North Carolina Starting Pitcher and Lineup for Regional Game Against VCU

Heading into Friday night's matchup against VCU, here is what we know so far.

University of North Carolina Head Coach Scott Forbes during the bottom of the third inning at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in Clemson, S.C. Friday, April 10, 2026. | Ken Ruinard / USA Today Network South Carolina / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The North Carolina Tar Heels open up their College World Series on Friday night against the VCU Rams at 6 p.m. ET.

With that being said, here is a breakdown of who will start on the mound for the Tar Heels on Friday night, as well as a lineup projection for their first game in the Chapel Hill regional.

Starting Pitcher Against VCU

Jun 8, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels Vance Honeycutt (7) and head coach Scott Forbes (21) celebrate a home run against the West Virginia Mountaineers during the DI Baseball Super Regional at Boshamer Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Camarati-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Camarati-Imagn Images

During Thursday's press conference, manager Scott Forbes revealed who will be the first pitcher to step on the mound for North Carolina in this year's tournament.

• “When it comes to deciding who’s going to start which game in a regional, we feel confident in both Jason [DeCaro] and [Ryan] Lynch in both scenarios,” Forbes said.

Jun 15, 2025; Omaha, Neb, USA; Coastal Carolina Chanticleers pitcher Ryan Lynch (49) and catcher Caden Bodine (17) celebrate a win against the Oregon State Beavers at Charles Schwab Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

• “Most of the time it becomes, ‘Okay, what do we feel like is the better matchup’ even though we feel like they match up well against anybody, and they [aren’t going to] be scared of anybody," Forbes continued. "That’s why we decided to go Lynch game one against VCU, and DeCaro will go game two against East Carolina or Tennessee.”

The 50-year-old manager feels confident in his pitching rotation and believes that whoever he decides to start, the Tar Heels will be at an advantage.

May 31, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina pitcher Jason DeCaro (29) pitches against the LIU Sharks during the NCAA regional in Chapel Hill, NC. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

• “I feel like we have multiple aces,” Forbes said. “I feel like Jason DeCaro and Ryan Lynch are both Friday night guys.”

• “This team’s mature, they know we’ve played good teams all year, good midweek teams, and I’ve told them it’s about how we play, it’s not about the opponent,” Forbes continued. “All of our focus has been on us, number one. Us practicing hard, preparing — it’ll stay on us, and we’ll be prepared to play VCU tomorrow [tonight] at 5:00.”

Projected Starting Lineup

Gavin Gallaher (5) and catcher Luke Stevenson (44) celebrate the two-run homer batted by Tyson Bass (11) against Arizona in the seventh inning. The North Carolina Tarheels and the Arizona Wildcats met in game two of the NCAA Division 1 Super Regionals in Chapel Hill, N.C. on June 7, 2025. | Steven Worthy / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

At the time of this writing, it is difficult to gauge what the Tar Heels' batting lineup will look like, but I expect Forbes to roll out a similar lineup to the one in the ACC Championship game against Georgia Tech last weekend.

That lineup in order was Jake Schaffner, Gavin Gallaher, Owen Hull, Macon Winslow, Cooper Nicholson, Tyler Howe, Colin Hynek, Erik Paulsen, and Rom Kellis V. The Tar Heels will be led by their pitching, but their bats have demonstrated throughout the course of the season that they are capable of lighting up an opposing pitcher. As the No. 5 overall seed in the tournament, North Carolina should be capable of proving that point, especially in the regional round.