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‘You don’t really know names’: Inside UNC star Gavin Gallaher’s introduction to Chatham
CHATHAM, Mass. — Gavin Gallaher began the drive from his hometown of Apex, North Carolina, to Veterans Field on Wednesday with his parents, Sean and Liz. A 12-hour, 23-minute trip is quite extreme, so the Gallahers stayed overnight in New Jersey. By the morning, the cross-state trek was no longer simply to get Gallaher settled in Chatham.
It was to get him to third base in time.
Gallaher arrived at the field at 3:30 p.m. Thursday. He received his Anglers gear and uniform minutes before making it to team stretches at 4:20. Then it was time to prepare for a ballgame while simultaneously meeting 30 other guys.
Gallaher conversed with manager Dennis Cook and the A’s coaching staff — he says they’re laid back and willing to answer his questions. He befriended Ace Reese (Mississippi State), who also made his debut the day he arrived. Even though Reese is leaving soon, Gallaher felt comfortable talking with the fellow third baseman. Other than that, everything was brand new.
“It’s funny, when you show up on the first day, you meet everybody but you don’t really know names,” Gallaher said. “Learning everybody’s name as we’re on the field is fun.”
He entered Veterans Field in the late afternoon, then started at the hot corner and helped spur a victory in the evening. Gallaher’s same-day debut — 1-for-3, one walk, and mostly clean fielding — assisted Chatham’s (2-2-1, East) 4-2 win over Cotuit (1-4, West) Thursday. But it was still an improper introduction to the caliber of player he is. The North Carolina standout enters his second Cape Cod Baseball League season after tearing apart the ACC in the spring. As a sophomore, Gallaher tallied a 1.012 OPS with 17 homers and 68 runs batted in.
Gallaher’s not here for the Chatham Squire; he’s here to be a key producer for the Anglers.
“Yeah, that’s the plan,” he said about a lengthy stay on the Cape this summer. “I know some guys come and go, but I haven’t really thought about it too much.”
The A’s would surely appreciate another highly-touted prospect being around for the home stretch — Gallaher committed to UNC’s 2024 freshman class as the state of North Carolina’s No. 10 prospect, per Perfect Game. He stepped on the scene with a bang, capturing All-ACC Freshman Team honors after batting .314 with eight long balls and a .883 OPS. The 6-foot-1 infielder struggled a tad with his glove, tallying 10 errors in 53 games, but his bat was undeniable.
The Cape is a common place for those suffering from the dreaded sophomore slump. If anything, Gallaher took a major sophomore-year leap. Still, his success wasn’t linear. Gallaher’s season-ending numbers reflect among the top infielders in the nation. It masks his rough start — four hits in the first eight games — and slump-ridden middle. Gallaher wasn’t consistent enough for an All-ACC selection.
“The biggest thing I learned is that it's a long season,” Gallaher said. “So even though I didn't start out great and then I had a couple hot streaks in the middle, a couple cold streaks in the middle, I just knew that it's a long season and I just had to stick with it, keep grinding.
“And then things clicked in the end.”
Gallaher punctuated his sophomore campaign with an absurd postseason performance — batting .722 with three homers, eight total extra-base hits and 10 RBI in four games at the Chapel Hill Regional. He earned the region’s Most Outstanding Player award for the second consecutive year. Two years in, and some within the Tar Heel community are hailing him as a UNC legend.
Part of how he seasoned himself to star on the big stage came through the CCBL. Gallaher spent the 2024 summer with Yarmouth-Dennis, where he didn’t do much, accumulating a .202 batting average with two home runs and 15 RBI in 28 games. He’s conquered the ACC, but it takes time to get acclimated to facing big-time SEC pitchers, among others.
“I faced a lot of high-end arms every game,” Gallaher said of his summer in Y-D. “And I continued to see that, even coming off a long ACC season, I saw a lot of arms that I wouldn’t have seen in the regular season, and I could build off that.”
He wanted another shot at Cape League talent, returning in Angler blue instead of red. Last summer in a July 10 game in Chatham, Gallaher blasted a two-run home run, so he’s familiar with the vibrant midsummer atmospheres at Veterans Field — just on the opposite side. A compelling pitch from Cook and Co. ultimately stamped Gallaher’s decision.
“Last year was a great experience all the way around, and this summer, I had just heard a lot of good things about Chatham,” Gallaher said. “I figured it’d be fun to get even more new experiences.”
In the second inning, Gavin Gallaher made a nifty barehand play on a grounder before firing a dart to first to get Ryan Jaros out. Photograph by Ella Tovey
Cook said he called Gallaher numerous times in the days leading up to his debut, getting him up to speed on the team’s operations and asking what positions he wanted to play. He also inquired if Gallaher was willing to play as soon as he arrived, a question to which Gallaher responded with little hesitation.
“He definitely wanted to play,” Cook said.
The first-year manager doesn’t baby anybody, and he’s well aware of the infielder’s pedigree, so he expected instant execution from Gallaher. Yet Cook recognized Gallaher had spent the last two days sitting in a car, and even he excused the UNC product’s eighth-inning throwing error — the lowlight of Gallaher’s debut.
“One mishap on a throw. But I thought he played excellent defense today,” Cook said of Gallaher.
Gallaher’s first-look at Veterans Field didn’t feature anything eye-popping at the plate, but he delivered a clutch leadoff single in the eighth inning to kickstart Chatham’s game-sealing two-run frame. He eventually advanced to third and crossed home off a bases-loaded walk drawn by A’s catcher/outfielder Daniel Jackson (Georgia), scoring the game-winning run.
But his most impressive moment occurred in the second inning, where he charged downhill at a slow-rolling grounder, barehanded the ball and flung a dart at first baseman Jake Hanley (Indiana) to put Cotuit’s Ryan Jaros out. With Anderson French on first base during the play, Gallaher respected his speed and knew if a shallow ground ball came his way, he’d toss it to first. He also read the grounder like a book.
“He didn’t get a great swing off,” Gallaher said. “I knew I had a little bit of time. Just made sure I fielded it cleanly and was able to make a good throw.”
This spring boosted Gallaher’s confidence, and he’s on the Cape to make sure that feeling is prolonged. But, he’s also here to compete for positioning. People know Gallaher as a slugging third baseman. He yearns to one day be known as a shortstop or second baseman in the big leagues, though.
“Ultimately, I'd say the biggest thing is try to get work in the middle infield and hopefully work my way in there next season (at North Carolina) again,” Gallaher said of why he came to Chatham.
On Thursday, Gallaher took his first step toward his middle infield dreams: by making an error at third.
It was to get him to third base in time.
Gallaher arrived at the field at 3:30 p.m. Thursday. He received his Anglers gear and uniform minutes before making it to team stretches at 4:20. Then it was time to prepare for a ballgame while simultaneously meeting 30 other guys.
Gallaher conversed with manager Dennis Cook and the A’s coaching staff — he says they’re laid back and willing to answer his questions. He befriended Ace Reese (Mississippi State), who also made his debut the day he arrived. Even though Reese is leaving soon, Gallaher felt comfortable talking with the fellow third baseman. Other than that, everything was brand new.
“It’s funny, when you show up on the first day, you meet everybody but you don’t really know names,” Gallaher said. “Learning everybody’s name as we’re on the field is fun.”
He entered Veterans Field in the late afternoon, then started at the hot corner and helped spur a victory in the evening. Gallaher’s same-day debut — 1-for-3, one walk, and mostly clean fielding — assisted Chatham’s (2-2-1, East) 4-2 win over Cotuit (1-4, West) Thursday. But it was still an improper introduction to the caliber of player he is. The North Carolina standout enters his second Cape Cod Baseball League season after tearing apart the ACC in the spring. As a sophomore, Gallaher tallied a 1.012 OPS with 17 homers and 68 runs batted in.
Gallaher’s not here for the Chatham Squire; he’s here to be a key producer for the Anglers.
“Yeah, that’s the plan,” he said about a lengthy stay on the Cape this summer. “I know some guys come and go, but I haven’t really thought about it too much.”
The A’s would surely appreciate another highly-touted prospect being around for the home stretch — Gallaher committed to UNC’s 2024 freshman class as the state of North Carolina’s No. 10 prospect, per Perfect Game. He stepped on the scene with a bang, capturing All-ACC Freshman Team honors after batting .314 with eight long balls and a .883 OPS. The 6-foot-1 infielder struggled a tad with his glove, tallying 10 errors in 53 games, but his bat was undeniable.
The Cape is a common place for those suffering from the dreaded sophomore slump. If anything, Gallaher took a major sophomore-year leap. Still, his success wasn’t linear. Gallaher’s season-ending numbers reflect among the top infielders in the nation. It masks his rough start — four hits in the first eight games — and slump-ridden middle. Gallaher wasn’t consistent enough for an All-ACC selection.
“The biggest thing I learned is that it's a long season,” Gallaher said. “So even though I didn't start out great and then I had a couple hot streaks in the middle, a couple cold streaks in the middle, I just knew that it's a long season and I just had to stick with it, keep grinding.
“And then things clicked in the end.”
Gallaher punctuated his sophomore campaign with an absurd postseason performance — batting .722 with three homers, eight total extra-base hits and 10 RBI in four games at the Chapel Hill Regional. He earned the region’s Most Outstanding Player award for the second consecutive year. Two years in, and some within the Tar Heel community are hailing him as a UNC legend.
Part of how he seasoned himself to star on the big stage came through the CCBL. Gallaher spent the 2024 summer with Yarmouth-Dennis, where he didn’t do much, accumulating a .202 batting average with two home runs and 15 RBI in 28 games. He’s conquered the ACC, but it takes time to get acclimated to facing big-time SEC pitchers, among others.
“I faced a lot of high-end arms every game,” Gallaher said of his summer in Y-D. “And I continued to see that, even coming off a long ACC season, I saw a lot of arms that I wouldn’t have seen in the regular season, and I could build off that.”
He wanted another shot at Cape League talent, returning in Angler blue instead of red. Last summer in a July 10 game in Chatham, Gallaher blasted a two-run home run, so he’s familiar with the vibrant midsummer atmospheres at Veterans Field — just on the opposite side. A compelling pitch from Cook and Co. ultimately stamped Gallaher’s decision.
“Last year was a great experience all the way around, and this summer, I had just heard a lot of good things about Chatham,” Gallaher said. “I figured it’d be fun to get even more new experiences.”
In the second inning, Gavin Gallaher made a nifty barehand play on a grounder before firing a dart to first to get Ryan Jaros out. Photograph by Ella Tovey
Cook said he called Gallaher numerous times in the days leading up to his debut, getting him up to speed on the team’s operations and asking what positions he wanted to play. He also inquired if Gallaher was willing to play as soon as he arrived, a question to which Gallaher responded with little hesitation.
“He definitely wanted to play,” Cook said.
The first-year manager doesn’t baby anybody, and he’s well aware of the infielder’s pedigree, so he expected instant execution from Gallaher. Yet Cook recognized Gallaher had spent the last two days sitting in a car, and even he excused the UNC product’s eighth-inning throwing error — the lowlight of Gallaher’s debut.
“One mishap on a throw. But I thought he played excellent defense today,” Cook said of Gallaher.
Gallaher’s first-look at Veterans Field didn’t feature anything eye-popping at the plate, but he delivered a clutch leadoff single in the eighth inning to kickstart Chatham’s game-sealing two-run frame. He eventually advanced to third and crossed home off a bases-loaded walk drawn by A’s catcher/outfielder Daniel Jackson (Georgia), scoring the game-winning run.
But his most impressive moment occurred in the second inning, where he charged downhill at a slow-rolling grounder, barehanded the ball and flung a dart at first baseman Jake Hanley (Indiana) to put Cotuit’s Ryan Jaros out. With Anderson French on first base during the play, Gallaher respected his speed and knew if a shallow ground ball came his way, he’d toss it to first. He also read the grounder like a book.
“He didn’t get a great swing off,” Gallaher said. “I knew I had a little bit of time. Just made sure I fielded it cleanly and was able to make a good throw.”
This spring boosted Gallaher’s confidence, and he’s on the Cape to make sure that feeling is prolonged. But, he’s also here to compete for positioning. People know Gallaher as a slugging third baseman. He yearns to one day be known as a shortstop or second baseman in the big leagues, though.
“Ultimately, I'd say the biggest thing is try to get work in the middle infield and hopefully work my way in there next season (at North Carolina) again,” Gallaher said of why he came to Chatham.
On Thursday, Gallaher took his first step toward his middle infield dreams: by making an error at third.
