By R.L. Bynum
OMAHA, Neb. — It couldn’t be a more fitting stage for Jason DeCaro to make his final college start.
The junior ace of No. 4 North Carolina’s staff will get the ball in Game 1 of the College World Series Finals against Oklahoma with the Tar Heels two wins away from the program’s first national championship.
DeCaro (11–2, 2.31 ERA), has shown he isn’t going to flinch in the big moment. With UNC’s season on the line in Game 2 of the Chapel Hill Super Regional, he pitched a two-hit shutout with eight strikeouts, allowing only two hits and no unintentional walks in a 4–0 win.
Omaha is a bigger stage, but it is not unfamiliar. He already has two career Omaha starts and has taken the same approach throughout the postseason.
“Not really focusing too much on them,” DeCaro said of the power-hitting Sooners. “Just really focusing on what I can do, how I can pitch to my strengths, especially at this point in the year. We’ve worked so hard all year to improve ourselves. There’s no reason to go away from that now.”
UNC coach Scott Forbes expects DeCaro to stay aggressive against that lineup, which has hit eight home runs in Omaha, including five in Wednesday’s win over Georgia, and leads the CWS with a .315 batting average.
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More CWS coverage
— UNC confident it can meet the latest challenge in red-hot Sooners
— Video, transcript: UNC’s pre-College World Series Finals press conference
— Forbes emotionally reflects on his first trip to CWS Finals as pitching coach
— Heels two wins away from title after offensive explosion
— French’s Omaha challenges have included fastballs and organic chemistry
— ‘Loose as a goose’ Glauber belies his age, meets the moment
“What Jason’s going to do is what he’s been doing,” Forbes said. “We don’t care what the offense has been, what they’re doing, how hot they are. He’s going to go right after them with his stuff. You start being tentative, then that offense gets even better.”
Oklahoma outfielder Trey Gambill has watched DeCaro and knows that hitting against him won’t be easy.
“He’s a good pitcher,” Gambill said. “And North Carolina has a reputation of great pitchers. What I’ve noticed he’s great at pitching at both sides of the plate, up and down, great stuff. And similar to many pitchers out there in college baseball, you’re going to have to be ready. You’re going to have to be ready to battle. You’re probably going to get two strikes, you’re going to have to fight off some good pitches. That’s what I see from him.”
The Sooners saw DeCaro last season when UNC eliminated them in the Chapel Hill Regional.
“We had a chance to face him last year in [when both teams has a] 1–0 [record] in the regional, and I feel like we kind of have a lot of guys that were here that remember what his stuff looked like,” Oklahoma infielder Jaxon Willits said. “And we have a good understanding of how he liked to attack us and how he pitched us against us last year.”
DeCaro gave up seven hits and three runs but didn’t walk a batter and struck out eight in six innings of UNC’s 11–5 victory.
So we kind of just got to use that information that he showed us last year. And then some of the information that he’s shown throughout this year, too, go out there and formulate a good game plan to go against him.
The Tar Heels have relied on a similar formula all season, pairing DeCaro’s consistency with a defense that has been among the nation’s most reliable and the only CWS team without an error in Omaha.
DeCaro’s journey to this point has mirrored the program’s steady climb back to championship contention. One of several veterans who arrived with expectations of reaching Omaha, he now finds himself starting the opener of a national title series.
“From the day that me and Gavin [Gallaher] stepped foot on campus, this was always the goal,” DeCaro said. “Just to see where we came from, from freshman year to now, the journey’s been awesome. We’re excited that we have this opportunity to go out there and compete for a national championship.”
He has approached each start in the postseason with that same sense of urgency, knowing no outing is guaranteed.
“It could have been the last start of the season last weekend,” DeCaro said. “It could have been this past week. Just going out there and having a blast, trying to enjoy every pitch, every second of it.”
Carolina’s veterans have helped set that tone, reinforcing a culture that has prioritized team success over individual accolades. Forbes said that leadership has been essential in navigating a season filled with expectations and outside distractions.
“The team, the team, the team is what we always talk about,” Forbes said. “When you have guys return and know what our culture is about, and they implement that to all the new players, that’s why we’ve had such a good team.”
Now, that team is a pair of wins away from history.
And with DeCaro on the mound to open the finals, the Tar Heels will lean on the same formula that has carried them this far, trust their preparation, and take the biggest stage in college baseball pitch by pitch.
“Just accepting that there’s going to be extra adrenaline,” DeCaro said. “Trying to slow yourself down, take a deep breath, and focus on each pitch, one pitch at a time.”
College World Series
At Charles Schwab Field Omaha in Omaha, Neb.
Pool play
All listed times are ET
June 12 results
West Virginia 7, Troy 5
North Carolina 6, Ole Miss 2
June 13 results
Oklahoma 9, Alabama 0
Georgia 7, Texas 1
June 14 results
Troy 12, Ole Miss 8; Ole Miss eliminated
North Carolina 5, West Virginia 2
June 15 results
Texas 14, Alabama 2; Alabama eliminated
Oklahoma 4, Georgia 3
Tuesday’s results
West Virginia 12, Troy 0; Troy eliminated
Georgia 2, Texas 0; Texas eliminated
Wednesday’s results
North Carolina 12, West Virginia 7; West Virginia eliminated
Oklahoma 11, Georgia 4; Georgia eliminated
CWS Finals
(Best-of-3 series)
North Carolina vs. Oklahoma
Game 1 Saturday: Oklahoma 9, North Carolina 3; Sooners lead series 1-0
Game 2 (Oklahoma home team): Sunday, 2:39 p.m., ABC
Game 3 (UNC home team): Monday, if needed, 7:09 p.m., ESPN
| Date(s) | Day/ month | Times/ scores | Opponent (current rank) | Record/ TV * |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February | ||||
| 13–14 | Fri., Sat. | W, 9–4; W, 12–2 (7); W, 4–3 (11) | vs. Indiana | 3–0 |
| 17 | Tuesday | W, 10–0 (7) | vs. Richmond | 4–0 |
| 18 | Wednesday | W, 5–3 | vs. Longwood | 5–0 |
| 20–22 | Fri.-Sun | W, 10–0 (8); L, 10–3; T, 3–3 | vs. East Carolina | 6–1–1 |
| 24 | Tuesday | W, 9–1 | vs. N.C. A&T | 7–1–1 |
| 25 | Wednesday | W, 13–3 (7) | vs. VCU | 8–1–1 |
| 27–28 | Fri., Sat. | W, 16–3 (7); W, 12–2 (7) | vs. Le Moyne | 10–1–1 |
| March | ||||
| 1 | Sunday | W, 21–1 (7) | vs. Le Moyne | 11–1–1 |
| 3 | Tuesday | W, 5–1 | vs. Elon | 12–1–1 |
| 6–7 | Fri., Sat | L, 13–3 (7); L, 9–2; W, 8–7 (12) | vs. Virginia | 13–3–1, 1–2 ACC |
| 10 | Tuesday | W, 13–3 (7) | vs. Bucknell | 14–3–1 |
| 13–15 | Fri.-Sun. | W, 8–1; W, 6–2; W, 10–2 | at California | 17–3–1, 4–2 |
| 18 | Wednesday | W, 8–2 | vs. UNCG | 18–3–1 |
| 20–22 | Fri.–Sun. | W, 11–1 (8); L, 2–0; W, 7–6 | vs. Louisville | 20–4–1, 6–3 |
| 24 | Tuesday | W, 9–1 | vs. South Carolina in Charlotte | 21–4–1 |
| 28, 29 | Sat., Sun | W, 6–5; W, 13–7; W, 15–10 | at Notre Dame | 24–4–1, 9–3 |
| 31 | Tuesday | W, 5–4 (14) | vs. Campbell | 25–4–1 |
| April | ||||
| 2–4 | Thur.-Sat. | L, 6–1; W, 5–2; W, 8–7 | vs. Boston College | 27–5–1, 11–4 |
| 7 | Tuesday | W, 8–4 | vs. Charlotte | 28–5–1 |
| 10–12 | Fri.–Sun. | L, 9–5; W, 6–4 (14); W, 12–5 | at Clemson | 30–6–1, 13–5 |
| 14 | Tuesday | W, 14–5 | vs. UNCW | 31–6–1 |
| 17–19 | Fri.-Sun. | W, 5–2; W, 14–4 (8); L, 5–2 | vs. No. 2 Georgia Tech | 33–7–1, 15–6 |
| 21 | Tuesday | W, 9–2 | vs. High Point | 34–7–1 |
| 23–25 | Thur.–Sat. | W, 3–1; L, 3–1; W, 22–5 (7) | at Duke | 36–8–1, 17–7 |
| 28 | Tuesday | L, 12–2 | vs. Coastal Carolina | 36–9–1 |
| May | ||||
| 3 | Sunday | W, 13–0 (7) (non-conference game) | vs. Duke | 37–9–1 |
| 8–10 | Fri.-Sun. | W, 4–1; W, 12–2 (8); W, 7–3 | vs. Pittsburgh | 40–9–1, 20–7 |
| 12 | Tuesday | W, 13–7 | at UNCW | 41–9–1 |
| 14–16 | Thur.-Sat. | W, 9–4; W, 17–7 (8); L, 7–2 | at N.C. State | 43–10–1, 22–8 |
| ACC tournament | Charlotte | |||
| 22 | Friday | W, 10–4 | Quarterfinal vs. Virginia Tech | 44–10–1 |
| 23 | Saturday | W, 13–5 | Semifinal vs. Pittsburgh | 45–10–1 |
| 24 | Sunday | L, 13–6 | Championship vs. No. 2 Ga. Tech | 45–11–1 |
| NCAA tournament | ||||
| Chapel Hill Regional | ||||
| 29 | Friday | W, 8–0 | VCU | 46–11–1 |
| 30–31 | Sat.–Sun. | W, 7–5, W, 9–3 | East Carolina | 48–11–1 |
| June | ||||
| Chapel Hill Super Regionals | ||||
| 5–7 | Fri.–Sun. | L, 9–5, W, 4–0, W, 4–3 | Southern Cal | 50–12–1 |
| College World Series | Omaha, Neb. | |||
| 12 | Friday | W, 6–2 | No. 18 Ole Miss | 51–12–1 |
| 14, 17 | Sun., Wed. | W, 5–2, W, 12–7 | No. 9 West Virginia | 53–12–1 |
| 2 | Saturday | L, 9–3 | CWS Finals vs. Oklahoma | 53–13–1 |
| 21 | Sunday | 2:39 p.m. | vs. Oklahoma | ABC |
| 22 | Monday | 7:09 (if needed) | vs. Oklahoma | ESPN |
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics
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