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USA Today
17-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
UNC's starting catcher, ace pitcher nominated for college baseball top individual honor
UNC's starting catcher, ace pitcher nominated for college baseball top individual honor UNC is one of college baseball's best teams – and has two of the best players in college baseball. Game recognize game 🤝 Jake Knapp and @StevensonLuke44 have been named among the nation's best. — Carolina Baseball (@DiamondHeels) May 15, 2025 The North Carolina Tar Heels entered their 2025 baseball season with plenty of question marks, having to replace the likes of all-time program greats, most notably Vance Honeycutt. UNC re-tooled its entire outfield, replaced its starting first baseman and a couple key bullpen pieces. North Carolina returned whom have proved to be the most important pieces of its 2025 roster, though: starting catcher Luke Stevenson and ace pitcher Jake Knapp. Stevenson leads the Diamond Heels with 16 home runs, a .584 slugging percentage and 391 putouts. Jake Knapp is arguably the best starting pitcher in baseball this year: he finished UNC's regular season with an 11-0 record (second in all of Division-I), sports a 2.14 earned run average and leads all UNC pitchers with 74 strikeouts. Both Stevenson and Knapp recently earned recognition for their contribution amongst college baseball's best. On Thursday, each member of North Carolina's top battery was named a Dick Howser Trophy Semifinalist. The Dick Howser Trophy is awarded annually to the best player in college baseball. If Stevenson or Knapp wins this award, it would mark the first time a Diamond Heel did so. There's still plenty of baseball left for North Carolina this season, continuing on with next week's ACC Tournament and the ensuing NCAA Tournament Regionals. On Friday, UNC clinched a double-bye in the ACC Tournament, which it hopes to win for the second time in four seasons. Stevenson deserves consideration to be a Dick Howser Trophy Finalist, but Knapp deserves to win the award. He missed all of 2024 with a torn UCL – and looks like college baseball's best pitcher in 2025. Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
USA Today
26-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
UNC baseball star ties program record on April 25
UNC baseball star ties program record on April 25 Gavin Gallaher did something Friday night no UNC baseball player had since 2002. When the Baltimore Orioles took Mac Horvath in the second round of 2023's MLB Draft, the North Carolina Tar Heels had a big hole to fill at hot corner. Lucky for UNC, it had one of college baseball's top recruiting classes in 2024. One of those top individual recruits is Gavin Gallaher, an in-state third baseman from Apex. Gallaher largely flew under the radar in 2024, but played solid baseball as Horvath's replacement. Gallaher rose to prominence during North Carolina's NCAA Tournament opener, though, blasting a walk-off grand slam in Game One of the Chapel Hill Regional against LIU. The Diamond Heels had even more roster holes to replace ahead of their current 2025 campaign, but Gallaher provides one of the few, experienced returners in the field. Gallaher recenty added a major milestone to his young collegiate career. On Friday, April 25 in UNC's series-opening, 15-5 domination at Pitt, Gallaher mashed three home runs. In hitting three homers, Gallaher ties the North Carolina program record for most bombs in a single game. The last Diamond Heel to homer three times in a game was Chris Maples, who achieved the feat against NC State on April 20, 2002. Gallaher's first home run came in the fifth inning, when he blasted an 0-2 pitch to center field for a solo shot. Two innings later, again on an 0-2 count, Gallaher also drove in Luke Stevenson on a 2-run homer. In the eighth, Gallaher delivered one final bomb, mashing a 2-2 pitch to left-center and driving in three runs. UNC ended its dominant victory with seven home runs, setting a 2025 season high and marking the sixth time – this century – UNC achieved the feat. Can Gallaher lead North Carolina to a series sweep in the Keystone State? Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
