CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (WNCN) – A highly decorated member of the University of North Carolina baseball program has added another trophy to his long list of postseason awards and accolades.
UNC ace Jake Knapp was named the National Pitcher of the Year by the College Baseball Foundation, the organization announced on Friday.
Knapp is the first Tar Heel pitcher to win the honor since its inception in 2009. Previous winners of the award include Major League Baseball standouts Stephen Strasburg, Aaron Nola, Jonathan Gray and Paul Skenes.
This marks the culmination of an impressive comeback year for the right-hander, who missed the entire 2024 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery during the winter.
Knapp finished 2025 with a 14-0 record, tying a school record in 1978 for most wins in a single year. He also boasts the best record among NCAA Division I pitchers this season.
“Jake represents everything that is good about college baseball,” National Pitcher of the Year Committee Chair Chris Snead 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.”
His play on the mound led to him earning a first-team, All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection as well as winning the ACC Pitcher of the Year award, becoming the first UNC pitcher to take home the honor since 2017.
The Greensboro native wrapped up his incredibly prolific 2025 season with a 2.02 ERA, which ranks fourth best in the country and tops among the Power Four conferences, in 102.1 innings pitched. He recorded 88 strikeouts with only 16 walks.
“Jake is an incredible human being and leader,” North Carolina head baseball 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.”
Other finalists for the National Pitcher of the Year included Gabe Craig (Baylor), Jacob Morrison (Coastal Carolina), Zane Taylor (UNC-Wilmington) and Dylan Volantis (Texas).
“The way that Jake was able to overcome a significant injury and become the leader of his team isn’t something that you usually see from a starting pitcher,” National Pitcher of the Year Committee Chair Brian Melakian said. “What he gave his team every time that he took the ball this year was truly special and what you would expect from someone deserving of being named National Pitcher of the Year.