​North Carolina ace Jason DeCaro is officially bound for professional baseball. The Pittsburgh Pirates selected him with the 80th overall pick in the third round of the 2026 MLB Draft on Saturday, marking him as one of the first Tar Heels off the board on Day 1 and adding another chapter to Carolina’s rising reputation as one of college baseball’s premier pitching factories. DeCaro’s selection caps a remarkable three-year run in Chapel Hill that saw him mature from one of the youngest players in college baseball into one of the nation’s most accomplished collegiate starters. After earning Second Team All-ACC honors as both a freshman and sophomore, the right-hander raised his level again as a junior. He was named First Team All-ACC, earned First Team All-America recognition from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, and received Second Team All-America honors from D1 Baseball, along with Third Team All-America accolades from Perfect Game.
His final collegiate season was nothing short of outstanding. DeCaro went 11-3 with a 2.87 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP across 97 1/3 innings, recording 99 strikeouts while walking only 42. Opposing hitters posted a .239 batting average against him as he anchored North Carolina’s weekend rotation during a memorable year. If his numbers are impressive, his defining moment came when the stakes were highest. After consecutive tough outings in the ACC Tournament and NCAA Regional in which he exited early, DeCaro delivered one of the greatest postseason performances in recent UNC history. Facing USC in Game 2 of the Super Regional, with Carolina needing a win to force a decisive third game, the junior delivered a complete-game, two-hit shutout. Perhaps most remarkable was that not a single Trojan advanced past first base all afternoon as DeCaro dominated from the first pitch to the final out.
That performance, though extraordinary on its own, was emblematic of what followed. In North Carolina’s opening game of the College World Series against a potent Ole Miss lineup, DeCaro again answered the moment, allowing only five hits and two runs in 6 2/3 innings while limiting one of the nation’s most explosive offenses. Those outings captured what made DeCaro such a valuable piece of Scott Forbes’ program: a pitcher who consistently answered adversity with resilience, delivering his best when his team needed it most.
Now that competitive mindset is headed to the professional ranks. The Pirates are getting far more than an accomplished college pitcher. They’re adding a durable starter with three years of high-level ACC experience, a fierce competitive streak, and a proven ability to thrive under postseason pressure. For DeCaro, Saturday’s selection represents the culmination of years of development in Chapel Hill and the beginning of a new chapter in professional baseball, a transition that could also enhance the program’s profile and credibility on the recruitment trail. This pick aligns with a broader narrative surrounding North Carolina’s program—a track record of producing reliable, high-caliber pitching talent that routinely performs when it matters most—and sets the stage for DeCaro to showcase his abilities on a bigger stage while contributing to the Pirates’ future rotation plans.