Jamie Arnold will potentially be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft.
The Florida State ace is a dominant force on the mound, but on Thursday night, he was outdueled by the ace of the UNC baseball program, Jake Knapp.
Knapp added another strong outing to his already incredible 2025 season, throwing a complete game to lead the Tar Heels to victory over the No. 2-ranked team in the country. It's the first time that a Tar Heel has thrown a 9-inning complete game since 2022.
Battling against a very strong offensive team, Knapp was effective and efficient. He struck out seven Seminoles while not allow any walks, as the damage done against him ultimately were dictated by two swings:
A sacrifice fly in the fifth inning and a two-run homer in the sixth.
Other than that, Knapp held the Seminoles at bay.
After surpassing the 100-pitch mark in the eighth inning, most people (including myself) thought Knapp's night was over. However, Scott Forbes trusted his ace to close things out, as Knapp put together a very efficient 1-2-3 inning to secure the victory.
When Knapp is on the mound, good things happen for North Carolina. The Diamond Heels have won each of his 12 starts, 11 which resulted in wins for the senior right-hander. Through 80 innings of work, Knapp has a stellar 2.14 ERA, as he's been an absolute workhorse for the UNC baseball program.
Don't look now, but Knapp is making an extremely strong case to earn the ACC Pitcher of the Year Award. While Arnold draws a lot of attention given his MLB Draft projections, Knapp has outdueled him all season long, as was the case on Thursday night in Tallahassee.