Latest news with #ACCPitcheroftheYear
USA Today
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
UNC baseball ace named finalist for National Pitcher of the Year award
UNC baseball ace named finalist for National Pitcher of the Year award All year long, one pitcher for North Carolina has dominated over all others. Undefeated ace Jake Knapp, already named ACC Pitcher of the Year, is now one of five finalists for the National Pitcher of the Year from the College Baseball Hall of Fame. Knapp joins Gabe Craig from Baylor, Jacob Morrison from Coastal Carolina, Zan Taylor from UNC Wilmington, and Dylan Volantis from Texas. Three of the five finalists for the NPOY award hail from the Carolinas. Knapp finished his 2025 campaign with a 13-0 record and a 1.98 ERA. In 14 starts and 15 appearances, he threw 95.1 innings, allowing 21 earned runs on 63 hits with 85 strikeouts. Opposing batters hit .186 against the star pitcher. Knapp was tied with Zane Taylor for the third lowest ERA in the nation, just a hundreth over Evan Dempsey from FGCU. The Tar Heels ace also led all of college baseball with 13 wins on the season, tied with Ricky Ojeda from UC Irvine; however, Ojeda lost a game, Knapp hasn't. It is clear why the graduate right-hander is one of the best in the business, and he is getting the necessary recognition on the team, conference, and national levels. The winner of the prestigous award will be announced on June 13th, just a week and a half away. The inception of this award was in 2009, and since then, no UNC baseball pitcher has won the award. Knapp has a chance to not only be recognized as the best, but he can make UNC history in the process. Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Reds top prospect Chase Burns to start season in Dayton with Dragons
DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) – For the second straight year, the Dayton Dragons are getting the Cincinnati Reds' top prospect to begin the Midwest League season. The No. 2 overall draft pick from 2024, starting right-handed pitcher Chase Burns, will start his professional baseball career with High-A Dayton. As the No. 25 overall prospect in Major League Baseball, Burns headlines a list of seven Dragons players who are ranked among the Reds' top-30 prospects on the 2025 roster. It also marks consecutive seasons the Reds' top draft pick is a pitcher out of Wake Forest. Last year, former Demon Deacon ace Rhett Lowder made his professional debut in the Gem City after being selected No. 7 overall in the 2023 MLB Draft. After being drafted, Burns spent time at the minor league complex in Arizona and participated in Spring Training for the Reds. In one preseason appearance, he struck out three batters in a scoreless inning. During his time at Wake Forest, Burns posted a 10-1 record with a 2.70 ERA while recording 191 strikeouts in 100 innings. The 22-year-old was named the ACC Pitcher of the Year, a Dick Howser Trophy Finalist, a Golden Spikes Award Semifinalist and a First Team All-American by Baseball America as a junior in 2024, in his lone season at Wake Forest. Burns, who was born in Naples, Italy, transferred to Wake Forest after spending his freshman and sophomore seasons at the University of Tennessee. In two seasons with the Volunteers, he went 13-5 with a 3.54 ERA and 217 strikeouts across 35 games (22 starts). The Dragons released their 2025 roster on Tuesday, with 17 players returning who spent time with the club during the 2024 season. Dayton returns second-year manager Vince Harrison Jr., with the team coming off its first playoff appearance since 2017 and run to the Midwest League Second-Half East Division Championship. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
