{"id":530207,"date":"2026-01-21T03:16:12","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T03:16:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/530207\/"},"modified":"2026-01-21T03:16:12","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T03:16:12","slug":"three-unc-baseball-players-named-d1baseball-preseason-all-americans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/530207\/","title":{"rendered":"Three UNC baseball players named D1Baseball Preseason All-Americans"},"content":{"rendered":"

We’re now officially under a month from the start of college baseball season. Your North Carolina Tar Heels, fresh off an ACC Tournament Championship<\/a> and one game short of a 2025 College World Series trip, are eager to get back on the diamond.<\/p>\n

UNC dominated Arizona in Game 1 of the Chapel Hill Super Regional<\/a> last summer, then offense disappeared and defense struggled in Games 2 and 3. North Carolina sported arguably one of its deepest rosters in years, but the Arizona Wildcats had other plans.<\/p>\n

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The Diamond Heels will return a few 2025 starters, while sporting a new-look roster. Third baseman Gavin Gallaher<\/a>, starting pitcher JasonDeCaro<\/a> and reliever Matthew Matthijs all earned spots on D1Baseball’s Preseason All-America team.<\/p>\n

DeCaro and Matthijs, two of the best arms in college baseball, earned spots on the Second Team. Gallaher, whose combination of clutch hitting and stellar defense make him a name to watch, is on D1Baseball’s Third Team.<\/p>\n

DeCaro, who rose to prominence in 2024 as a freshman starter, thrived as UNC’s #2 starter behind Jake Knapp last season. DeCaro collected a 9-3 win-loss record in 16 appearances, a 3.78 earned run average and 70 strikeouts.<\/p>\n

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Matthijs is arguably the top returning reliever across college baseball. Though a season-ending injury cut his 2025 campaign short<\/a>, Matthijs ranked second amongst all Division-I pitchers with 12 wins in 2024. Expect North Carolina to ease Matthijs back into action, but also expect to see Matthijs most games.<\/p>\n

Gallaher’s clutch factor dates back to the 2024 Chapel Hill Regional, when he blasted a walk-off grand slam to complete a late comeback against LIU. In 2025, Gallaher combined average with power to hit .325, mashing a Diamond Heels-best 17 home runs and driving in a team-high 68 runs.<\/p>\n

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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: D1Baseball Preseason All-American teams feature thee Diamond Heels<\/a><\/p>\n