No Fear of Missing Out on Omaha for Carolina’s Caden Glauber
Caden Glauber has been asked to fill a flexible role for Carolina this year, and all he does is deliver for his team.
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North Carolina freshman phenom Caden Glauber was originally supposed to graduate from high school on May 29th. Instead, the right-handed reliever was sitting in the dugout watching as teammate Ryan Lynch carved up the VCU Rams in an NCAA Regional.
Instead of recovering from a graduation party as he likely would’ve been the next day, Glauber tossed 4.1 innings of relief and struck out eight ECU batters to earn the win and put his Tar Heels one game away from a third straight Chapel Hill Super Regional.
Against Ole Miss in his Omaha debut, Glauber gave up a 3-0 hit to Judd Utermark that restored a one-run Rebel lead in the Top of the 7th. The youngster responded by striking out the next batter to end the inning and keep the deficit at one.
“Coming off the mound, I just told him simply, ‘good job’,” said catcher Colin Hynek. “ He did a good job of bouncing back, getting the next guy, and getting us back into the dugout.”
The Tar Heels rallied in the bottom half of the inning, taking a 3-2 lead, confident that their young bullpen ace would be able to hold the Rebels’ offense at bay. Owen Paino slashed a two-out single to left, but that was all Ole Miss could muster in the 8th.
After gaining some insurance runs thanks to a Hynek three-run homer, Glauber took the mound in the 9th. He gave up a lead-off hit, but then induced a double play and got Dom Decker to fly out to end the game. Carolina was off to a good start at the 2026 College World Series.
“He’s one of the best pitchers in the country,” Hynek said after that game. “So there’s no reason to not act like it for him. Anytime he’s on the mound, we trust him. As long as he’s himself, he’s pretty much unhittable.”
Glauber was about to begin his junior year at Catawba Ridge High School in his hometown of Fort Mill, South Carolina, when he got a call from Carolina in early August. The coaching staff asked about whether he’d be interested in reclassifying to graduate a year early.
Over the next two weeks, Glauber, his family, and the UNC coaching staff went through a process to see if reclassification was feasible and something the then 16-year-old could handle.
“It ended up being a possibility for me,” Glauber explained. “Who doesn’t want to play for North Carolina, right? So I talked to the coaches again, got it all figured out, and got to combine my junior and senior years into one. And being here is the best decision I’ve ever made.”
It wasn’t something Glauber could’ve done without the help of his high school coach, Stas Swerdzewski, who actually worked with Scott Forbes at Winthrop. Swerdzewski’s advice, knowledge, and coaching was instrumental in Glauber’s development and reclassification.
“He was so awesome about it,” Glauber said. “He had all the faith in the world in me. He could’ve been upset that his best pitcher, his starting pitcher, is leaving a year early. But he was very happy for me, and obviously he and Coach Forbes are really close.”
North Carolina hadn’t gone 2-0 to start a College World Series since 2006, despite seven visits to Omaha between then and now. The Tar Heels were leading 5-2 over West Virginia in the 9th inning, when the Mountaineers brought the tying run to the plate with two runners on base.
With one out, head coach Scott Forbes turned to his ever reliable freshman stud. Glauber needed just nine pitches to strike out two batters to close out the game. Carolina was now one win from playing for their first National Championship in nearly 20 years.
Glauber got off to an inauspicious start in Chapel Hill, giving up runs in each of his first three appearances. His breakout moment came in the first ACC match-up of the year, when visiting Virginia looked to be on the verge of securing sweep.
Entering the game with the Tar Heels trailing 5-1, the South Carolina native dazzled over 5.1 innings of relief, allowing the offense to rally and force extra innings. From that moment on, Glauber has been one of the best pitchers in the country.
The Tar Heels are 29-0 in games that he’s pitched in. Glauber himself is 12-0 with a 2.05 ERA over 92 innings pitched. He’s struck out 114 batters while allowing just a .186 batting average against. He’s made a few starts, but is predominantly deployed as a long, shutdown reliever.
“In high school, I wasn’t just a starter,” Glauber explained, “but a closer and reliever, just like I am this year. I’m going to be in any role, whatever the team needs me to do to win, whatever Coach Forbes and Coach Gaines need to do to help our team succeed.”
A rematch with West Virginia beckoned as the Omaha Eight became the Omaha Four. After surging to a 12-1 lead, the Mountaineers reclaimed the momentum with a five-run 7th inning. Coach Forbes didn’t mess around– he called upon his best arm for the third time in five days.
The first-year star stifled the WVU momentum and finished the game, allowing just one run on three hits while striking out three in his 2.1 innings of work. For the first time since 2007, the North Carolina Tar Heels were advancing to the National Championship Series.
Glauber was supposed to in the midst of celebrating his high school graduation, or perhaps at home watching his future teammates play in Omaha. Instead, he was a primary factor in the Heels’ run to a National Championship appearance.
“I would have so much FOMO,” Glauber said, laughing. “I talk to my dad about it all the time. Like, ‘can you imagine I’d be in high school right now just watching them in Omaha?’ That would be kind of annoying to watch, but I’d obviously be happy for them. I’m happy I’m here, no place I’d rather be.”
What has helped make Glauber successful a year early has been his maturity and fearlessness. He’s soaked in the advice of others while keeping a keen eye on what makes his older teammates so good.
“You can’t go out there with fear,” said the eighteen-year-old. “ The preparation takes over the fear. We work so hard on it, and you’ve got to have the right set, knowing that you’re made for the moment, whatever moment you’re in.”
“I almost think of it as the hitter can sense if you’re fearing to pitch to them, so you’ve got to pitch to your strengths,” Glauber added.
Jason DeCaro, the staff ace, was another well known youngster who was thrust into the Friday night role as a 17-year-old freshman in 2024. Like Glauber, he has always shined when the moment was brightest, making a big start in his Omaha debut against Virginia two years ago.
“Jason has given me some tough love, because he’s been in this situation,” said Glauber. “So watching how he reacts to going out there and pitching his game, it made me want to copy my game after his a little bit. Like, just go out there, be calm, relax, and know that you’re made for this moment.”
Glauber is certainly made for the moment. After four innings against Oklahoma on Sunday night in Game Two, Forbes once again called upon the phenom. This time, however, was different. There was no wiggle room. Carolina could not lose or the season was over.
The right-handed fireballer responded by tossing five shutout innings of relief, striking out eight while shutting down the hottest offense in the country. Just three Sooner baserunners reached as he threw 65 pitches to even the National Championship and force a do-or-die Game 3.
His high school coach, Stas Swerdzerski, was on hand in Omaha to see the performance live. He flew in to watch Glauber, landing at one in the morning ahead of Saturday’s Game One.
While Glauber has been dominating in Omaha and etching his name in college baseball lore, his former classmates were on their senior trip, celebrating their graduation in Myrtle Beach.
Despite being across the country and the gap between high school and college, his old friends help keep him grounded.
“It’s a little strange, talking to them sometimes,” Glauber said.”But it’s fun FaceTiming or texting them, seeing what they’ve been up to. It takes my mind off being here and not being with them. So talking to them and seeing what they’re doing is fun.”
While most freshman have hit a wall after throwing so many innings, Glauber appears to still be at his best. After pitching in four of UNC’s five games in Omaha, including 65 pitches on Sunday, it wouldn’t be surprising if he went unused on Monday.
But Forbes is adamant that it’s all hands on deck, provided his pitchers are feeling good enough to go. That includes Lynch, who exited today’s game with a possible injury, and DeCaro, who pitched in the first game.
As a reliever with starter stamina, Glauber is almost certainly available.
“I’m sitting here thinking I might start him tomorrow because our chances are pretty good when he pitches,” Forbes said with a laugh early in the press conference following the Game 2 win. Whether that comment was made tongue-in-cheek, we’ll soon find out.
North Carolina has yet to determine a starting pitcher for Monday, but Oklahoma will turn to the freshman Nick Wesloski, who started in their second win over Georgia last Wednesday night. Whether Glauber starts or comes out in relief, he is certain to make himself known.
If North Carolina wins the National Championship, Caden Glauber will go down as a Carolina baseball legend. That would sure make missing Senior Prom worth it and more.
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