Expectations are high every season for North Carolina when it takes the diamond at Boshamer Stadium, and this year is no different, with the Tar Heels already earning national praise.
At least six position players were ranked among the best at their spots by D1Baseball.com, which has the Diamond Heels slotted at No. 11 in the country — a reflection of how highly the site views UNC’s talent.
Here are the six Tar Heels who were rated at their respective positions, listed from highest to lowest.
2B Gavin Gallaher
Gallaher is the highest rated player on Carolina’s roster for his position as D1Baseball rated him as the as the third-best second baseman on its Top 100 Second Basemen. It’s pretty ironic considering he started at third base in all 61 games last season.
He batted. 325 with team-highs in hits (77) and RBIs (68) and had 17 home runs. His RBI total was third in the ACC and was eighth in home runs.
His best performance of the season came in the postseason when he batted .722 with 13 hits, seven runs, three dobles, a triple, three home runs and 10 RBIs in the Chapel Hill Regional.
SS Jake Schaffner
The North Dakota State transfer was rated as the No. 17 shortstop on D1Baseball’s Top 100 Shortstops list. He posted a .353 batting average across two seasons with the Bison, recording six triples, 18 doubles, three home runs and 34 stolen bases.
Last season, he batted .387 with 84 hits — tied for second in a single season in school history — along with nine doubles, four triples, two home runs, 21 RBIs and 18 stolen bases, which ranked ninth in a single season in school history. He was selected as the Summit League Defensive Player of the Year. He earned first-team honors in both 2024 and 2025.
C Macon Winslow
The Duke transfer was rated as the No. 17 catcher on D1Baseball’s Top 50 Catchers list. Winslow was one of the best catchers in the ACC last season, batting .278 with 16 doubles, a triple, nine home runs and 48 RBI for Duke. He holds a .993 career fielding percentage and has thrown out 12 runners in 47 attempted steals (26%).
OF Owen Hull
Hull was ranked as the No. 23 outfielder on D1Baseball’s Top 150 Outfielders.
He hit .367 with 83 runs, eight home runs and 63 RBIs in his sophomore season at George Mason in 2025. He was named second-team All-Atlantic 10 as both an outfielder and designated hitter. He finished the season ranked fourth in the country in runs scored, 31st in hits (87) and 10th in stolen bases (42). In 2025, he broke the George Mason single-season record for steals with 42, surpassing the previous mark of 36 that had stood since 1992.
He also helped his team set the NCAA Division I record for most runs scored in an inning, plating 23 in the bottom of the second against Holy Cross; he had two hits, two steals, two runs scored and a walk in the frame.
1B Erik Pasulsen
Paulsen was ranked as the No. 26 first baseman on D1Baseball’s Top 50 First Basemen list. He has a career .330 batting average with 13 home runs, 33 doubles and 68 RBIs. He was named the CAA Defensive Player of the Year and earned All-CAA first-team honors after batting .358 with 17 doubles, nine home runs and 44 RBIs.
OF Cooper Nicholson
Nicholson was ranked as the No. 47 third baseman on D1Baseball’s Top 50 Third Basemen list.
He hit .343 over 121 career games at the junior college level, racking up 41 home runs, 32 doubles and 132 RBIs. He was named ICCAC Player of the Year as a freshman after leading the league in hits, home runs and total bases while finishing with the second-most home runs in the country.
A two-time NJCAA All-American, he earned second-team honors in 2024 and third-team honors in 2025. He set the program record for single-season home runs with 21 in 2025 and also holds the program career records for at-bats (431), runs scored (164), home runs (41) and RBIs (132).
Last season, he batted .324 with 15 doubles, 21 home runs and 65 RBIs.
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC baseball: Six Tar Heels players earn top D1Baseball rankings