UNC Baseball’s Fall Exhibition Game Will Set the Tone of Their Regular Season
After failing to make it past the second round of the postseason in 2025, UNC baseball was expected to head into the next few seasons as a developing team. This past season was Carolina’s best shot at winning it all, but they were upset by the Arizona Wildcats in the Chapel Hill Super Regional. The Heels then suffered major losses to the 2025 MLB Draft, like their young star catcher Luke Stevenson and lead-off hitter Kane Kepley. Their 2025 fall matchup will be this new Tar Heel team’s first shot at proving that they are still a competitive power-five team even without those key players.
Still on the roster is junior Gavin Gallaher. The six-foot-one infielder is known for his crucial walk-off grand slam against Long Island University in the 2024 Chapel Hill Regional. Gallaher is quick defensively and one of the Tar Heels’ top hitters. He finished the 2025 season with 17 homers and a team high 77 hits. Gallaher, now an upperclassman, will have to step up and fill the leadership roles left by Stevenson and Jackson Van De Brake. His first chance to prove himself as a team leader will be on October 3rd in the team’s fall ball matchup against the junior college Walters State. The Heels faced the JUCO powerhouse last fall in an exhibition matchup as well.
Almost half of the Tar Heels’ roster for the 2026 season will be newcomers. 17 players will be returning to play in Boshamer Stadium this season. The Bosh will also be welcoming 16 new faces, a combination of true freshmen and transfers, as well. In 2025, Walters State finished the season with only eight losses. Despite being a junior college program, this team knows how to not only win games but also put runs on the board as well. This matchup will be a great test for the Heels to put not only their young offense to work but their bullpen as well. The pitching staff struggled to keep Carolina afloat in the postseason and will need to find their footing this fall in order to ensure the Heels play like the dominant ACC team the fans in the Bosh know and love.
