Jake Knapp is bringing home some hardware.

The Diamond Heels ace was named the ACC’s Pitcher of the Year Monday afternoon, becoming the first UNC pitcher to win the award since J.B. Bukauskas in 2017 and the fifth overall, the most in the conference.

After missing the entire 2024 season due to a preseason elbow injury which required Tommy John surgery, Knapp has been a dominant force in 2025. He is the only pitcher among the power conferences with a record of 10-0 or better (Knapp is 11-0 in 12 starts), and UNC has won all 13 games in which he has pitched. He leads the ACC in wins (11), earned run average (2.14) and innings pitched (80.0), ranks second in opponent batting average (.187) and walks allowed (13) and 10th in strikeouts (74).

In his last two starts, Knapp has logged a combined 17 innings in a pair of UNC wins against No. 16 NC State at home and No. 2 Florida State on the road. In the latter outing, Knapp became the first UNC pitcher in nearly three years to throw a nine-inning complete game. He didn’t walk a batter in either game.

Knapp joins Bukauskas, Kent Emanuel (2013), Alex White (2008) and Andrew Miller (2006) as UNC pitchers to be named ACC Pitcher of the Year. Knapp is also one of 25 semifinalists for the Golden Spikes Award, which honors the national player of the year in college baseball. Fan voting for the Golden Spikes award is available here.

In addition to Knapp’s honor, several other Diamond Heels received All-ACC nods. Sophomore catcher Luke Stevenson joins Knapp on the All-ACC first team after batting .271 with 16 home runs and 47 runs batted in this season. In the field, Stevenson was charged with only two errors and recorded a .995 fielding percentage. Graduate first baseman Hunter Stokely also earned first team honors after leading UNC in hits (67) and tying for the team lead in RBIs (53).

Sophomore starting pitcher Jason DeCaro (8-3, 3.38 ERA in 13 starts) and junior outfielder Kane Kepley (.292 with a team-high six triples and 35 stolen bases) were named second team All-ACC, while graduate infielder Jackson Van De Brake (.309 with a team-high 13 doubles) received a third team nod. Reliever Walker McDuffie (3-1, 3.28 ERA and a team-high four saves in 22 appearances) was named to the league’s All-Freshman Team.

Knapp and the rest of the Diamond Heels will return to the field in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals at Durham Bulls Athletic Park Friday night at 7 p.m. UNC is the No. 3 seed in the field.

 

Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications

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