By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — No. 17 North Carolina is loaded with young pitching talent, but none as young as freshman Jason DeCaro.
The 17-year-old right-hander has earned a spot in the weekend rotation after showing poise and an impressive four-pitch mix in two mid-week starts.
DeCaro took a no-hitter into the sixth inning as UNC rebounded from a pair of weekend losses to No. 11 East Carolina with a decisive 8–2 victory Tuesday at Boshamer Stadium over VCU.
Their young battery powered the Tar Heels (6–2), with freshman catcher Luke Stevenson showing off his speed while going 3 for 3 with an RBI as UNC banged out 13 hits.
Forbes said that DeCaro set the tone for Carolina’s best overall game this season after he talked with him about command in the zone and not trying to be too fine.
“He was phenomenal. He’s going to be so much fun to watch,” said Forbes, who expects that DeCaro will throw about 70 pitches Sunday against Princeton.
It got everybody’s attention when DeCaro (1–0), who got in the upper-90s with his fastball, threw a 90-mph changeup. DeCaro and Stevenson said they were shocked, and Forbes said that was the first time he’s seen a player he’s coached do that since Matt Harvey.
DeCaro, who said he’d never thrown a changeup that fast, was effective with his fastball, a slider and a curveball that averaged a 2,957 rpm spin rate. For context, only 12 MLB pitchers averaged a higher curveball spin rate last season.
“He had a ton of success,” Stevenson said of DeCaro. “Dude competes his tail off. He works really hard. He’s got some of the best stuff, if not the best stuff on the team, with a four-pitch mix, and he can throw it whenever, wherever he wants, no matter the count. He just went out and executed it.”
Forbes gave DeCaro mid-week starts to begin the season, not because his stuff wasn’t good but because the other pitchers threw better in the preseason, and DeCaro had what Forbes called B- command. His command was excellent on Tuesday, though.
In 95 pitches, DeCaro (1–0) gave up three hits, one run and one walk with three strikeouts.
DeCaro’s first three-ball count wasn’t until DH Eli Weisner drew a two-out fifth-inning walk to become VCU’s first baserunner. Weisner had broken up a no-hitter with two outs in the fifth inning for the Rams (4–4) in their previous game, a 7–5 home win Sunday over Merrimack.
Cooper Benzin ended DeCaro’s no-hit bid with a clean single to left to lead off the sixth inning. Right-fielder Aden Hill’s two-out single drove in the only run off DeCaro.
DeCaro calmly worked through those two tough innings.
“Just keeping the same mindset and going after guys,” DeCaro said. “My defense behind me was great all day and just trying to attack the zone. If they put it in play, I know they’ll make the play behind me.”
DeCaro is two years younger than fellow freshman and Friday starter Folger Boaz. Thanks to the older players, all of the freshmen have made a smooth transition into college baseball.
“They really just show us how to act and how things should be done here, and just kind of following by their example has really helped us out,” said DeCaro, who could have gone directly to pro baseball but said he wanted to go to school all along and is happy he ended up at Carolina.
Anthony Donofrio’s bases-loaded, no-out double to right field drove in two runs in the first inning. A third run came home on an error on the same play, and Donofrio scored on a second error to give UNC a 4–0 lead.
Freshman DH Gavin Gallaher led off the third inning with a double down the right-field line and later scored on a double-play ball.
Stevenson probably would have hit a home run on another day when the wind wasn’t blowing in. But his 402-foot shot instead went off the center field wall in the sixth inning for an RBI triple, and gave him a chance to show off his speed.
Honeycutt got on base for his seventh consecutive plate appearance with a two-out fifth-inning walk, and left fielder Casey Cook drove him home with a triple to right field. Alberto Osuna drove in Cook with an infield single.
Graduate second baseman Alex Madera led off for the third consecutive game after hitting in the eight hole for his first four starts. He went 2 for 5 and made a terrific play to his right to snag a liner hit by second baseman Casey Kleinman in the fourth inning. He saved a run by knocking down a grounder in the sixth inning.
After sophomore UNC right-hander Cameron Padgett gave up one hit in a shutout inning, VCU added a run off freshman right-hander Francesco Capocci in the eighth on first baseman Chris McHugh’s two-out RBI double.
Senior right-hander Connor Bovair closed out the game with a scoreless ninth inning with a strikeout.
“I thought everybody was good out of the bullpen,” Forbes said. “Bovair keeps on moving up a little bit with his velocity. Francisco was good, and Cam was good. Both those guys are learning how to pitch at the top of the zone.”
NOTES — Carolina continues its five-game homestand at 2 p.m. Wednesday (moved two hours earlier because of the rain forecast) against Longwood (ESPN3) before hosting Princeton for a three-game series beginning Friday. Longwood (6–1) swept a weekend home series against Iona by a combined score of 39–21. Its only loss came 16–6 at VCU on Feb. 20. UNC right-hander Boston Flannery will oppose Lancers right-hander Owen Simmons (0–0, 22.50 ERA). … Princeton opened its season last weekend by losing two of three games at UNCW. … Senior transfer first baseman Parks Harber suffered a concussion in practice on Monday, and senior Alberto Osuna (1 for 5 with an RBI) got his first start of the season at first base. Harber, in concussion protocol, will also miss the Longwood game. … Honeycutt worked a 12-pitch walk in the first inning. … It was the fifth straight win over the Rams for UNC, which leads the all-time series 26–7.
No. 17 UNC 8, VCU 2
| Date | Day/ month | Time/ score | Opponent/event (current ranks) | TV/ record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February | ||||
| 16 | Friday | W, 10–3 | vs. Wagner | 1–0 |
| 17 | Saturday | W, 16–5 | vs. Wagner | 2–0 |
| 18 | Sunday | W, 20–6 | vs. Wagner | 3–0 |
| 20 | Tuesday | W, 8–7 | vs. Elon | 4–0 |
| 23 | Friday | W, 2–1 | vs. No. 7 East Carolina | 5–0 |
| 24 | Saturday | L, 7–4 | vs. No. 7 East Carolina in Fayetteville | 5–1 |
| 25 | Sunday | L, 10–9 | at No. 7 East Carolina | 5–2 |
| 27 | Tuesday | W, 8–2 | vs. VCU | 6–2 |
| 28 | Wednesday | W, 12–3 | vs. Longwood | 7–2 |
| March | ||||
| 1 | Friday | W, 12–2 | vs. Princeton | 8–2 |
| 2 | Saturday | W, 11–2 | vs. Princeton | 9–2 |
| 3 | Sunday | W, 13–6 | vs. Princeton | 10–2 |
| 5 | Tuesday | W, 7–3 | at Campbell | 11–2 |
| 8 | Friday | W, 2–1 | vs. Pittsburgh | 12–2, 1–0 ACC |
| 9 | Saturday | W, 7–3 | vs. Pittsburgh | 13–2, 2–0 ACC |
| 10 | Sunday | W, 6–5, 10 innings | vs. Pittsburgh | 14–2, 3–0 ACC |
| 12 | Tuesday | W, 13–7 | vs. Rutgers | 15–2 |
| 13 | Wednesday | W, 9–8 | vs. Rutgers | 16–2 |
| 15 | Friday | L, 14–1 | at Miami | 16–3, 3–1 ACC |
| 16 | Saturday | L, 2–1 | at Miami | 16–4, 3–2 ACC |
| 17 | Sunday | W, 18–6 | at Miami | 17–4, 4–2 ACC |
| 19 | Tuesday | W, 11–0, 7 innings | vs. UNCW | 18–4 |
| 22 | Friday | W, 5–4 | vs. Georgia Tech | 19–4, 5–2 ACC |
| 23 | Saturday | W, 11–5 | vs. Georgia Tech | 20–4, 6–2 ACC |
| 24 | Sunday | W, 9–2 | vs. Georgia Tech | 21–4, 7–2 ACC |
| 26 | Tuesday | W, 10–8 | vs. N.C. A&T | 22–4 |
| 29 | Friday | W, 6–5 | at No. 8 Wake Forest | 23–4, 8–2 ACC |
| 30 | Saturday | W, 10–6 | at No. 8 Wake Forest | 24–4, 9–2 ACC |
| 31 | Sunday | W, 14–10 | at No. 8 Wake Forest | 25–4, 10–2 ACC |
| April | ||||
| 4 | Thursday | L, 14–11 | at No. 14 Virginia | 25–5, 10–3 ACC |
| 5 | Friday | L, 7–2 | at No. 14 Virginia | 25–6, 10–4 ACC |
| 6 | Saturday | W, 12–7 | at No. 14 Virginia | 26–6, 11–4 ACC |
| 9 | Tuesday | L, 2–1 | vs. No. 24 South Carolina in Charlotte | 26–7 |
| 12 | Friday | W, 13–0, 6½ innings | vs. Notre Dame | 27–7, 12–4 ACC |
| 13 | Saturday | W, 7–2 | vs. Notre Dame | 28–7, 13–4 ACC |
| 14 | Sunday | W, 10–3 | vs. Notre Dame | 29–7, 14–4 ACC |
| 16 | Tuesday | L, 5–4 | vs. No. 13 Coastal Carolina | 29–8 |
| 18 | Thursday | L, 9–8 | at No. 21 N.C. State | 29–9, 14–5 ACC |
| 19 | Friday | L, 5–4 | at No. 21 N.C. State | 29–10, 14–6 ACC |
| 20 | Saturday | W, 14–3 | at No. 21 N.C. State | 30–10, 15–6 ACC |
| 23 | Tuesday | W, 5–2 | vs. Gardner-Webb | 31–10 |
| 26 | Friday | W, 8–1 | vs. Virginia Tech | 32–10, 16–6 ACC |
| 27 | Saturday | 2 p.m. | vs. Virginia Tech | ESPN3 |
| 28 | Sunday | 1 p.m. | vs. Virginia Tech | ESPN3 |
| 30 | Tuesday | 6 p.m. | vs. Charlotte | ACCN |
| May | ||||
| 1 | Wednesday | 6 p.m. | vs. William & Mary | ESPN3 |
| 7 | Tuesday | 6 p.m. | vs. Campbell | ESPN3 |
| 10 | Friday | 6 p.m. | vs. Louisville | ESPN3 |
| 11 | Saturday | 2 p.m. | vs. Louisville | ESPN3 |
| 12 | Sunday | 1 p.m. | vs. Louisville | ACCN |
| 14 | Tuesday | 6 p.m. | at UNCW | FloSports |
| 16 | Thursday | 6 p.m. | at No. 6 Duke | ACCN |
| 17 | Friday | 6 p.m. | at No. 6 Duke | ESPN3 |
| 18 | Saturday | 1 p.m. | at No. 6 Duke | ESPN3 |
| 21–26 | Tuesday- Sunday | TBA | ACC tournament in Charlotte | ACCN |
| 31 | Friday | TBA | NCAA Regional | TBA |
| June | ||||
| 1–3 | Saturday- Monday | TBA | NCAA Regional | TBA |
| 7–10 | Friday- Monday | TBA | NCAA Super Regional | TBA |
| 14–24 | Friday- Monday | TBA | College World Series in Omaha, Neb. | TBA |
Photos courtesy of UNC Athletics
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