By R.L. Bynum
Two North Carolina baseball players entered the transfer portal this week, including designated hitter Alberto Osuna, who has no remaining Division I eligibility and couldn’t return for another season.
According to D1 Baseball, Osuna, whose 45 career home runs are the fifth-most in program history, entered the transfer portal Tuesday, one day after reserve infielder/outfielder Ryker Galaska announced his plans to transfer. Although D1 Baseball also lists Jackson Van De Brake as being in the portal, he said in a Twitter direct message that he’s not trying to leave UNC.
No other Tar Heels have been reported to have entered the transfer portal. By contrast, 18 Louisville players, 16 Georgia Tech players, 13 Miami players, nine East Carolina players, nine Wake Forest players, nine Pittsburgh players, eight Virginia Tech players, seven Florida State players, six N.C. State players, six Notre Dame players, five Boston College players, four Duke players, four Clemson players and three Virginia players entered the portal.
Osuna, who participated in UNC’s senior day ceremony, can only transfer to a Division II or Division III school. Osuna hit a career-high .281 last season with 14 home runs and 56 RBI.
After batting .321 with 19 homers and 92 RBI in two seasons at Pitt Community College, Galaska joined the UNC program last offseason. He played in three games off the bench, going 0 of 2 at the plate with a walk and a strikeout, with his last action on March 1 against Princeton.
Carolina has at least two known commitments from the transfer portal: former Princeton left-handed pitcher Tom Chmielewski and former Montclair State first baseman Sam Angelo.
The 6–2, 200-pound Chmielewski was 6–6 with a 3.40 ERA last season, walking 19 and striking out 73 in 13 starts. The 6–0, 201-pound Angelo, a Division III All-American selection, hit .436 last season with a .520 on-base percentage, a 1.146 OPS, 71 hits, 15 doubles and 60 RBI. He was tied for eighth in Division III with 18 home runs, the third-most in a season in program history.
Right-handed pitcher Camron Seagraves, the Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year out of Grace Christian School, committed to the Tar Heels on Monday. He went 8–2 with a 1.71 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP last season. He struck out 127 batters in 65⅓ innings, holding opposing batters to a .116 batting average.
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics
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