- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,203,953
- Reaction score
- 59
UNC baseball had four players selected on the opening day of the 2026 MLB Draft, which wraps up on Sunday, July 12.
The Tar Heels saw shortstop Jake Schaffner become the program’s 27th first-round pick when Shaffner was picked by the Boston Red Sox at No. 20 overall. UNC is one of just four college baseball programs to have a first-round pick in each of the last three years.
Star outfielder Owen Hull will join Schaffner in Boston after being selected in the second round at No. 67 overall. UNC pitchers Jason DeCaro (No. 80 by Pittsburgh Pirates) and Ryan Lynch (No. 97 by San Diego Padres) rounded out the Tar Heels picked on Day 1.
UNC will have other players selected on the final day of the 20-round draft, including second baseman Gavin Gallaher, first baseman Erik Paulsen, catcher Macon Winslow, pitcher Folger Boaz and incoming freshman Harrison Ailshie.
LYNCH: What UNC baseball’s Ryan Lynch brings to San Diego Padres
TOP PITCHER: What UNC baseball’s Jason DeCaro brings to Pittsburgh Pirates
O ZONE: What UNC baseball’s Owen Hull brings to Boston Red Sox
TOP TAR HEEL: What UNC baseball’s Jake Schaffner brings to Boston Red Sox
Here is every UNC player, transfer commit and high school signee taken in the 2026 MLB Draft.
The Tar Heels had four players selected on the first day of the 2026 MLB Draft:
Drafted: Round 3 (97th overall) by San Diego Padres
What to know: A sophomore righty with a lot of velocity, Lynch has a good fastball and sinker, along with some off-speed stuff to keep batters off balance. The 6-foot-4, 235-pound pitcher had a 3.72 ERA and 10-5 record in two seasons with the Tar Heels. He started out as a bullpen guy before cracking the starting rotation. Lynch finished with 162 strikeouts and 61 walks in 159 ⅔ innings.
Drafted: Round 3 (80th overall) by Pittsburgh Pirates
What to know: The junior right-handed pitcher was UNC’s top pitcher in the starting rotation for most of his three seasons in Chapel Hill. DeCaro logged a 26-7 record and 3.46 ERA in 53 starts and 270 ⅓ innings. He had 247 strikeouts and 112 walks. As a junior, DeCaro had an 11-3 record and career-best 2.47 ERA.
Drafted: Round 2 (67th overall) by Boston Red Sox
What to know: A junior outfielder who joined the Tar Heels after two seasons at George Mason, Hull became one of the top hitters in college baseball. He led UNC in batting average (.393), hits (103) and RBIs (87). A left-handed batter and right-handed outfielder, Hull is a 6-foot-4, 215-pound prospect. He had 27 doubles and nine home runs.
Drafted: Round 1 (20th overall) by Boston Red Sox
What to know: A junior infielder and UNC’s highest draft pick since 2015, Schaffner played one season for the Tar Heels after two years at North Dakota State. The former Summit League Defensive Player of the Year was UNC’s leadoff hitter, finishing with a .356 batting average and 85 runs. A left-handed batter and righty in the field, Schaffner had 96 hits, including 19 doubles, eight triples and six home runs, along with 50 RBIs. He also had 26 stolen bases.
Rodd Baxley covers North Carolina Tar Heels athletics for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding UNC? Send them to [email protected].
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: UNC baseball MLB draft tracker: Where Tar Heel players and signees are selected
Continue reading...
The Tar Heels saw shortstop Jake Schaffner become the program’s 27th first-round pick when Shaffner was picked by the Boston Red Sox at No. 20 overall. UNC is one of just four college baseball programs to have a first-round pick in each of the last three years.
Star outfielder Owen Hull will join Schaffner in Boston after being selected in the second round at No. 67 overall. UNC pitchers Jason DeCaro (No. 80 by Pittsburgh Pirates) and Ryan Lynch (No. 97 by San Diego Padres) rounded out the Tar Heels picked on Day 1.
UNC will have other players selected on the final day of the 20-round draft, including second baseman Gavin Gallaher, first baseman Erik Paulsen, catcher Macon Winslow, pitcher Folger Boaz and incoming freshman Harrison Ailshie.
LYNCH: What UNC baseball’s Ryan Lynch brings to San Diego Padres
TOP PITCHER: What UNC baseball’s Jason DeCaro brings to Pittsburgh Pirates
O ZONE: What UNC baseball’s Owen Hull brings to Boston Red Sox
TOP TAR HEEL: What UNC baseball’s Jake Schaffner brings to Boston Red Sox
Here is every UNC player, transfer commit and high school signee taken in the 2026 MLB Draft.
How many UNC baseball players have been picked in MLB Draft?
The Tar Heels had four players selected on the first day of the 2026 MLB Draft:
P Ryan Lynch
Drafted: Round 3 (97th overall) by San Diego Padres
What to know: A sophomore righty with a lot of velocity, Lynch has a good fastball and sinker, along with some off-speed stuff to keep batters off balance. The 6-foot-4, 235-pound pitcher had a 3.72 ERA and 10-5 record in two seasons with the Tar Heels. He started out as a bullpen guy before cracking the starting rotation. Lynch finished with 162 strikeouts and 61 walks in 159 ⅔ innings.
P Jason DeCaro
Drafted: Round 3 (80th overall) by Pittsburgh Pirates
What to know: The junior right-handed pitcher was UNC’s top pitcher in the starting rotation for most of his three seasons in Chapel Hill. DeCaro logged a 26-7 record and 3.46 ERA in 53 starts and 270 ⅓ innings. He had 247 strikeouts and 112 walks. As a junior, DeCaro had an 11-3 record and career-best 2.47 ERA.
OF Owen Hull
Drafted: Round 2 (67th overall) by Boston Red Sox
What to know: A junior outfielder who joined the Tar Heels after two seasons at George Mason, Hull became one of the top hitters in college baseball. He led UNC in batting average (.393), hits (103) and RBIs (87). A left-handed batter and right-handed outfielder, Hull is a 6-foot-4, 215-pound prospect. He had 27 doubles and nine home runs.
SS Jake Schaffner
Drafted: Round 1 (20th overall) by Boston Red Sox
What to know: A junior infielder and UNC’s highest draft pick since 2015, Schaffner played one season for the Tar Heels after two years at North Dakota State. The former Summit League Defensive Player of the Year was UNC’s leadoff hitter, finishing with a .356 batting average and 85 runs. A left-handed batter and righty in the field, Schaffner had 96 hits, including 19 doubles, eight triples and six home runs, along with 50 RBIs. He also had 26 stolen bases.
Rodd Baxley covers North Carolina Tar Heels athletics for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding UNC? Send them to [email protected].
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: UNC baseball MLB draft tracker: Where Tar Heel players and signees are selected
Continue reading...
