The Diamond Heels are ranked No. 11 in D1Baseball.com’s 2026 preseason poll, which was released Monday morning. UNC joins a loaded list of teams in the Top 25, including reigning national champions LSU at No. 2 and national runners-up Coastal Carolina at No. 6.

Carolina returns several key contributors from last season’s team which won the ACC Tournament championship and reached the NCAA Super Regionals. Starting pitcher Jason DeCaro returns for his third season in Chapel Hill, and rising sophomore pitchers Ryan Lynch and Walker McDuffie are also back after outstanding freshman campaigns. Infielder Gavin Gallaher is UNC’s only starting position player to return this season. Earlier in January, Perfect Game named Gallaher a second team preseason All-American, while DeCaro and Lynch each landed on the third team. Perfect Game also ranked the Diamond Heels No. 18 in its preseason poll.

Georgia Tech, which won the ACC regular-season title in 2025, is the highest-ranked ACC team in the D1Baseball rankings at No. 5. Louisville, which reached the College World Series in 2025, is No. 8. After UNC at No. 11 are Florida State at No. 16, NC State at No. 17, Clemson at No. 19, Wake Forest at No. 21 and Miami at No. 22. Arizona, which ended UNC’s season in the NCAA Super Regionals on its way to Omaha, is No. 24. For a full look at the rankings, click here.

The Diamond Heels will open their 2026 season next month when they host Indiana in the first series of the season. First pitch on Opening Day at Boshamer Stadium is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 13.

 

Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications

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