Two Nominees Voted 2026 North Carolina Baseball Co-Players of the Year

Polk County's Gunnar Alm and Bunn's Jared Hagwood finished tied with 50 percent of votes.

Gunnar Alm of Polk County (left) and Jared Hagwood of Bunn split the fan voting for North Carolina High School Player of the Year. | Gunnar Alm and Jared Hagwood

In a rarity, Polk County's Gunnar Alm and Bunn's Jared Hagwood were voted High School On SI's North Carolina Baseball Co-Players of the Year. Both players finished tied for the top spot with 50 percent of fan votes.

Alm's Impressive 2026 Season

Alm led the Wolverines to a 17-10 record and a Western Highlands Conference Championship. The senior and NC State commit was also named the All-Western North Carolina Baseball Player of the Year by the Citizen-Times in Asheville.

Alm batted .451 with 32 hits, 31 RBIs, 11 home runs, 50 runs, and 41 stolen bases. He was also named to the MaxPreps 2026 Small Town All-America Team, earning First-Team selection.

Alm's impressive high school career was enough for MLB scouts to take notice. However, he recently turned down the 2026 MLB Draft to focus on his college baseball career at NC State.

"I'm really close with Coach Chris Hart," Alm told Inside Pack Sports. "He didn't want to get too involved because he wanted me and my family to make the decision ourselves. Obviously, he told me what he thought and gave me some really good advice, but he never tried to pressure me. He just let us know he'd love to have me at NC State and that it was our decision to make. I'm really glad with the decision I made."

Hagwood's Stellar 2026 Campaign

Hagwood led the Wildcats to a 26-3 record and the NCHSAA Class 4A state championship. Some of his 2026 accolades include Quad County Player of the Year and Prep Baseball North Carolina's Second Team All-State.

The senior and Wake Technical Community College commit went 10-2 with a 0.76 ERA and 118 strikeouts in 73.2 innings pitched. One of the southpaw's big accomplishments this past season was eclipsing 300 strikeouts for his career. Additionally, Hagwood hit 22 RBIs and two home runs.

As a junior in 2025, Hagwood was named Big East Conference Pitcher of the Year. That season, he went 10-2 with a 1.20 ERA and 97 strikeouts in 58.1 innings. He also hit 20 RBIs and three homers.