Pitcher Jason DeCaro looks to bring maturity to the mound in second season

Before every baseball game, Jason DeCaro’s phone lights up with a text message. 

“Just do you,” his parents say.  

It grounds him, especially in the face of intimidating circumstances. Last year, he read it before his first game on the mound in a UNC uniform at 17-years-old, before his first weekend appearance in March, before his first Saturday start six days later, and before his first pitch in Omaha, Neb. to kickoff the College World Series. 

As a pitcher, he controls the pace of the game, so no matter the circumstance, he sticks to his routine to keep his mind clear and focused. 

“Pressure is really only self-inflicted,” DeCaro said. 

It’s a mentality his North Carolina teammates and coaches praise him for. The sophomore pitcher made 18 starts with a 6-1 record in his first year as a Tar Heel. In 2024, he ranked top-five in the ACC with a 3.81 ERA, .221 batting average, 7.43 hits allowed per nine innings and 25 batters struck out looking. This year, the preseason All-American looks to continue as UNC’s ace. 

In January, head coach Scott Forbes said if he were to make the call on that day, based on the offseason, he would pick DeCaro to start on the mound at Friday’s season-opener against Texas Tech. 

“Jason does work,” Forbes said. “But he’s also more mature with his routine. He’s more mature with everything. He’s got a lot of big-game experience.”

At the end of last year, DeCaro met with Forbes in the head coach’s office. Forbes asked him to become more of a leader in the locker room, as the likes of Vance Honeycutt and Casey Cook departed for the MLB Draft. 

It’s not the first time DeCaro has been asked to step up. In his junior year of high school at St. Anthony’s, the North Port, N.Y. native had people looking to him for what to do on the field for the first time. In order to cope with the weight of leadership, he told himself that even if he didn’t feel confident, he had to fake it. Eventually, it shifted into real self-belief as a leader. 

In 2022, DeCaro — a top-five prospect out of New York — had officially decided to continue his career at UNC. However, he chose to delay his commitment an extra month. He wanted his travel ball teammates on Team Francisco to get the opportunity to be scouted by college coaches. DeCaro knew if he announced early, fewer scouts would attend the rest of their games and see his teammates.

“He wanted to help as much as he could,” his mom, Jennifer, said. “And it’s an example of how he was trying to leave it better than he found it.”

It’s also indicative of the lessons his family taught him. His parents, Jennifer and Charles, have a list of edicts they have repeated throughout his life. 

Set goals. Work to achieve them. Be prepared so no moment is ever too big. Always do your best in whatever you set out to do.

DeCaro already knows his goal: win a national championship. To get there, he said everyone must be pointed in the same direction. For his personal preparation, he worked on getting stronger in the weight room during the offseason. He continued to train the fundamentals, like his bunt defense. He pitched against the best hitters on the team in scrimmages.

Leadership is also needed, and he wants to step up for the new guys, answer their questions and help them improve. 

“It doesn’t matter how old you are,” DeCaro said. “You can’t use the excuse of, ‘Oh, I’m just a freshman. That’s a freshman mistake.’ That doesn’t fly.”

In the time leading up to Friday’s game, he’ll get his mind right. He’ll eat the pregame meal. Then, three hours before the game, he’ll take a 20-minute nap on a vacant couch in the player’s lounge to clear his mind. 

Before his cleats touch the turf of Boshamer Stadium, he’ll pet Remington, UNC's golden retriever service dog. 

He’ll look at the text from his parents. 

Then, if all goes to plan, he’ll make the trek to the mound, relaxed and in control.  

“You have to be able to slow yourself down at times,” DeCaro said. “You’re gonna be in big spots here.”

@carolinewills03

@dthsports | sports@dailytarheel.com

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