UNC star infielder named best player after Chapel Hill Regional
The North Carolina Tar Heels finally pieced together another complete game on the baseball diamond, dominating Oklahoma on Monday, 14-4, to win the Chapel Hill Regional and advance to the Super Regionals this coming weekend.
UNC (45-13), which won three of its four games in the Chapel Hill Regional, will face the Arizona Wildcats for a spot in the College World Series.
Just like 2024, when the Diamond Heels advanced to the Super Regionals, there was a constant force behind this year's Regional run: third baseman Gavin Gallaher. When North Carolina needed a base hit, home run, a runner driven in or virtually anything offensively, its star sophomore at the hot corner delivered.
Gallaher finished this year's Chapel Hill Regional hitting an unconscious 13-of-18 (.722 batting average), which included three home runs and 10 RBIs. Gallaher saved his best performance for last in Monday's winner-take-all game, hitting 4-for-6 with four RBIs, two home runs and four runs scored.
It should come as no surprise to anyone, Sooners fans included, that Gallaher earned Most Outstanding Player honors.
Gallaher rose to prominence as a clutch freshman during last season's Chapel Hill Regional, blasting a walk-off grand slam against Long Island University during the opener. UNC trailed during the ninth inning of that game and, saving his team from embarrassment, Gallaher blasted a no-doubt, bases-loaded grand slam that send Boshamer Stadium into a frenzy.
The Diamond Heels will need every bit of Gallaher's offense during the Chapel Hill Super Regional, which will start Friday, June 6 against Arizona at a time TBD.
Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
College football analyst reveals thoughts about Bill Belichick coaching UNC football
Will Bill Belichick work out at UNC? The North Carolina Tar Heels are nowhere close to a college football powerhouse, but they made a massive move this offseason in hopes they become a future powerhouse. In December 2024, UNC hired 8-time Super Bowl Champion Bill Belichick to be their next head coach. Belichick started his coaching career with the then-Baltimore Colts in 1975, coaching in the NFL until January 2024 with the New England Patriots. The Tar Heels are hoping that Belichick can find success early on in his college coaching career. But some analysts are not convinced he will. On his latest podcast, 247Sports' Josh Pate said he doesn't think the Belichick experiment will work at North Carolina. 'Swallow this about North Carolina: I flat out don't think it's (Belichick) going to work," Pate said. "I don't think that college football is remotely as comparable to the NFL, as the broad brush artists out there tend to paint it. Even if you have the investment, let's just say North Carolina's invested. A lot of the feedback I've gotten is they're taking it seriously. They're not going to pay him $10 million a year, but not get behind him. Even if you're behind him, you gotta go out-recruit Georgia or Alabama, or Clemson, or Miami. You can't just try and stay close to them and hope to out-develop them. Cause they're good at developing and recruiting.' Despite Belichick's extensive professional success, he's a first-time college coach. Belichick is no stranger to college football, spending his early childhood days in Kenan Stadium with his father, but hasn't coached a collegiate game before. There's plenty of hope weaving its way through Chapel Hill right now, as the Tar Heels have a multi-time Super Bowl Champion coaching them. In a perfect world, UNC wins the CFP National Championship this fall, but there's also plenty of risk with a first-time college coach. Belichick's collegiate coaching debut will come Monday, September 1 at 8 p.m. against TCU, with the Horned Frogs traveling to Kenan Stadium for a primetime kickoff on ESPN. How North Carolina plays in that game will be a key, early indicator of if the Belichick experiment. Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
USA Today
7 hours ago
- USA Today
Top Clemson baseball roster hopeful for 2026 officially signs with MLB team
One of Clemson baseball's biggest roster hopefuls for 2026 has signed a professional contract. As expected, All-American outfielder Ryan Wideman signed with the San Diego Padres late Wednesday night. The Padres selected Wideman in the third round of the MLB draft earlier this month. The son of former Clemson basketball player Tom Wideman, Ryan Wideman was one of the top players in the transfer portal following his junior season this summer and transferred to the Tigers on June 11. His chances of being drafted and forgoing his senior season were always a threat, but being taken No. 99 overall with an estimated pick value of $773,000 made his signing feel pretty inevitable. Wideman played in all 60 games last season at Western Kentucky and hit .398 with 10 home runs, 36 extra base hits, and 68 RBIs. He also stole 45 bases in 47 attempts as a top-of-the-order threat. Clemson signee Dax Kilby, an 18-year-old shortstop from Newnan High School in Georgia, was another player the Tigers hoped to have on their 2026 roster that was taken early in MLB's draft. The New York Yankees drafted Kilby in the first round with the No. 39 overall pick and formally announced his signing on July 18. Clemson finished 45-18 overall last season and was the No. 11 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers made their third straight regional appearance under coach Erik Bakich, but the program's College World Series drought officially reached 15 years since their last appearance in 2010. Contact us @Clemson_Wire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news and notes, plus opinions.
USA Today
8 hours ago
- USA Today
UNC wide receiver talks team's 2025 offensive potential at ACC Kickoff
Will offense continue to be a bright spot for the UNC football team this fall? Despite 2024 ending in UNC's first losing football record since 2021, offense continued to be a bright spot in Chapel Hill, even with several quarterback changes. Omarion Hampton, who later became the Los Angeles Chargers' first-round NFL Draft Pick in April, cemented himself as one of the best backs in program history. Jacolby Criswell was much-needed at quarterback – without him, North Carolina doesn't get anywhere close to a bowl game. The Tar Heels' offense will look plenty different in 2025, but in a good way. At ACC Kickoff on Thursday afternoon in Charlotte, UNC sophomore wide receiver Jordan Shipp praised his team's offensive potential this fall, pointing to new offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens as a main reason. 'We're definitely going to be a unique offense," Shipp said. "Don't want to give too much out, but we're going to be unique. We're going to do a lot of different stuff and get a lot of first downs. We're going to score a lot of points. Coach Belichick kept him here for a reason, he obviously liked what he was doing. There's no reason not to trust him 100%. We're going to be unique, we're going to move the ball with different persons, different personnels and a lot of different people.' Shipp played well for a freshman with limited action in 2024, catching nine passes for 114 yards and a touchdown, making him one of nine UNC pass-catchers to reach the century mark in receiving yards. Kitchens, formerly North Carolina's tight ends coach and run game coordinator, will now be tasked leading an offense with several new starters at skill positions. Kitchens led the Tar Heels in their Fenway Bowl appearance, taking over for the then-recently-fired Mack Brown. 2024 starter Max Johnson, who spent most of last season rehabbing a broken leg suffered in the opener at Minnesota, will compete with South Alabama transfer Gio Lopez for the starting quarterback gig. Davion Gause returns much-needed production at running back, while Shipp and Kobe Paysour will lead a new-look receiving corps. Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
