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USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
UNC baseball's ace pitcher ties a program record in Game 1 of Chapel Hill Super Regional
UNC baseball's ace pitcher ties a program record in Game 1 of Chapel Hill Super Regional Jake Knapp just did something no other UNC pitcher had since 1978. The hallmark of every strong baseball team is a deep pitching staff, which the North Carolina Tar Heels are extremely lucky to have. Jason DeCaro returned to UNC for his sophomore season, giving the starting rotation a major boost with nine wins. Aidan Haugh is back, striking out 79 batters up to the Super Regional Round. North Carolina's bullpen is even stronger: despite losing Dalton Pence to the 2024 MLB Draft and Matthew Matthijs to an injury for the 2025 season, names like Ryan Lynch and Walker McDuffie give Diamond Heels fans faith in the later innings. There's one arm who isn't just the best pitcher in Chapel Hill, but all of college baseball: Jake Knapp. After missing all of UNC's 2024 campaign with a UCL tear, Knapp is enjoying a near-spotless campaign: an NCAA-leading 14 wins and 14-0 win-loss record, a North Carolina-best 2.02 earned run average and 88 strikeouts. During the Diamond Heels' 18-2 drubbing of Arizona on Friday, in Game 1 of the Chapel Hill Super Regional, Knapp picked up his 14th win. In the process, Knapp tied Greg Norris for the most wins by a UNC pitcher – in a single season. To make Knapp's victory even sweeter, he tied the program record in his last home start – in front of the Tar Heel faithful. Knapp hurled seven innings and escaped early trouble, only allowing two runs across seven innings. Knapp worked around nine hits and only struck out three batters, then handed the baseball over to Tom Chimelewski for two nearly-spotless innings. If North Carolina advances to the College World Series, there's a strong chance Knapp breaks the single-season record for wins by a pitcher. I'm sure Knapp would rather the Diamond Heels win the CWS, regardless of how he continues to perform, but the new record would be a sweet second. 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
19-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Texas A&M stays alive in the Regional Round after thrilling 14-11 win over Liberty
Texas A&M stays alive in the Regional Round after thrilling 14-11 win over Liberty Texas A&M (48-10) is still alive in the College Station Regional after defeating Liberty (49-13) in the first elimination game of the final round, as late offense pushed the Aggies forward in one of the craziest games of the weekend. After trailing 6-0 heading into the third inning, Texas A&M's bats helped mount an incredible comeback. On the mound, ace Emiley Kennedy surprisingly struggled after allowing four hits, replaced by Sidne Peters, who quickly allowed two runs, leading to Kate Munnerlyn allowing just one run in four innings, before disaster hit. To preface, Texas A&M regained the lead thanks to Mac Barbara, KK Dement, Koko Wooley, and Kennedy Powell producing four runs. In contrast, Maya Perez's two-run home run, combined with Barbara's solo shot, helped regain a 7-6 lead. Adding three more runs in the fifth, Liberty added a run in the sixth, and if it weren't for Maya Perez's RBI single in the seventh, Texas A&M would have been eliminated from the tournament. In the bottom of the seventh, with Munnerlyn still on the mound, the Aggies allowed Liberty to mount a four-run comeback after tying the game with two outs on the board after a walk-in run with bases loaded. While head coach Trisha Ford deserves criticism for leaving Munnerlyn in, she opted to bring in Sydney Lessentine, who helped the Aggies after a pop-up ended the inning. Like they've done all season, the Aggies fought back in the eighth, as Kennedy Powell's single led to two runs while Koko Wooley's groundout scored Kelsey Mathis to help take a 14-11 lead. Thanks to Lessentine's pitching, Texas A&M ended the game at the bottom of the eighth with three quick outs, leading to Sunday night's regional final to move on to the Super Regional Round. Texas A&M and Liberty will face off at 7:10 p.m. CT. The game will air on ESPN2. Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.
