UNC baseball ace earns national award after historic season, return from injury
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- Jake Knapp named national pitcher of the year after dominant 14-0 season run
- Knapp returns from 2024 elbow injury to lead UNC with 2.02 ERA and 88 strikeouts
- Tar Heels win ACC title but fall short of College World Series in Super Regional
North Carolina missed out on a return trip to the Men’s College World Series in Omaha, but it will add one award to its 2025 accomplishments.
Starting pitcher Jake Knapp received the national pitcher of the year award by the College Baseball Foundation, becoming the first UNC pitcher to receive the award since its inception in 2009. He is also the first Tar Heel to be named the country’s best arm since Andrew Miller in 2006.
Other finalists for the award included Gabe Craig (Baylor), Jacob Morrison (Coastal Carolina), Zane Taylor (UNC-Wilmington) and Dylan Volantis (Texas).
“Jake is an incredible human being and leader,” UNC Coach Scott Forbes said in a statement. “Watching him have to sit out last year only to come back and lead our team and have such amazing success is a testament to how hard he works and the man that he is. I’m so proud of him and so happy to see him earn this award.”
Knapp earned the award after a historic season. The righty finished the year with a nation’s best 14-0 record, tying Greg Norris’ 1978 campaign for the program’s most wins in a season. Knapp leads the Carolina record books for the most wins without a loss. He made 16 appearances and 15 starts, guiding the Tar Heels to win in every game in which he appeared.
Additionally, Knapp finished with a 0.86 WHIP rate, ranking third in the country and .03 shy of breaking the program record. During the middle of the season, he went more than one month without allowing a walk. He did not give up a free base in six appearances, including four of his final five.
The Greensboro native ended the year with a 2.02 ERA, 88 strikeouts to 16 walks and 27 runs allowed. Knapp gave up 23 extra base hits, including six home runs, in 102 ⅓ innings of work.
He pitched deep into the game in UNC’s 18-2 win over Arizona in Game 1 of the Chapel Hill Super Regional and threw seven innings. Knapp went into the eighth frame against Holy Cross in Carolina’s 4-0 shutout during the NCAA Tournament opener. He threw two complete games this season.
Knapp’s award resume includes All-America and All-ACC First Team honors, National College Baseball Writers Association District 4 Player of the Year and ACC Pitcher of the Year.
Knapp missed the entire 2024 season after an elbow injury ended his season before it began. He remained with the team, sitting alongside Forbes in the dugout. Knapp considered turning pro but returned to Chapel Hill.
“That was a tough year for me, mentally,” Knapp said after the NCAA Tournament selection show. “I wanted nothing more than to be a part of [the 2024 Men’s College World Series] on the field. … I didn’t know what my future held. That can almost be even more of a scary feeling, not knowing what your future holds.”
Knapp was part of the Tar Heels team for three seasons and played in two. He finished with a 3.19 ERA and 67 runs allowed in 166 ⅔ innings across the 2023 and 2025 seasons.
“Jake represents everything that is good about college baseball,” Chris Snead, national pitcher of the year committee chairman, said in a statement. “Here is a young man that battled through one of the worst injuries a pitcher can suffer to return to the field. In the process, he inspired his teammates and became the unquestioned leader of his team. Fourteen consecutive wins is significant and impressive. He was a complete pitcher and more importantly, he was a great person and teammate.”
The Tar Heels finished the season 46-15 overall, 18-11 in conference play and won the ACC Championship. It ended its year with a series loss to Arizona in the Chapel Hill Super Regional.
This story was originally published June 16, 2025 at 1:50 PM.
