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UNC’s Jason DeCaro (Photo by Brian Westerholt/Four Seam Images)
The 2026 college baseball season is almost here. As such, we’re breaking down every preseason Top 25 team in greater detail. Check out North Carolina’s 2026 season preview below.
Quick Hits
Last Season: 46-15 (18-11 ACC); Eliminated in Chapel Hill Super Regional
Final 2025 Ranking: No. 9
Coach (Record at school): Scott Forbes (200-104, 6th season)
College Baseball Top 25 Skinny
North Carolina’s standard was set under Mike Fox and has been sustained under Scott Forbes, who has guided the program to super regionals in three of his first five seasons, including 2025, and a College World Series appearance in 2024. Continuity has defined the transition. Forbes inherited a program built for postseason play and has preserved that identity while modernizing the roster through the portal.
The Tar Heels have also demonstrated resilience. Recent teams have absorbed the loss of major contributors without losing traction, a track record that informs expectations following the departures of ace Jake Knapp, outfielder Kane Kepley and others. The 2026 roster reflects that same balance, blending returning, draft-caliber pieces with a wave of portal additions positioned to contribute immediately.
North Carolina Baseball Strengths
Depth is the defining trait of this roster. North Carolina enters the season with viable options across nearly every position group, allowing Forbes to manage workloads, play matchups and withstand attrition. The pitching staff illustrates that flexibility. Juniors Jason DeCaro and Folger Boaz and sophomore Ryan Lynch are the most likely candidates to open the season in weekend roles, but sophomore Walker McDuffie remains a high-leverage option after earning second-team Freshman All-America honors as a reliever in 2025.
That same redundancy extends to the position side. In the outfield, George Mason transfer Owen Hull joins returning sophomore Sawyer Black and senior Carter French, while freshman Tyler Howe presses for early playing time. Similar layers exist throughout the roster, giving North Carolina insulation against performance dips and injury while maintaining internal competition. Forbes has reloaded annually with high-end talent, and this group again reflects that approach.
North Carolina Baseball Weaknesses
The primary uncertainty centers on offensive translation. While North Carolina has leaned heavily on high-octane lineups in recent seasons, much of the projected offense now comes from outside the power-conference ecosystem. Catcher Macon Winslow is the lone projected starter with ACC experience, while Cooper Nicholson, Jake Schaffner, Erik Paulsen, Hull and Michael Maginnis arrive from mid- and low-major programs. That influx introduces variability. Proven production elsewhere does not guarantee immediate ACC success, and early offensive consistency will hinge on how quickly those bats adjust to velocity, depth and scouting. As with several teams built aggressively through the portal, upside is clear, but performance certainty remains untested.
North Carolina Baseball Player To Know
Lynch emerged as one of the nation’s most effective freshman relievers in 2025, posting a 2.93 ERA with a 27.2% strikeout rate over 61.1 innings and earning Freshman All-America honors. He now projects as a rotation piece, carrying swing-and-miss ability and workload experience into a larger role.
North Carolina Baseball 2026 Projected Lineup, Rotation
PosPlayerYearAVGOBPSLGABHRRBINote/previous schoolCMacon WinslowJr..278.391.490198948Duke1BErik PaulsenJr..358.452.585193944Stony Brook2BGavin GallaherJr..325.409.60323717683BCooper NicholsonJr..324.470.6802252165Iowa Central JCSSJake SchaffnerJr..367.435.467229221North Dakota StateOFSawyer BlackSo..297.409.5683736OFOwen HullJr..367.474.557237863George MasonOFCarter FrenchSr..280.357.280100012DHMichael MaginnisG-Sr..302.385.5162251052Georgia StatePosYearGSIPERAWHIPSO%BB%SPJason DeCaroJr.1683.13.781.2619.77.3SPRyan LynchSo.361.12.931.1327.29.4SPFolger BoazJr.430.03.901.6021.312.8RPWalker McDuffieSo.155.13.741.0831.911.1RPMatthew MatthijsSr.018.24.341.5034.99.3RPOlin JohnsonJr.230.13.561.2916.011.2