Not many players could handle a position change like Gavin Gallaher has done during the 2026 season.
After playing third base for each of his first two seasons with the UNC baseball program, Gallaher transitioned to the middle infield ahead of his junior season. He competed with Jake Schaffner for the starting shortstop job, but, as we know, Scott Forbes and company decided it was best for Gallaher to play second base for this year's squad.
That decision couldn't have played out better for both Gallaher and the Diamond Heels.
Gallaher remained a consistent spark on offense and was the nation's best second baseman, becoming the second Tar Heel ever to win a ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove Award. He has helped anchor a UNC defense that has been one of the country's best units, a major reason why they are still standing heading into the final weekend of the college baseball season.
Of course, Gallaher was asked about the position change and provided an epic response to the question.
Gavin Gallaher gives a hilarious response about his position change
While speaking to the media on Friday ahead of Game 1 of the 2026 College World Series Championship series, Gallaher was asked to discuss the conversation he had with Forbes regarding his position change.
He started by releasing this epic quote:
"Well, I just told him that I knew I’d been playing the wrong position for the past two years." (Laughter).
Honestly, even though it was totally a joke, Forbes probably agrees with his captian's quote!
After breaking the ice, Gallaher went into further detail about the conversation he had with Forbes, reminding us all of his thought process that he's carried with him since he first stepped foot on campus a few years ago.
"I said from day one, my goal, I just wanted to be in the lineup," Gallaher said. "I wanted to contribute to the team. So wherever was the best thing for the team. That’s what I was going to do and, the past two years, it was third base. This year it was second base."
Scott Forbes: 'Get the elephant out of the room: we're playing for a title'
While second base has looked natural to him, Gallaher had aspirations of sticking on the left side of the infield. He noted that he told Forbes during the fall that he was going to be the starting shortstop for the Diamond Heels.
"That’s (shortstop) where I wanted to be, but at the end of the day, Jake Schaffner’s a pretty good shortstop."
By watching them compete, you would think that they've spent years together turning double plays. For guys who have essentially been teammates for less than a year, their ability to work together and lock down the middle of the infield has been critical to the UNC baseball program's success, as you can easily make the case that they are the best middle-infield combination that the country has to offer.
While we all love to think of the highlight-reel plays they've made throughout the season, we all hope there are a few more to come in this weekend's championship series.
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