USA TODAY Sports projects UNC baseball to be a top three seed
· Yahoo Sports
The UNC baseball squad continues to roll its way through 2026, while several other team are still fighting for NCAA Tournament sports.
North Carolina (40-9-1, 20-7 ACC) swept Pitt in its final regular season series at home, utilizing its season-long combination of timely hitting and lockdown pitching. The Diamond Heels end their regular season this week, playing at UNC-Wilmington on Tuesday night, before ending with a rivalry series at NC State.
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In USA TODAY Sports' most recent NCAA Tournament projections, UNC grabs the third overall seed and hosts a Regional. Slated to join North Carolina in Chapel Hill are Tennessee, Missouri State and Army.
If the Diamond Heels host this regional, they're in for quite the treat. The Vols (34-18, 13-14 SEC), two years removed from their first College World Series Championship, are thriving in a deep conference. Missouri State (30-17, 18-9 Conference USA) is third place, while Army (28-20, 17-9 Patriot League) will carry their conference's top tournament seed.
UNC has eight straight NCAA Tournament appearances, with 2026 finally looking the year they advance to Omaha and win multiple games.
North Carolina sports a deep batting order with anyone proven of delivering in big moments. Owen Hull anchors the Diamond Heels with a .373 batting average, 69 hits (17 doubles) and 57 RBI. Cooper Nicholson packs the power punch with a UNC-best 13 home runs, while Duke transfer Macon Winslow (.306 BA, 9 HR, 47 RBI) and Colin Hynek (.266 BA, 46 RBI) are two offensive-minded catchers.
North Carolina's pitching leads the way, though. Jason DeCaro is every bit of a superstar ace, leading the Diamond Heels with a 9-2 win-loss record and sporting a 1.91 earned run average, while striking out 61 batters. Caden Glauber is UNC's freshman bullpen star, recording a 1.84 ERA and leading all pitchers with 69 strikeouts.
If North Carolina wins all four of its games this week, a Top 2 overall seed isn't out of the question. The Diamond Heels just need to win.
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC Baseball: Tar Heels projected as a top seed