Written by MICHAEL KOH
If Michael Malone wants to learn how to utilize the transfer portal, he should look no further than Boshamer Stadium.
Scott Forbes and the Diamond Heels are in the middle of yet another strong season. And this year, following the departure of nearly all of his starting position players from 2025, Forbes has relied heavily on the transfer portal. Entering today’s ACC series at Clemson, each of Carolina’s top five everyday batters started their career somewhere else.
Owen Hull came to Chapel Hill after two years at George Mason, but he’s shown no ill effects of the transition by batting .355 through 34 games. Jake Schaffner, who transferred to UNC from North Dakota State, leads all qualified Tar Heel hitters with a 1.000 OPS. Erik Paulsen from Stony Brook and Colin Hynek from Georgia State are each also batting .300 or better.
But Forbes hasn’t just been raiding mid-majors. He plucked catcher Macon Winslow away from Duke after the Blue Devils’ head coach, Chris Pollard, left for the same job at Virginia in the offseason. Winslow hit the portal and didn’t have to travel far. This year, he’s hitting .313, and his .475 on-base percentage leads all qualified hitters.
In an interesting twist, Forbes seems to have employed the opposite strategy on the mound. UNC’s three weekend starters – Jason DeCaro, Ryan Lynch and Folger Boaz – all came to Chapel Hill via traditional high school recruiting. The same can be said for top relievers Walker McDuffie, Matthew Matthijs, Jackson Rose and Caden Glauber. As a former pitching coach, perhaps Forbes is more comfortable molding a young hurler out of high school rather than seeking an older prospect out of the portal.
In previous editions of this column, I praised UConn men’s basketball head coach Dan Hurley for skillfully combining transfers and high school recruits on his roster. That’s imperative in the new era of college athletics, and Forbes is passing that test with flying colors so far.
Of course, there are a couple things Hurley has which Forbes would love to get his hands on: a pair of national championship rings. Forbes was despondent after the Diamond Heels dropped Games 2 and 3 in the Chapel Hill Super Regional vs. Arizona last season, clearly believing his team had the goods to win it all. But he got right back to work almost immediately following the end of the season, and so far that work is paying off. Once again, UNC appears to be a reputable challenger for its first-ever national championship.
Michael Koh is filling in for Art Chansky today, as Art is temporarily out on a medical leave recovering from an accident.
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Featured image via Chapel Hill Media Group/Chance Bragg
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