Top-3 series victory boosts UNC a spot in April 20 D1Baseball poll

If there's a year for the UNC baseball team to win its first College World Series championship, 2026 has to be the year.

North Carolina (33-7-1, 15-6 ACC) just took a weekend series from Georgia Tech, largely shutting down the nation's top offense. The Diamond Heels broke out with their own offensive explosion in a Game 2 clincher, winning 14-4, but fell just short of a sweep in Sunday's finale.

In Monday's updated D1Baseball rankings, UNC deservedly climbed to second. North Carolina is now one spot ahead of the Yellow Jackets (32-7, 16-5 ACC), with UCLA staying in the Number One slot.

Known primarily for their pitching, the Diamond Heels are anchored by staff ace Jason DeCaro, plus a shutdown bullpen led by Caden Glauber and Walker McDuffie. DeCaro and McDuffie are tied for a UNC-best six wins, while combining for 97 strikeouts.

North Carolina's hitters, if they didn't already, are the ones starting to capture attention. Center fielder Owen Hull sports a .390 batting average, which includes a team-high 60 hits and 48 RBIs. Hull also has 12 stolen bases, making him and leadoff hitter Jake Schaffner (16 SB) a lightning-fast duo. Schaffner, Duke transfer Macon Winslow and Stony Brook transfer Erik Paulsen are all also mashing over .300.

Since losing to Virginia in the ACC-opening series for both teams, the Diamond Heels now have six straight series wins, including a sweep of then-ranked Notre Dame. UNC is a perfect 11-0 in mid-week games, too, but face a tough test in High Point on Tuesday.