Expectations are high every season for North Carolina when it takes the diamond at Boshamer Stadium, and this year is no different.
The Tar Heels are coming off a 46-15 season, including an 18-11 mark in ACC play and an ACC tournament championship. The Tar Heels’ season ended in disappointment with a loss to Arizona in Game 3 of the Chapel Hill Super Regional.
Still, there is plenty of excitement around the program, given that most of the pitching staff returns from last season. UNC’s staff had the third-best ERA in the nation at 3.47 and the best in the ACC for the second straight year.
UNC opens the 2026 season with a weekend series against Indiana on Feb. 13-15 at Bryson Field at Boshamer Stadium.
Here is a look at what the starting rotation could be this season.
RHP Jason DeCaro
DeCaro returns after recording a 9-3 season with a 3.78 ERA, 70 strikeouts and 26 walks in 83.1 innings pitched. DeCaro recorded six or more strikeouts in seven of his starts and was named to the All-ACC second team for the second straight season. DeCaro was rated as the seventh-best pitcher in the country by D1Baseball.
RHP Ryan Lynch
Lynch is coming off of a strong freshman campagin that saw him earn All-Freshman honors by D1Baseball and Baseball America.
He appeared in 27 games and made three starts for the Diamond Heels, spending most of the season as a key reliever before moving into the rotation in the postseason.
Lynch went 5-1 with two saves, posting a 2.92 ERA with 72 strikeouts in 61 1/3 innings. He finished in the top 10 in the ACC in several categories, including ERA (2.92, second), hits allowed per nine innings (6.46, third), appearances (27, sixth), strikeouts per nine (10.57, eighth) and WHIP (1.13, ninth).
In his three starts, Lynch compiled a 2.25 ERA with 18 strikeouts and a .167 opponents’ batting average over 16 innings. He made his first career start in the ACC tournament title game against Clemson on May 25, throwing four shutout innings, allowing two hits and striking out seven to help UNC win its 27th conference championship.
LHP Folger Boaz
The only left-hander in the projected starting rotation, Boaz returns after a solid season on the mound. Used mostly out of the bullpen, he went 3-0 with a 3.90 ERA, 20 strikeouts and 14 walks in 30 innings.
Boaz was good enough to start last season, but he was coming off a season-ending injury the year before. He was a member of the starting rotation in 2024 and became the first freshman to make his pitching debut on opening day since Ryan Snare in 1998. He finished his freshman season 3-1, logging 39 innings with 38 strikeouts.
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC baseball: Projected starting rotation for the 2026 season