UNC Baseball: Jason DeCaro earns ACC Pitcher of the Week Award
Jason DeCaro was simply dealin' on Friday night.
The freshman right-hander put together arguably his best outing in his early UNC baseball career, as he threw a season-high seven innings while striking out eight Virginia Tech hitters.
Impressive start by @DiamondHeels freshman Jason DeCaro on Friday vs. Virginia Tech: 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 K. His inning, strikeout and pitch (105) totals were all career highs.
— Pat James (@patjames24) April 27, 2024
In addition to showing great feel for all four offerings, he was comfortably sitting at 93 late. pic.twitter.com/lWvSmP1kqu
To put some perspective on this: Virginia Tech's offense has been lethal, as they average just under 9 runs per-contest. DeCaro didn't allow runners past second base, as he allowed just four hits while retiring the first 11 batters he faced.
In recognition of his outstanding outing, DeCaro was tabbed as the ACC Pitcher of the Week.
ACC Pitcher of the Week 🏆
— Carolina Baseball (@DiamondHeels) April 29, 2024
First UNC freshman to win the award since 2017👀#GoHeels x @JasonDeCaro2 pic.twitter.com/tqF3wcIQEO
DeCaro is the first Diamond Heel to win the award since 2021, while he's also the first UNC baseball freshman to earn the accolade since 2017. Needless to say, it's been a long time coming for a Tar Heel to win this award.
When Jake Knapp, who was projected to be the team's Friday night starter, went down with a season-ending injury, there were plenty of question marks surrounding the UNC baseball program's pitching staff. DeCaro has helped answer some of those questions, as he's proven that he can pitch at a very high level against some of the country's toughest opponents.
North Carolina seems to have a really good one in Jason DeCaro, as he has the makeup to be the ace of this staff for year's to come. If he continues to pitch like he did this past week, it won't be a surprise to see him earn more of these awards before his time in Chapel Hill ultimately comes to a close.
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