Several North Carolina baseball players are expected to become former Tar Heels this weekend as they take the next step in their careers in the MLB draft.
Five members of North Carolina’s 2026 squad are expected to be drafted: Owen Hull, Jake Schaffner, Ryan Lynch, Jason DeCaro and Gavin Gallaher. They all appeared in ESPN‘s final MLB Draft rankings and MLB‘s Top 250 Draft Prospects list.
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Another player, incoming freshman outfielder Harrison Ailshie of East Rowan High School (Salisbury, N.C.) also earned a spot in ESPN’s final rankings.
Players selected this weekend have until 5 p.m. ET on July 27 to sign. Each pick in the first 10 rounds carries an assigned slot value, though teams can go over or under that figure.
Owen Hull (Junior)ESPN: No. 62MLB: No. 67Slot value: $1,382,600
Jake Schaffner (Junior)ESPN: No. 51MLB: No. 75Slot value: $1,451,700
Ryan Lynch (Sophomore)ESPN: No. 111MLB: No. 98Slot value: $747,700
Jason DeCaro (Junior)ESPN: No. 97MLB: No. 133Slot value: $677,500
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Gavin Gallaher (Junior)ESPN: No. 132MLB: No. 200Slot value: $413,900
Harrison Ailshie (Incoming Freshman) ESPN: No. 197Slot value: $319,600
Several other Tar Heels, including Macon Winslow and Erik Paulsen, also could be selected.
The 2026 MLB draft begins Saturday at 1 p.m. ET, with picks 1-10 on NBC and Peacock before coverage shifts to MLB Network for picks 11-40 from 2:30-4:30 p.m. ET. The rest of Day 1 (picks 41-135) will stream on MLB.com. The draft resumes Sunday at 11:30 a.m. ET, with rounds 5-20 airing on MLB.com through 7:30 p.m. ET.
Four Tar Heels were selected in the 2025 MLB draft: Luke Stevenson (No. 35), Kane Kepley (No. 56), Aidan Haugh (No. 177) and Jake Knapp (No. 241). Haugh and Knapp had exhausted their eligibility, while Stevenson and Kepley signed and turned pro. Haugh was drafted for the second straight year after returning to UNC following a 2024 selection by the Minnesota Twins.
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC baseball stars poised for 2026 MLB draft
