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In front of the home crowd, Jason DeCaro reaches an impressive career milestone

The junior right-hander has accomplished something that only an elite group of former Tar Heels has ever done prior.
ByNick Delahanty|
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Jun 8, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels Jason DeCaro (29) pitches against the West Virginia Mountaineers in the first inning of the DI Baseball Super Regional at Boshamer Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Camarati-Imagn Images
Jun 8, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels Jason DeCaro (29) pitches against the West Virginia Mountaineers in the first inning of the DI Baseball Super Regional at Boshamer Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Camarati-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Camarati-Imagn Images

From the moment Jason DeCaro stepped foot on campus, the UNC baseball program knew they had something special in the right-hander from North Port, New York.

Now in his junior season, DeCaro has reached an impressive career milestone, one that not only happened in front of the home crowd at Boshamer Stadium, but against the Diamond Heels' biggest rival- the Duke Blue Devils.

Jason DeCaro records his 200th career strikeout

In the second inning of a non-conference game between the Tar Heels and Blue Devils, DeCaro recorded his 200th career strikeout. The right-hander accomplished the feat in his 233rd career inning of work, as he came into Sunday's action needing just two punchouts to join the exclusive club.

You may be curious as to how close DeCaro is to claiming a potential spot in the top 10 strikeouts leader list in UNC baseball history. He certainly has some work to do to get to that point, as he would need over 70 more strikeouts to pass Mike Bynum for 10th on the all-time list.

While he's fully expected to be selected in this year's MLB Draft, DeCaro would have a legitimate shot at breaking Andrew Miller's program record if he did decide to stay in Chapel Hill for his senior season.

Here's the current all-time strikeouts leaderboard for the UNC baseball program:

UNC Baseball career strikeout leaders

1. Andrew Miller (2004-06) 325
2. Benton Moss (2012-15) 318
3. Alex White (2007-09) 317
4. Patrick Johnson (2008-11) 311
5. J.B. Bukauskas (2015-17) 294
6. Michael Hoog (1987-90) 289
7. Kent Emanuel (2011-13) 287
8. Jim Dougherty (1987-90) 281
9. Thad Chrismon (1992-95) 279
10. Mike Bynum (1997-99) 276

While he was really good during his freshman and sophomore seasons, his junior year has been even better. Considering he had a rough patch in which he battled through illness, DeCaro started the day with a 7-2 record and a 2.17 ERA, which will go down following his three shutout innings he pitched against the Blue Devils.

DeCaro has been everything the Diamond Heels hoped he'd be and more, as the hope is that many more strikeouts are in his future as he guides the Tar Heels' pitching staff down the final stretch of the regular season into postseason action.

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