Analysis: Diamond Heels turn to familiar faces to fill voids in the infield

The goal for the 2025 North Carolina baseball team is simple: secure a spot in the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. for the second straight season. 

UNC’s roster is talented, entering the season as the No. 6 team in the country. 

But to recapture the magic of last year, the Tar Heels will need to replace key positions as players have left.

Here is a preview of the infield for the 2025 season:

First base

North Carolina has big shoes to fill at first base after the departure of Parks Harber, who started all 61 games he appeared in last season. Harber had the second highest OPS on the team at 1.073 and led the team in batting average at .343. Replacing that plate production won’t be easy, but with a revamped roster and a recognizable name set to take over, the transition should be smooth. 

The favorite to replace Harber is a familiar face, graduate Hunter Stokely, who started 51 games at first base for the Diamond Heels in 2023. Stokely is a good defender, boasting a career .994 fielding percentage, but in order to bring his game to the next level, Stokely must become a consistent bat in UNC’s lineup. 

Second base

In 2024, graduate Alex Madera held down second base for North Carolina. But with Madera’s move to shortstop, senior Jackson Van De Brake is set to return to the position he thrived in two seasons ago. The senior filled the designated hitter role for the Diamond Heels during the 2024 College World Series, recording three hits in eight at bats.

During the 2023 season, Van De Brake started 57 games at second, ending the campaign third in OBP at .439 and fourth in average, batting .307.

After backing up Madera for the majority of last year, Van De Brake will have to return to 2023 form.  

Shortstop

For the first time since 2022, UNC will not feature Colby Wilkerson at shortstop. Wilkerson started 124 games for North Carolina over the last two seasons, showcasing his defensive prowess at one of the most important positions on the field.

But anchoring shortstop this season will be Wilkerson’s former middle infield partner, Madera. 

Having the defensive track record from playing the opposite side of the middle infield last season, Madera will fill in nicely for Wilkerson. While Wilkerson was a defensive catalyst for the Tar Heels, so was Madera. Successfully transitioning his offensive game from Division III to the Division I level, Madera ranked fifth on the team with 69 hits and third in stolen bases with nine in 2024. 

Third base

The one infield position with no turnover is third base, as sophomore Gavin Gallaher is slated to return. Gallaher played 36 games at the hot corner in 2024, batting .314 with an OPS of .883. Being the only infielder with the same position as last season, Gallaher has had a front-row view to the differences between last year's infield and this season.

“Just seeing everybody get comfortable with each other, seeing these new guys start to settle in a little bit and see them take a step up has really helped," Gallaher said. "You never know what's going to happen, so everybody’s got to be ready to go."

Taking the next jump offensively will be key for Gallaher and the Tar Heels, who lost many of their top hitters from a season ago. While the power hitting may not be what it was last year, Gallaher will lead a strong group of infield bats into the 2025 season.

CORRECTION: In a previous version of this article, Hunter Stokely's name was misspelled as Stokley. The Daily Tar Heel apologizes for this error.

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