The North Carolina Tar Heels might carry a significantly younger team into the 2025 college baseball season, but they’ll still be a tough out in a loaded ACC.

Vance Honeycutt, whose 2024 heroics alone should earn him a statue outside Boshamer Stadium, is now playing in the Baltimore Orioles’ organization. Dalton Pence, arguably UNC’s best bullpen arm since closer Josh Hiatt, is part of the Texas Rangers’ farm system.

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There’s one young returning star, though, who Diamond Heels fans should be extremely excited about.

That returning star is sophomore catcher Luke Stevenson, who gained a bunch of MLB Draft attention in the offseason. Not only is Stevenson one of the top catchers in college baseball, but Baseball America’s Carlos Collazo called him the best catcher prospect in the 2025 MLB Draft.

“Right now, it feels like he’s a consensus, first-round player,” Collazo said. “A lot of people think he’s the best college catcher in the (2025 MLB Draft) class. And he almost aligns with how the draft class is. He’s very well-rounded, there’s maybe not a single sexy tool that he has, but he does everything at a very high level. He hits, he hits for power, he defends, he has maybe plus defense is his kind of carrying tool because he’s a great defender behind the plate. He’s a guy, if he has a strong season, I could see him shooting up inside the Top 10, going very high in this draft.”

Stevenson was just one piece of North Carolina’s loaded offensive lineup in 2024, hitting .284 with 14 home runs and 58 RBIs. Stevenson also showcased why he’s a strong defensive catcher, as he led UNC with 511 put-outs and only committed two errors.

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Can Stevenson make an even larger leap in 2025, leading the Diamond Heels back to the College World Series and, possibly their first title in program history?

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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: Baseball America calls UNC’s Luke Stevenson top catcher for MLB Draft