Photo via Perfect Game

It’s been a nightmare turned a dream-come-true for Reece Holbrook.

Carolina alumni and fans, especially those who follow Tar Heel baseball closely, remember the name Reece Holbrook for several reasons. His mom was Roy Williams’ administrative assistant, his dad was a coach on Mike Fox’s staff and he had a childhood sickness that triggered a movement.

At two years old, Reece was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a dangerous — but curable — disease. Because of Reece’s connections to UNC, members and supporters of the Carolina athletic department took on his family’s challenge as their own.

Reece became a celebrity of sorts, with a charity golf tournament named after him and Williams serving as the unofficial chairman of it each year.

Reece had a long, arduous battle against the disease with various treatments that ended in 2012. Five years later he was declared cancer-free, the disease in remission. By then his father, Chad, had moved on to be head coach at South Carolina and College of Charleston, and the Holbrook family’s once-sickly son had become an undersized, but high-valued, high school prospect.

Though Reece says he doesn’t remember a great deal about his early childhood in Chapel Hill, the Tar Heels were his team then and they still are. As a freshman star for Hammond high school in Columbia, South Carolina, he had an unofficial visit to UNC and Coach Fox. After the weekend, he committed to play for the Heels after graduating high school in 2021.

Yes, it’s a feel-good story, but with only 11.7 scholarships allowed in Division I baseball each year, Fox had to have more than sentimental reasons for carving out a spot so far in advance for the 5′ 10″, 150-pound outfielder. Reece Holbrook is rated one of the top prospects in his high school class by more than one objective scouting service.

He could still change his mind and play for his father, or he could be good enough to get drafted and sign a big league contract before entering college. But, for now, Reece Holbrook is on track to live his dream in the town that once played host to his family’s nightmare.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Related Stories
‹
Chansky's Notebook: Undeserved Fate?
The Tar Heels might have lost, 12-2, on one bad pitch. It seems ridiculous to say, but if Carolina could have gotten out of the second inning against Mississippi State Tuesday, the Diamond Heels might have beaten the Bulldogs instead of getting crushed in the eight-run eighth. Austin Bergner hung a curve ball to the […]
Chansky's Notebook: Diamond Heels Crack Code Again
Carolina baseball has again earned the easiest route to Omaha. The Mike Fox era of Tar Heel baseball has made Carolina synonymous with the College World Series. Fox’s program has been there seven times, losing twice in the championship game or series. Before Fox’s return to his alma mater, UNC had been to Omaha just […]
Chansky's Notebook: An Old Nemesis Roars Back
That the number eight rhymes with “Oregon State” is no coincidence. Maybe Mike Fox should lobby for baseball to be seven innings. Because, clearly, eight has not been a good number for his Tar Heels in the College World Series — and for long before that. In his eighth trip to Omaha as a player […]
'Baseball is a Booming Sport': Checking in With the Diamond Heels' Scott Forbes
As his team began its fall practices and scrimmages earlier this month, Scott Forbes sat down and discussed the state of the Diamond Heels.
UNC Baseball Head Coach Scott Forbes, Staff Agree to New Contract Extensions
UNC baseball head coach Scott Forbes and his staff have agreed to contract extensions, with Forbes’ new deal keeping him in Chapel Hill through the end of the 2032 season, the school announced Monday. The terms of the assistants’ deals were not shared by the school. Forbes’ extension is his second in the span of […]
UNC Baseball Announces 2026 Fall Scrimmage Schedule
Diamond Heels fans will have a chance to see the team in action within the next month. UNC announced its fall scrimmage schedule Friday, with four games on tap both at Boshamer Stadium and Durham Bulls Athletic Park. The four scrimmages are the most the program has ever staged in a single offseason. Missing you […]
Former Players Kyle Datres, Brandon Martorano Promoted to Full-Time Roles on UNC Baseball Staff
Two former Diamond Heel standouts are taking on larger roles on the UNC baseball coaching staff. Kyle Datres and Brandon Martorano, who starred for Carolina in the later 2010s and who served as undergraduate assistants during the 2026 season, have been promoted to full-time roles on the UNC staff moving forward. Both will serve in […]
Shortstop Tyler Jackson, Son of Assistant Coach Scott Jackson, Commits to UNC Baseball
Shortstop prospect Tyler Jackson, the son of UNC assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Scott Jackson, committed to the Diamond Heels Tuesday. A rising junior in high school, Jackson is the first member of the recruiting class of 2028 to commit to UNC. In a nice coincidence for his future head coach, Jackson’s commitment also came […]
Jason DeCaro, Reese Brantmeier, Ryleigh Heck Named 2026 Patterson Medal Winners
UNC announced the 2026 class of Patterson Medal winners Tuesday morning. The Patterson Medal, first awarded in 1924, is the school’s most prestigious honor for athletic excellence and career achievement. To receive the award, Tar Heel athletes must have competed in at least three seasons for UNC and have exhausted their collegiate eligibility. The 2026 […]
'We Still Got Work to Do': Gavin Gallaher Confirms Return to UNC Baseball for 2027 Season
Gavin Gallaher is back. The UNC baseball co-captain confirmed his return to the Diamond Heels Tuesday after not being selected in the 2026 MLB Draft. Gallaher is a rising senior and, thanks to the NCAA’s new 5-in-5 rule for student-athletes, will have two years of eligibility remaining. Tar Heel Nation, we still got work to […]
›