Jason DeCaro has been a staple ace his entire career. He made his first start for North Carolina in 2024 at 17 years old and was in the weekend rotation just a week later. The Freshman All-American, then barely 18, got the start and helped the Heels to a win in their College World Series opener.
Fast forward to 2026 and he just keeps on getting better. He became just the sixth Tar Heel to start back-to-back Opening Day games before throwing the team’s first eight-inning, complete game shutout since 2013 the next week, setting a strong tone for the season ahead.
The two-time All-ACC selection holds the conference’s second-best ERA (1.91) and his nine victories are tied for the ACC lead. He recently surpassed 200 career strikeouts, the first Carolina pitcher to hit that mark in seven years.
His effectiveness across his 66 innings has helped him lead Carolina to the fifth-best team ERA in the country as UNC looks to lead the ACC in that category three years running.