Jan. 10, 2026, 1:30 p.m. ET
College football season is almost over, while college basketball season is in full swing. In approximately one month, college baseball season will be here.
That’s right – college baseball begins in February. Your North Carolina Tar Heels open their 2026 campaign on Friday, February 13, welcoming the Indiana Hoosiers for a 3-game weekend series.
As UNC enters its final month without gameplay, we take a look at numbers that every college team chases. In PerfectGame’s first 2026 preseason rankings, North Carolina slots in at 18th.
The Diamond Heels find themselves one spot behind Coastal Carolina, which lost to LSU in the 2025 College World Series Final and one spot ahead of Vanderbilt, which endured an embarrassing, NCAA Regional exit as the tournament’s top overall seed.
ACC schools represent the Top 25 well, with Georgia Tech (second), Florida State (ninth), Virginia (14th), Louisville (16th), Clemson (20th), NC State (22nd) and Miami (24th) all in the poll.
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UNC is fresh off another magical season, in which it won the ACC Tournament and hosted a Super Regional. North Carolina dominated Arizona in Game One, then offense faltered and a key, Game Three error ended any hopes of a second-straight trip to Omaha.
The Diamond Heels return a few offensive stars, most notably third baseman Gavin Gallaher, but pitching will win them games this season. Starting pitchers Jason DeCaro and Ryan Lynch return to give UNC a top staff in the country, while relievers Walker McDuffie and Matthew Matthijs star hold down the bullpen.
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