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 […]
Late Collapse Dooms UNC Baseball in NCAA Super Regional Game 3
Arizona capitalized on a pair of fielding errors in the top of the eighth inning to score three runs and stun the Diamond Heels 4-3 in the winner-take-all game of the NCAA Super Regionals at Boshamer Stadium Sunday afternoon. UNC’s season is over. Carolina entered the inning leading 3-1 on the strength of a three-run […]
UNC Baseball in the 2025 NCAA Super Regionals: How to Watch, Cord-Cutting Options and Start Times
UNC baseball is hosting a super regional round, as the No. 5 Diamond Heels welcome the Arizona Wildcats for a best-of-three series.
Knapp Dominant In Diamond Heels Shutout Win Over Holy Cross
UNC got 8 1/3 innings of shut-out, three-hit ball from ace Jake Knapp as they won their first NCAA tournament game of 2025 4-0 against Holy Cross.
Chansky’s Notebook: Story of the Year
Has there ever been a journey like Jake Knapp’s? Carolina baseball is one of those seasonal sports in Chapel Hill, with a loyal fan base that fills about half of Boshamer Stadium for most regular season games. When it is Duke, N.C. State or one of the other ACC contenders, the crowd gets bigger.
'We Can't Overlook Today': UNC Baseball Learning From Past Drama Entering NCAA Tournament
If any team in the country knows not to take a so-called “cupcake” NCAA Tournament game lightly, it’s the Diamond Heels.
UNC Baseball Ranked No. 1 in D1Baseball, USA Today Polls
Both the writers and the coaches agree: the Diamond Heels are No. 1. The D1Baseball.com Top 25 poll and the USA Today Coaches’ Poll ranked UNC No. 1 in the nation this week. Carolina is coming off an ACC Tournament championship in Durham last weekend. Forward focused. #GoHeels pic.twitter.com/oel22W2sUO — Carolina Baseball (@DiamondHeels) May 27, […]
Chansky's Notebook: Tar Heel Trifecta
It was hard to leave the TV screen on a scintillating Sunday across UNC women's lacrosse, baseball and golf.
›