Scott Forbes has added another piece to North Carolina’s 2027 roster. Utah Valley catcher Derek Houston has committed to to the Diamond Heels out of the transfer portal, he confirmed to Inside Carolina on Wednesday evening.
The 6-foot-2, 210-pound redshirt sophomore appeared in 39 games for the Wolverines in 2026, making 34 starts while batting .307 with five home runs and 20 RBIs.
A native of Kanab, Utah, Houston recorded six multi-hit games and six multi-RBI performances, finishing the season with a .307/.410/.526 slash line. His .938 OPS and .307 batting average both ranked third on a Utah Valley team that went 18-36 overall and 4-14 in Big West play.
Houston homered against two Power Four opponents, going deep against Stanford on March 21 and Utah on March 31.
Defensively, Houston spent most of his time behind the plate, making 21 starts at catcher while also earning starts in left field and at DH. He posted a .988 fielding percentage, threw out eight of 31 attempted base stealers and was charged with 10 passed balls.
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With Colin Hynek out of eligibility and Macon Winslow expected to sign after being selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the sixth round of last weekend’s MLB Draft, North Carolina has made multiple additions behind the plate. Houston becomes the second catcher to join the Tar Heels through the transfer portal this offseason, following former Maryland backstop Devin Russell.