The trio was the heart of Carolina pitching staff that finished the season with the third best ERA in the NCAA (3.47). Knapp earned first team All-America, putting him on all six of the national lists with four first-team nods. Lynch and McDuffie made the freshman second team.
Knapp wrapped up his improbably prolific 2025 season with a 2.02 ERA, fourth best in the country and tops among the power four, in 102.1 innings pitched. He racked up 88 strikeouts with an almost unbelievably low 16 walks.
His 0.86 WHIP was third best nationally and just .03 away from breaking the program record. He went over a month in the heart of the season without allowing a walk, going 27 straight IP across four starts. He would not allow a free pass in six of his appearances, including four of his last five.
Freshmen phenoms Lynch and McDuffie collected their third and fourth freshman All-America honors of the postseason respectively, wrapping up an awards season reflective of their incredible debut campaigns. The pair combined for an 8-4 record with nine saves, a 3.32 ERA, and 145 strikeouts in 116.2 innings pitched.
Lynch lead the regular relievers in ERA (2.93) before joining the starting rotation in the postseason. His only three starts of the year came in just about the most high leverage situations you could dream up, the ACC Championship Game and two elimination games in the NCAA tournament. He was exquisite in all three outings, allowing just four earned runs in 16.0 innings with 18 strikeouts and a .167 opposing batting average.
McDuffie was exceptional out of the bullpen all season for the Tar Heels, leading the team with 28 appearances while racking up 55.1 IP, 72 strikeouts, and three combined shutouts. The All-ACC Freshman team member had the most saves by a true freshman Tar Heel (7) since Trent Thornton in 2013.
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