When Jake Knapp has pitched this season, good things have happened for the UNC baseball program.
Coming into Knapp's Super Regional start against Arizona, the right-hander boasted a 13-0 record. North Carolina was unbeaten in those games, including an additional start that led Knapp to earn a no decision.
Knapp had to grind through his outing on Friday afternoon, his last start on the home mound at Boshamer Stadium. However, the right-hander bent but didn't break, pitching into the eighth inning allowing just two earned runs.
With his 14th victory of the season, Knapp has tied a rather notable single-season record for the UNC baseball program.
Knapp is now tied with Greg Norris for the most wins in a single-season for a Tar Heel. Norris accomplished the feat during his outstanding 1978 season.
Scott Forbes knew his ace wasn't as sharp as we're all accustomed to seeing, but the Tar Heels skipper noted that Knapp still brought that competitive fire that makes him so special on the mound.
“He wasn’t Jake Knapp A+ sharpness, but he’s always A+ competitiveness. I told the team back there, great pitchers make big pitches in the biggest situations. They have a knack for that. They’re better in the tougher situations. He had two really tough ones. To get out of both of those with only one run in those innings was really big for us.”
With the UNC baseball program being just one win away from a trip to Omaha, the single-season wins record tie could be short-lived. If the Tar Heels are able to close out their series against Arizona, Knapp will certainly get at least one more start on college baseball's biggest stage.
If the 2025 season has taught us anything, when Knapp takes the mound, North Carolina finds a way to win the game. It's rather simple.