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