North Carolina baseball 2025 season preview: 3 biggest games, key players and predictions
North Carolina baseball was one of the strongest teams in the 2024 college baseball season. They won the ACC regular season title with an impressive 22-8 conference record, which made them the 4th seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The Tar Heels hosted the Chapel Hill Regional, which featured the defending champions, the LSU Tigers.
They overcame the Tigers' threat with a narrow 4-3 win in the decider to clinch the Regional en route to making the field of eight in Omaha, which comprised of four teams each from the SEC and the ACC.
They finished their season 48-16 following successive losses to eventual College World Series champions, the Tennessee Volunteers and Florida State Seminoles, in Omaha.
Head Coach Scott Forbes will be keen to continue his impressive work in developing the Tar Heels as one of the most feared teams in college baseball. Here, we preview North Carolina Baseball ahead of the 2025 season.
Three key games for North Carolina Baseball in the 2025 season
3. NC State Wolfpack
The rivalry between the Tar Heels and Wolfpack is rarely ignored. In this year's regular season, the Wolfpack emerged victorious in a three-game series in Raleigh.
While both teams fell short in Omaha, the Tar Heels will hope for a reverse against Elliott Avent's talented team when they eventually meet in 2025.
2. Clemson Tigers
The Tigers finished at the top of the Atlantic Division of the ACC with a 20-10 conference record.
Both teams are likely to battle for the regular season title in 2025, which makes this clash an important one in their chase for glory not only in the regular season but potentially the postseason as well.
1. Florida State Seminoles
Link Jarrett's side had arguably one of the strongest hitting line-ups not just in the ACC but in the College World Series as well. While both teams will recruit heavily in the off-season, their clash in the regular season could have a major impact on how their respective seasons shape up.
Key players for the North Carolina Tar Heels in 2025
3. Gavin Gallaher, INF
Gallaher produced a solid freshman season for the Tar Heels this year. He recorded 8 home runs and 38 RBI, while also recording 26 walks.
His .314 average was just .004 shy of Vance Honeycutt, who was the Baltimore Orioles' first-round pick in this year's MLB Draft.
Gallaher will be expected to take on a bigger role in 2025, given that he will enter his sophomore season.
2. Luke Stevenson, C
Stevenson produced an impressive freshman season this year. He recorded 14 home runs and 58 RBI with an average of .284 while starting all but one of the Tar Heels' 64 games this season. His exploits at the plate earned him Freshman All-American honors.
Projections currently rank him 11th in the top prospects for the 2025 MLB Draft. With expectations mounting, the Tar Heels will hope Stevenson produces a stronger sophomore season next year.
1. Jason DeCaro, RHP
DeCaro arguably made the biggest impact of all freshmen for the Tar Heels this year. He emerged as one of their most reliable starting pitchers, finishing the season with an impressive 6-1 record.
While doing so, he recorded 78 strikeouts with an ERA of 3.41 in 89.2 innings pitched, earning Freshman All-American honors in the process.
DeCaro will be expected to fulfill the role of starting pitcher in 2025 as a sophomore. He will be keen to impress, given that expectations will only grow bigger next year.
Predicting the Tar Heels' 2025 baseball season
In recent years, the Tar Heels have built a strong core through their freshmen recruits. DeCaro and Stevenson are prime examples and it's likely that their roster will only get stronger in the off-season.
This could make them one of the strongest teams in college baseball next year. The Tar Heels are likely to defend their ACC regular-season crown and make the College World Series once again. In fact, they can be considered to be among the favorites to make the finals in Omaha for the first time since 2007.