Queens Transfer LHP Joey Ruller Commits to Carolina Baseball
Article by: Michael Blevins
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The Boys on the Diamond are heading back to the Summit Ridge of college baseball, the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska. With only a few games left to win, much like climbing Mount Everest, the hardest steps lie ahead starting Friday night.
Before we ramp up our excitement for Ole Miss, we want to make sure we take adequate time to check out one of the Heels’ under-the-radar Transfer Portal pickups. On May 28th, Head Coach Scott Forbes tweeted his patented celebratory tweets, which have served as his cryptic way of telling fans he has landed a recruit. Then, like a dog on a bone, fans scour the web to see who committed. On May 28th, it was Joey Ruller. Ruller is a left-hand pitcher transferring from Queens University and will be a redshirt senior next year for Carolina.
Joey Ruller Earns Carolina Curveball Honor Roll Recognition for Week 6
Ruller delivered a dominant performance in Queens' win over Jacksonville, tossing 7.1 innings while allowing just one earned run on four hits and striking out nine to earn the victory.
It is easy to check the stats on Joey Ruller, and your initial reaction is to be underwhelmed. That was my first thought, but that was before I took a deep dive into who exactly UNC had just landed. What I found gives me a hopeful outlook on this lefty’s potential to help the Heels in 2027.
In 2026, Ruller had a 4.47 ERA with a record of 5-8. As you look around the college baseball landscape, there are guys in these high-pressure games with ERAs north of that. What is most impressive is that he lowered that ERA from 8.25 in 2025 while almost doubling his innings pitched! In the ’25 campaign, he made 16 appearances and logged 52.1 innings, but in the ‘26 season, Ruller was an absolute bulldog on the mound for Queens, eating up 90.2 innings in 14 appearances. Ruller led Queens in ERA, innings pitched, WHIP, strikeouts, and wins. UNC did not land a depth piece; it landed someone with the propensity to eat up innings and have a big impact in 2027.
Footage Courtesy of SEC Network
Potentially, what the Heels staff likes is Joey’s continued upside! Ruller is listed at 6’2” and 205 lbs at Queens, which is up from 185 lbs in previous seasons. There’s always a little gamesmanship on those reports, but it does look like the 22-year-old is beginning to fill out and tap into his prime potential. He will not bring overwhelming velocity from the left side, but he absolutely brings the ability to mix his pitches and induce weak contact with a great pitch mix. As somewhat of a late bloomer, there is huge upside to this incoming lefty hurler! We can expect a fastball that will be in the 89-92 range, a change-up with great spin, and multiple breaking ball shapes to put away hitters.
Footage Courtesy of Queens Athletics
Coach Forbes has really hit big on the transfers in recent memory, and Joey Ruller looks to follow the likes of the immediate impact 2025 transfer class that was headlined by Schaffner, Hull, Paulsen, and more. I am looking forward to having him and the 2026 Portal class on campus.
Keep it tuned in to Heels of Franklin for all your Diamond Heels recruiting and portal updates!
