North Carolina has bolstered its 2027 baseball roster with the addition of Utah Valley catcher Derek Houston, who committed to the Tar Heels out of the transfer portal. Inside Carolina had it first.
Houston, a 6-foot-2, 210-pound redshirt sophomore, hit .307 with five home runs and 20 RBIs in 39 games for Utah Valley in 2026. The Kanab, Utah, native posted a .307/.410/.526 slash line and a .938 OPS, ranking third on the team in both average and OPS while recording six multi-hit and six multi-RBI games.
BREAKING: North Carolina has added another catcher to its 2027 roster.
Utah Valley backstop Derek Houston has committed to the Diamond Heels, he confirmed to Inside Carolina on Wednesday evening.
Story: https://t.co/1jdp1NYAwEpic.twitter.com/1M8s6qSJZw
— InsideCarolina (@InsideCarolina) July 16, 2026
Primarily a catcher, Houston made 21 starts behind the plate and also drew starts in left field and at designated hitter. Defensively, he recorded a .988 fielding percentage, threw out eight of 31 attempted base stealers and was charged with 10 passed balls.
North Carolina has been active in reshaping its catching corps, as Colin Hynek is out of eligibility and Macon Winslow is expected to sign with the Philadelphia Phillies after being selected in the sixth round of last weekend’s MLB Draft. The Tar Heels have turned to the portal for reinforcements. Houston is the second catcher to transfer in this offseason, joining former Maryland backstop Devin Russell.
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC adds Utah Valley catcher Derek Houston from transfer portal
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