As his team began its fall practices and scrimmages at Boshamer Stadium earlier this month, Scott Forbes sat down and discussed the state of the Diamond Heels. And to hear him tell it, that state is a good one.
Forbes was in a talkative mood, and not just because of his new contract extension through 2032. Money matters aside, Forbes appears to have another pretty darn good team at his disposal. Carolina has plenty of returning talent, such as Gold Glover Gavin Gallaher and ACC Freshman of the Year Caden Glauber. He also has highly regarded transfers like shortstop Jamie Laskofski – who hit for the cycle in UNC’s scrimmage against Charlotte – and pitcher Jimmy Voorhies.
The return of Gallaher, along with infield mates Erik Paulsen and Cooper Nicholson, wasn’t guaranteed. All three were draft eligible but elected to come back to Chapel Hill. Gallaher in particular, as a career Diamond Heel who grew up just down the road in Apex, stands out to Forbes as a pinnacle of what his program is about.
“I’m still in shock. He’s that good of a player,” said Forbes. “But I’m also thankful that he and his family believed in coming back. He’s got the fifth year now. I think development was a big part of it. He’s gonna play professional baseball. I think Gavin’s gonna be a big leaguer. When you have guys like Gavin Gallaher come back to school, it helps our locker room tremendously. They know what our culture is like. They know what our standards are like. And it makes it easier on me, where I can come down here when I’m done with this and just walk on the field and coach baseball.”
Gallaher is a three-year starter at UNC and a team captain. If ever there were a player guaranteed a spot in Forbes’ starting nine, it would be him. But Forbes doesn’t operate that way, and his yearly infusion of new talent from the high school ranks and the transfer portal – where UNC’s hit rate has been almost impossibly good – serves to make every player on the roster earn his stripes.
“You know what Gavin can do. But there is a challenge,” Forbes said. “‘Hey Gavin, we’ve gotta get better in this area. Paulsen, we’ve gotta get better in this area. Cooper, we have to get better in this area.’ But you also are hoping that you brought in enough talented players where they even feel a little bit of heat. That’s my goal. I don’t care what you’ve done. Dustin Ackley rolled in here and he got 115 hits or whatever his freshman year. If we can get one of those guys, I’m gonna put him in the lineup.”
Forbes can be aggressive in the portal era because of UNC’s increased financial commitment to baseball. Just in the last year, the program has seen an anonymous $9 million gift to its endowment, the installation of a state-of-the-art pitching machine which some Major League teams don’t even have and the creation of a special excellence fund in partnership with The Rams Club.
UNC and new athletic director Steve Newmark acted quickly to keep Forbes in Chapel Hill, likely inspired to do so by rumors that South Carolina was eyeing Forbes for its head coaching vacancy earlier in the summer. Now with his future secured, Forbes says he hopes to see more seats added to Boshamer Stadium, as well as a light show which would play whenever the team hits a home run.
“Baseball is a booming sport,” said Forbes. “And for us to continue to have the success that we have had, you have to be ultra committed to it. And that’s what they [the UNC administration] have decided to do, thankfully. And it takes support from the donors, which has stepped up. That stuff is not cheap. You’ve gotta invest in it. And then you have to be in the NIL space and the rev share space to be competitive.”
All that will go toward UNC’s quest for a first ever national championship, a quest which fell one game short in June. It is famously difficult to win the NCAA Baseball Tournament, but with more resources than ever and another talented roster, Forbes believes the Diamond Heels’ time is coming.
His inspiration? Another UNC head coach who fell short for years before becoming a powerhouse.
“I was talking with Jenny [Levy] about it,” Forbes said. “She said, ‘Look, I got there a bunch. Eventually you just knock the door down.’ So I’m going with that. Hopefully we can keep getting back and it’ll happen.”
Featured image via Associated Press/Vera Nieuwenhuis
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