​UNC baseball had four players selected on the opening day of the 2026 MLB Draft, which concludes on Sunday, July 12. The Tar Heels saw shortstop Jake Schaffner become the program’s 27th first-round pick when he was selected by the Boston Red Sox at No. 20 overall. UNC is now one of only four college programs to have had a first-round pick in each of the last three years.
Star outfielder Owen Hull will join Schaffner in Boston after being taken in the second round at No. 67 overall. UNC pitchers Jason DeCaro (No. 80 by the Pittsburgh Pirates) and Ryan Lynch (No. 97 by the San Diego Padres) rounded out the Tar Heels’ Day 1 selections. The Tar Heels are also set to have additional players chosen 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.
Here is a snapshot of what each UNC player, transfer, and high school signee taken in the 2026 MLB Draft has accomplished. On Day 1, the Tar Heels had four players selected.
– Drafted: Round 3 (97th overall) by the San Diego Padres
– What to know: Lynch is a sophomore right-handed pitcher with considerable velocity, featuring a strong fastball and sinker, plus off-speed offerings to keep hitters off balance. He stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 235 pounds, finished with a 3.72 ERA and a 10-5 record over two seasons with UNC. He began as a bullpen arm before earning a spot in the starting rotation, accumulating 162 strikeouts and 61 walks in 159 ⅔ innings.
– Drafted: Round 3 (80th overall) by the Pittsburgh Pirates
– What to know: The junior right-handed pitcher was UNC’s top arm in the weekend rotation for most of his three seasons in Chapel Hill. DeCaro owned a 26-7 record with a 3.46 ERA in 53 starts covering 270 ⅓ innings, recording 247 strikeouts to 112 walks. As a junior, he went 11-3 with a career-best 2.47 ERA.
– Drafted: Round 2 (67th overall) by the Boston Red Sox
– What to know: Hull is a junior outfielder who joined UNC after two seasons at George Mason and emerged as one of college baseball’s top hitters. He led UNC with a .393 batting average, 103 hits, and 87 RBIs. Hull, a left-handed batter and right-handed outfielder, stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 215 pounds, and posted 27 doubles along with nine home runs.
– Drafted: Round 1 (20th overall) by the Boston Red Sox
– What to know: Schaffner is a junior infielder who spent one season with the Tar Heels after two years at North Dakota State. The former Summit League Defensive Player of the Year served as UNC’s leadoff hitter, finishing with a .356 batting average in his lone UNC season and becoming the program’s highest-drafted player since 2015.
The 2026 MLB Draft highlights a continued trend of UNC producing high-end talent at the professional level, with multiple players selected on Day 1 and more anticipated on the draft’s final day. The program has consistently placed top prospects into MLB organizations, reinforcing its reputation as a pipeline for major-league-ready players.