Pitcher Spotlight: North Carolina’s Jake Knapp
- Zach Day
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
UNC is building a system that helps pitchers understand what they do well and how to do it more often. This past year, that system helped shape one of the best seasons in college baseball.
Right-hander Jake Knapp returned from Tommy John and turned himself into the National Pitcher of the Year. That doesn’t happen by accident. It comes from a pitcher who’s wired to compete and a staff that knows exactly how to support their pitchers.
Director of Pitching Performance and Development Jason Howell has been a huge part of UNC’s consistency. He uses information to guide, not overwhelm. And during Jake’s return, the NewtForce mound became a daily checkpoint and something that helped both of them understand what was on track and what needed to tighten up.
This spotlight exists because of that shared work.
A pitcher coming back stronger.
A coach giving him a clear path.
A tool helping them move forward with purpose.
Pitcher Snapshot: Jake Knapp
Here’s a quick picture of Knapp.
National Pitcher of the Year and ACC Pitcher of the Year
14–0 and tied for the most wins in UNC history
2.02 ERA across 102.1 innings with just 16 walks
In-game fastball climbed as high as 98 mph
Drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 8th round
Returned from injury cleaner, calmer, and more efficient down the slope
Q&A With Jason Howell
Director of Pitching Performance & Development, UNC Baseball
Jake’s jump didn’t come from trying to reinvent him. It came from tightening the things that mattered. Jason has a great feel for that balance. Here’s his look at Jake’s path back.
Q: What did Jake focus on?
Jason Howell: Jake was coming off of an injury in 2024 and while preparing him to return healthy and ready to perform at a high level again throughout the 2025 season our focus with Jake was 3 fold:
Strike zone command and efficiency. (*first and foremost emphasis with the other two building into this specific focus - we believed that if the delivery was in sync to command the strike zone effectively and efficiently the rest (velocity, stuff) would take care of itself*)
Force production and the timing of that production.
Limit gaps in energy flow throughout the delivery, specifically "jumping" or "lunging" toward the target.
Q: How did the NewtForce mound help Jake connect what they felt with what was actually happening in their delivery?
Jason Howell: Having NewtForce set-up and thrown off of basically every bullpen during Jake's rehab gave us the ability, in real time, to see video linked with movement patterns and production numbers helping keep Jake within guardrails during each and every session. He was able, at any point during the bullpen, to see if what he was producing was matching what he was or was not "feeling". The process, helped allow Jake to eliminate guess work and make pitch to pitch adjustments if necessary, as opposed to bullpen to bullpen or even weeks later.
Q: What was the biggest “aha” moment or visible improvement in how Jake used his lower half?
Jason Howell: WIth Jake it was the ease at which he was able to produce high velocity numbers - higher output at a lower effort level. When Jake was "synced up and on time" the ball seemingly exploded out of his hand with metrics and velocity numbers that required much more effort in the past.
Q: What did NewtForce help you confirm or understand?
Jason Howell: Confirming our thoughts on the relationship between strike zone command and velocity jumps, by helping Jake stabilize his back leg and eliminate some “jumping” toward his target, Knapp commanded the strike zone more effectively, achieving a fastball strike rate of 70% in 2025, while also seeing both his average and max in-game fastball velocity go up (Max in-game went from 95 mph to 98 mph).
Q: If you had to describe NewtForce in one word this fall, what would it be?
Jason Howell: Invaluable.
Q: As you head into the season, how do you see the mound fitting into your training flow?
Jason Howell: When we return from the break, our players will be assessed off of the mound once again to ensure their movement patterns and force output has not shifted during their time off and away. (Players spend the first two weeks of our fall season throwing bullpens off of the NewtForce mound so we can start to collect data and begin the assessment process moving forward.)
Q: Anything else you’d like us to highlight about this pitcher or your program?
Jason Howell: Jake was ACC Pitcher-of-the-Year and National Pitcher-of-the-Year all coming back from Tommy John Surgery the previous season. Even with his positive production and outstanding performance in 2025, there is still another jump left in Jake Knapp and will be fun to follow throughout his professional career.
Closing Thought
This one was a good reminder of something simple. Progress shows up when the right coach and the right athlete meet in the middle. Tools like NewtForce mound just make that process clearer and quicker.
Jake did the work.
The Tar Heel coaching staff helped guide it.
NewtForce is just proud to have been a tool throughout the process.
It’ll be fun to see which UNC pitcher makes the next big jump in 2026.
I love shining a light on the hours nobody sees. That’s where pitchers like Jake Knapp get closer to their full potential.
-Zach