CHAPEL HILL– The UNC baseball program signed 17 of the nation’s top prep baseball student-athletes and one junior college player to National Letters of Intent during the early signing period.

Five of the nation’s top 100 prospects highlight the class, according to Baseball America and eight of the top 200 prospects, according to Perfect Game.

“I am very excited to welcome another outstanding class of young men to the University of North Carolina. Coach Jackson has once again done a tremendous job putting this class together along with the tireless recruiting of Coach Forbes and Coach Gaines. We are confident that these young men are the types of players, students and people that can help us continue our success on and off the field,” Head Coach Mike Fox says.

These 18 student-athletes will start school at UNC next August and play for the Tar Heels in the 2015 season.

Carolina ushers in the top player from three separate states next fall in the form of Braxton Davidson from North Carolina, Joe Gatto from New Jersey, and Cameron Varga from Ohio.