Baseball, Chapel Hill, College

From Omaha to Boshamer: UNC baseball’s fall blueprint for 2027

By The Tobacco Road Scribe

Chapel Hill, NC – The last images of North Carolina’s 2026 baseball season belong to Omaha: a decisive third game in the Men’s College World Series championship round, a loss to Oklahoma and a Tar Heel team that had carried its season to the final day of the college baseball calendar. Less than three months later, coach Scott Forbes was discussing a different set of images – transfer pitchers facing another uniform, catchers learning to handle elite arms, infielders moving among positions and returning stars being told that past production guarantees nothing.

That is how Forbes framed UNC’s next chapter during a Sept. 14 press conference at Boshamer Stadium. The 2026 season, he said, was a “great ride.” It is also over.

“Now we’re starting new,” Forbes said.

UNC baseball coach Scott Forbes (photo by Gene Galin)

The distinction matters for a program attempting one of the hardest transitions in college sports: carrying forward the belief created by a championship run without allowing the result to create entitlement. UNC began official team practice Sept. 7 after three weeks of small-group work. The roster that reached the championship series returns 18 players and adds 23 newcomers. Four fall exhibitions – the most UNC has scheduled in an offseason – will give Forbes and his staff unusually public laboratories in which to test the mixture.

The questions are substantial. The Tar Heels must replenish production behind the plate, sort through a deeper pool of pitchers assembled partly through the transfer portal and find the best defensive alignment among a crowded group of versatile position players. At the same time, they must manage innings, preserve development pathways for younger players and operate within a college-baseball economy transformed by transfers, name-image-and-likeness opportunities, revenue sharing and forthcoming roster limits.

Forbes’ answer to all of it is competition anchored by continuity. Established players will be challenged. Newcomers will receive meaningful chances. Fall games will be treated as rehearsals for the pressure that arrives in February and, if UNC gets where it wants to go, intensifies in June.

A quick turn from Omaha to 2027

Forbes acknowledged that he may be “too guilty” of turning the page quickly. Process, in his telling, is not a slogan reserved for recovering from defeat. He said he would have adopted the same approach if UNC had won the championship, even after a celebration and a lighted Bell Tower.

“If you celebrate too long, you’re just not going to have a good team the next year,” he said. “It is what it is.”

That mentality helps explain the work that followed the final game. Forbes moved into exit meetings, recruiting visits and roster construction, asking how the program could create the possibility of the same experience in 2027. He described a “mirror check” after the loss: Was there something he or the program should have done differently? His conclusion was not that the season required reinvention. He believed coaches and players had worked with the appropriate urgency and stayed committed to their process; they simply did not win the last game.

The challenge now is to repeat the quality of the preparation with a substantially different group. UNC’s official fall-schedule announcement described a roster with 23 newcomers, more than half of the 41-player fall group. That turnover makes September and October more than a period for strength gains and individual refinement. It is when coaches begin to learn which skills translate into roles and which combinations can hold up against high-level opponents.

Forbes’ comments also revealed how he separates a program’s ambition from its daily language. Winning a national championship is the objective, he said, but it is treated as a given rather than a subject that must be repeated inside the clubhouse. The daily emphasis is narrower: practice construction, physical development, competition and the next decision.

He has also sought perspective from successful coaches. Forbes said former UNC men’s basketball coach Roy Williams urged him to continue on his present course. He recalled a similar message from another coach who had repeatedly reached the final stage before breaking through. The broader lesson Forbes drew was clear: teams that keep returning to the last stage can eventually knock down the door.

That belief does not reduce the difficulty of returning. It clarifies the standard.

The portal becomes part of the pitching plan

One of the most visible differences in UNC’s new roster is the number of pitchers recruited through the transfer portal. Forbes resisted calling it a philosophical shift. The Tar Heels pursued experienced pitchers a year earlier, he said, but did not win enough of those recruiting battles.

UNC still wants elite high school talent and remains inclined to build a pitching staff heavily through high school recruiting when possible. Yet the staff also assessed what departed from the 2026 team and concluded that it needed experienced additions.

“The transfer portal is a real thing now, and you can’t ignore it,” Forbes said. “I don’t care where the players come from. I just want the best players to give us a chance to have the best team.”

That pragmatic approach reflects the modern roster-building equation. A high school recruit may offer greater long-term development time. A transfer may arrive older, stronger and tested by college competition. The best roster can blend both – provided the coaches correctly evaluate talent, character, positional fit and the ability to handle the velocity and pressure of Atlantic Coast Conference play.

Forbes cited UNC’s record of developing transfers from varied backgrounds as a recruiting asset. The list includes players from major programs, smaller Division I schools, junior colleges and Division III. He referred to former Tar Heels such as Shea Sprague, Alex Madera, Tyson Bass and Jake Schaffner as examples of players who found significant roles after arriving by less conventional routes. Schaffner’s rise to a first-round draft selection gives UNC a particularly current case study for recruits deciding whether Chapel Hill can accelerate their careers.

That history matters, but Forbes was careful not to present a College World Series appearance as an automatic recruiting solution. Omaha, he said, is an exceptional recruiting tool. It still does not complete a recruitment. UNC competes for prospects against programs with their own recent success, facilities, crowds and development records.

The work is also more complicated because recruiting timelines overlap with the postseason. Forbes described walking in Omaha with headphones on, speaking with transfer prospects while UNC was still playing for a championship. At the same time, staffs must recruit high school players, evaluate their own roster and anticipate a future hard roster limit of 34 players as temporary arrangements phase out.

The result is a year-round balancing act in which success can increase demands rather than pause them.

Managing arms before defining roles

The first question with UNC’s pitchers is not who starts on Friday. It is who should throw, how much and when.

Forbes said the staff begins with each player’s recent workload. A pitcher who logged 85 innings in high school, for example, may require a different shutdown period from a player who worked sparingly. That calculation applies to returners and transfers alike. Pitching coach Bryant Gaines and the rest of the staff use those histories to shape fall throwing plans.

Some established arms were scheduled to make their first productive fall appearances in an intrasquad scrimmage rather than immediately pitch against Charlotte. The logic serves two purposes: protect players whose workloads call for patience and create more innings against outside competition for newcomers whom coaches need to evaluate.

Forbes repeatedly returned to the difference made by another uniform. A pitcher can look composed during an intrasquad game and react differently when an opponent occupies the other dugout. Fall exhibitions allow coaches to evaluate breathing, pace, command and the ability to execute UNC’s system – controlling the running game, defending bunts and responding to situations that cannot be perfectly recreated in practice.

No role is promised. Forbes used Caden Glauber, one of UNC’s leading young arms, to illustrate the message. A strong previous season does not automatically confer the Friday-night assignment. A transfer such as Jimmy Voorhies can arrive throwing in the low-to-mid 90s with three pitches and immediately create pressure.

“Competition ends up being the best thing,” Forbes said.

That competition can produce several outcomes. A pitcher with premium stuff may develop into a starter capable of handling a lineup multiple times. The same arm may be more valuable as a late-inning reliever. Forbes said those decisions are too early to make and should reveal themselves through development and performance.

The larger objective is depth. A championship-caliber staff is rarely only its three weekend starters. It needs middle relief, matchup answers, high-leverage options and pitchers capable of absorbing innings when injuries or ineffectiveness change a plan. UNC’s portal activity is best understood as an effort to increase the number of credible choices.

Catcher competition begins with defense

The transition behind the plate may be UNC’s most important position battle. The Tar Heels lost the production and experience associated with Luke Stevenson, leaving newcomers to assume responsibility for a demanding pitching staff.

Forbes identified Derek Russell and Devin Houston as two central candidates and Blaze Johnson as the third catcher in the group. Whatever offense they provide will help, but UNC’s evaluation begins elsewhere.

“We start with the defensive side of the ball first, and the hitting is a bonus,” Forbes said.

That priority encompasses receiving, blocking, throwing, communication, game management and the less visible work of building trust with pitchers. A catcher on a staff with elite velocity must manage not only the physical challenge of handling the baseball but also the intellectual demands of scouting, sequencing and controlling an opponent’s running game.

Forbes said the catchers have different backgrounds but are working well with one another and have already improved. He also pointed to the importance of Brandon Martorano serving officially on staff as catching coach. The players have “a long ways to go,” Forbes said, but the calendar offers time. Opening day is in February.

The position also demonstrates why fall evaluation cannot be reduced to batting averages. A catcher may distinguish himself through the quality of a pitcher’s outing, a blocked ball with a runner at third or a well-managed inning after an error. If Russell, Houston or Johnson also supplies consistent offense, that would add length to the lineup. The initial requirement is that the winner make UNC’s pitchers better.

Gallaher’s return steadies a crowded position group

Gavin Gallaher’s decision to return gave UNC an accomplished hitter, a versatile defender and a player Forbes believes will reach the major leagues. It also gave a roster filled with newcomers a connection to the standards that carried the Tar Heels through June.

Forbes called Gallaher’s return a surprise and a gift. He grouped him with other veterans who chose another college season rather than immediately signing professionally, saying their presence makes the clubhouse easier to lead. They understand the culture, know the staff’s expectations and can model them without requiring every message to come from a coach.

Gallaher’s return does not exempt him from improvement. Forbes described placing him ninth in a fall scrimmage, not because that is where he expects Gallaher to hit in February, but because coaches already possess a reliable picture of his offensive ability. The altered order created earlier plate appearances for newcomers while allowing Gallaher to concentrate on defensive work at shortstop.

The experiment captures Forbes’ fall philosophy: known players receive targeted challenges; unknown players receive opportunities to disclose what they can do.

UNC’s infield options extend well beyond one player. Forbes praised transfer Jamie Laskofski as hard-nosed, skilled and willing to embrace Gallaher’s return rather than view it as an obstacle to his preferred position. That reaction impressed the coach. Laskofski can play second base, shortstop or third base and, in Forbes’ estimation, could handle center field if needed.

Cole Fenton adds another shortstop-caliber defender after a strong junior-college season. Cooper Nicholson and talented freshmen expand the list. With multiple players capable of handling premium infield positions, at least one may move to the outfield so UNC can keep its best bats in the order without sacrificing defense.

That flexibility creates opportunity and uncertainty. Forbes said the central question may be less about whether UNC has enough capable players than where each should play.

Outfield jobs and bench roles remain unsettled

Forbes described competition across the roster as some of the fiercest UNC has had in years. The outfield demonstrates why.

Center field includes a transfer option and a freshman, Mandela Browman, whom Forbes described as fast, powerful and capable of covering ground. Corner-outfield candidates must hit, but Forbes emphasized that UNC will not disregard defense simply to add power. The staff’s task is to remain elite with the glove while assembling its most productive offensive lineup.

The excess of infielders could feed those outfield competitions. It could also create a stronger bench. Forbes envisions the possibility of left-right matchup options and late-game substitutions reminiscent of deeper UNC teams of the past.

He used a blunt hypothetical to explain the stakes. An established player may have logged 115 at-bats as a freshman, but if a newcomer proves better, the newcomer will play. The coaching staff meets each morning to organize practice in a way designed to expose those differences and maximize development.

That philosophy asks returners to accept discomfort. It also gives newcomers a credible reason to believe their fall performance matters. Competition becomes productive only if players trust that the best performance will be rewarded.

Retention without promises

The transfer portal does not only help UNC add players. It gives current players an easy path to leave, particularly freshmen who do not immediately win playing time.

Asked how he recruits those players to stay, Forbes offered one of his sharpest answers.

“I’m definitely not going to convince anybody to stay at the University of North Carolina,” he said. “I think it’s an honor and privilege to be here. If you don’t want to be here, leave.”

The statement was not the end of his retention approach. Forbes said coaches still have candid conversations with talented players who have not reached the field. The message is that leaving does not eliminate the need to develop. A player might find an easier route to playing time at a weaker program, but he must decide whether ease is the real objective or whether he wants to compete his way into UNC’s lineup.

Forbes pointed to players who remained patient and eventually earned roles. That pathway is harder to maintain in a portal era because athletes can seek immediate opportunity elsewhere. It remains essential to a healthy program. If every blocked player leaves and every vacancy is filled externally, long-term development can become incidental rather than foundational.

UNC is attempting to preserve both routes: recruit elite high school players and give them time to grow, while using transfers to address immediate needs and raise the level of competition. The approach requires clear communication because no staff can credibly promise extensive playing time to everyone.

Four fall tests replace some guesswork

UNC originally considered playing only two fall exhibitions so its hitters could accumulate more at-bats against its own pitchers. After seeing the roster, the staff expanded the schedule.

The Tar Heels will host Charlotte at Boshamer Stadium on Sept. 18 and 19, face Walters State on Oct. 2 and conclude against NC State at Durham Bulls Athletic Park on Oct. 16. The university said all four exhibitions would be open to the public, with the home games free of charge. The NC State game extends a new fall rivalry tradition and places young players in a larger environment.

Forbes’ relationship with Charlotte coach Robert Woodard, a former Tar Heel, adds familiarity to the first weekend. More importantly, Charlotte offers a well-coached opponent likely to include experienced transfers. Those games will reveal whether promising intrasquad performances survive the emotional and tactical change that comes with outside competition.

The NC State exhibition carries a different charge. Forbes rejected the notion that it is “just a fall game.” Rivalry, crowd and venue can make an October exhibition feel closer to a spring stress test. That is precisely its developmental value.

Forbes said his goal is to make daily work difficult enough that players can draw upon those experiences when bigger games arrive. He recalled UNC losing a fall exhibition to Vanderbilt in 2021 and becoming better because of it. A fall result does not count in the standings. The problems it exposes can count months later.

Investment follows a booming sport

Forbes opened his press conference by describing college baseball as booming and thanking supporters for their interest. The university’s response to that growth is visible in staffing, technology, facilities and the financial machinery required to assemble a roster.

UNC recently hired Eric McKibban as director of sports performance, giving baseball a strength coach assigned to the program full time. Forbes described that dedicated presence as significant. Modern player development is continuous: strength, mobility, recovery, nutrition, throwing plans and workload monitoring intersect throughout the calendar.

Forbes said he can quickly tell whether a returning player used the summer productively. The evidence may appear in added physicality, improved athleticism, conditioning tests or a body better prepared to withstand 110 to 120 innings. Talent arriving from the recruiting class adds urgency. A veteran who returns unprepared can find a newcomer ready to claim his role.

The coach also connected competitive ambition to institutional commitment. Maintaining a staff, upgrading technology and improving Boshamer Stadium all require money. So do NIL and revenue-sharing arrangements. In Forbes’ view, each school must decide whether it will support the process needed to sustain success.

Fans and donors are part of that equation. Forbes credited players for creating a product people want to watch: a team that plays hard and generally controls its body language. He said he had heard season-ticket inventory was already close to selling out, though he did not independently confirm the figure. He expressed hope for more seating and even upgraded home-run lighting.

Those details can sound cosmetic beside recruiting and pitching. In the current environment, they belong to the same ecosystem. Crowds improve atmosphere. Facilities influence recruits. Donor support funds improvements. Winning increases attention, which raises expectations for the next investment.

Culture beyond the lineup card

Forbes described UNC’s culture in terms that include competition, care and “tough love.” Coaches promise recruits that they will care about them, help them maximize their ability and prepare them for life after baseball. They do not promise that everyone will play.

“When the game starts, my job is to put the best nine out there,” he said.

That clarity coexists with an effort to keep baseball in proportion. Forbes recalled telling players that a person is not reducible to the phrase “baseball player.” The game will end for everyone. Character and identity must extend beyond performance.

That philosophy surfaced when the team attended UNC’s football weekend and saw Shaquille O’Neal perform as DJ Diesel. Forbes wanted players to enjoy an unusual campus experience after completing recovery work earlier in the day. The fall can become repetitive, and balance can help sustain the energy required for a long season.

Forbes’ own family provided the press conference’s Chatham County connection. At Seaforth High School, he joked, he is known less as UNC’s coach than as Ally’s father. Alli Forbes is a senior volleyball player who plans to continue at Gardner-Webb. Her father said he often sits alone at matches so others do not hear his under-the-breath reactions, but his larger emotion is gratitude for years spent racing from baseball work to watch his daughters compete.

He expects to miss that routine when Ally’s high school career ends, even as her college career extends the family’s schedule. The answer offered a personal counterweight to the machinery of elite college athletics. Amid roster limits, portal calls and championship expectations, the coach’s most durable memories may still be the evenings spent watching his children play.

The takeaway: UNC’s next team must earn its identity

The 2027 Diamond Heels will not be a continuation of the 2026 team simply because familiar players wear the same uniform or because a College World Series banner records what happened. With 23 newcomers, unsettled defensive positions and a pitching staff being rebuilt through several recruiting pathways, this group must establish its own identity.

UNC’s advantages are real. Gallaher and other veterans provide continuity. The portal has supplied experienced talent. High school recruits bring upside. A larger fall schedule will generate useful evidence, and increased institutional and fan support gives the program resources commensurate with its ambition.

The risks are equally clear. Competition must produce cohesion rather than resentment. Catchers must develop quickly enough to manage a gifted staff. Coaches must protect pitchers while identifying roles. The program must balance short-term portal needs against the patient development of younger players. Every athlete must understand that last season’s success raises the standard but does not satisfy it.

Forbes’ message was consistent across those issues: the past creates proof, not privilege. UNC proved it can reach the championship series. Former transfers proved that unconventional paths can lead to professional opportunities. Returning players proved they can perform in demanding environments. None of those facts decides the next lineup or throws the next strike.

The work between September and February will begin to do that.

Fans who want an early look can attend UNC’s fall exhibitions against Charlotte and Walters State at Boshamer Stadium and the Oct. 16 matchup with NC State at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.

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