As the NCAA baseball tournament draws near, the North Carolina Tar Heels are shaping up to be a force to be reckoned with—and they might not have to leave home to prove it. D1Baseball has projected UNC as the No. 5 national seed, positioning them as the top team in the Chapel Hill Regional, where they'd enjoy the comfort of Boshamer Stadium for the first two weekends of postseason play.

Joining the Tar Heels in this projection are No. 2 seed UC Santa Barbara, No. 3 seed Liberty, and No. 4 seed Campbell. The Chapel Hill Regional is paired with the Starkville Regional, headlined by No. 12 seed Mississippi State, alongside No. 2 seed Oklahoma State, No. 3 seed NC State, and No. 4 seed Southeastern Louisiana—a bracket that would be one of the most high-profile in the country. For UNC, this path offers a mix of challenges and opportunities, with the potential to capitalize on familiar foes and home-field advantage.

UC Santa Barbara brings a dangerous West Coast mid-major dynamic, while Liberty and Campbell add a heavy regional flavor. Campbell, as the projected Big South automatic qualifier, is no stranger to the Tar Heels. The two teams have met every season but two since 2014, and their last clash on March 31 was a thriller—UNC edged the Camels 5-4 in a 14-inning marathon. That history adds an extra layer of intrigue to a potential postseason rematch.

This isn't the first projection to favor Carolina's home-field prospects. USA TODAY Sports has UNC as the No. 3 overall seed, which aligns with their strong underlying numbers: they rank No. 3 in Diamond Sports Ranking and No. 5 in RPI. Given those metrics, it's highly likely North Carolina will secure a top-five national seed. A series win over NC State this weekend would only bolster their case, making them an even more formidable contender as they eye a deep postseason run.