#19  Aidan Knaak

Career Stats

Righthander who had one of the best seasons by a Tiger freshman pitcher in history in 2024 … was effective as a sophomore in 2025 … two-time First-Team All-ACC selection; became the first Tiger pitcher in history to earn First-Team All-ACC honors in each of his first two seasons; became the fourth Tiger pitcher and first since Steve Reba (2001,02) to be a multiple First-Team All-ACC selection; became the 14th Tiger pitcher and first since Pat Krall (2016,17) to earn multiple All-ACC selections … four-time ACC Pitcher-of-the-Week in his career, one of only two Tigers who can make that claim (Kris Benson (6)) … in 173.2 innings pitched over 31 starts and two seasons, he has a 14-2 record and 3.78 ERA while allowing 138 hits (.217 opponents’ batting average) and 58 walks with 218 strikeouts … second in Tiger history in strikeouts-per-nine-innings pitched (11.30), tied for second in winning percentage (87.5) and ninth in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.76) … one of five Tigers in history with multiple 100-strikeout seasons and the only Tiger with a 100-strikeout season in each of his first two years; Harold Stowe (1958,59), Rusty Gerhardt (1970,71), Brian Barnes (1987-89) and Billy Koch (1995,96) are the other Tigers with multiple 100-strikeout seasons … Clemson has a 26-5 record in his 31 career starts.

2025: Team co-captain … Golden Spikes Award Watch List member … First-Team All-ACC selection … Academic All-District by CSC … had a 9-1 record and 4.18 ERA in 16 starts … in 90.1 innings pitched, he allowed 71 hits (.214 opponents’ batting average) and 29 walks with 110 strikeouts … 10th in Tiger history in strikeouts per nine innings pitched (11.66) … tied for 24th in the nation in strikeouts … third in the ACC in innings pitched and strikeouts, tied for third in wins and starts on the mound and fifth in opponents’ batting average, strikeouts per nine innings pitched (10.96) and hits allowed per nine innings pitched (7.07); first in the ACC in strikeouts in ACC regular-season games (68) … led the team in wins, starts on the mound, innings pitched and strikeouts … his 110 strikeouts were the most by a Tiger since 2017 … Clemson had a 13-3 record in his 16 starts … had a 6-0 record, 3.00 ERA, .191 opponents’ batting average and 72 strikeouts against 17 walks in 51.0 innings pitched over nine starts at home … only faced seven batters with the bases loaded, as opponents were 0-for-5 with two sacrifice flies and three strikeouts … had a 6-1 record, 3.92 ERA, .203 opponents’ batting average and 68 strikeouts against 20 walks in 59.2 innings pitched over 10 ACC regular-season starts … pitched 5.0 innings in a starting role, allowing three hits with eight strikeouts to earn the win against VCU on Feb. 21 … pitched 4.2 innings in a starting role, allowing four hits with nine strikeouts against South Carolina on Feb. 28 … pitched 5.0 innings in a starting role, allowing four hits and one walk with eight strikeouts to earn the win against Davidson on March 7 … pitched 7.0 innings in a starting role, allowing one hit, no runs and one walk with a team-season-high-tying 12 strikeouts to earn the win against Notre Dame on March 14; named Perfect Game National Pitcher-of-the-Week and NCBWA National Co-Pitcher-of-the-Week; named ACC Pitcher-of-the-Week … pitched 6.0 innings in a starting role, allowing two hits, one run and two walks with 10 strikeouts to earn the win against No. 11 Wake Forest on March 21 … pitched a team-season-high-tying 7.1 innings in a starting role, allowing five hits and one walk with four strikeouts to earn the win at California on April 4 … pitched 6.0 innings in a starting role, allowing two hits, one run and two walks with six strikeouts to earn the win against Stanford on April 11 … pitched 6.0 innings in a starting role, allowing six hits, two earned runs and one walk with seven strikeouts against No. 17 Louisville on April 17 … pitched 5.1 innings in a starting role, allowing five hits and two earned runs with eight strikeouts to earn the win against Duke on May 9 … pitched a team-season-high-tying 7.1 innings in a starting role, allowing no hits and one run with a team-season-high-tying 12 strikeouts to earn the win at Pittsburgh on May 15; teamed with Joe Allen and Lucas Mahlstedt for Clemson’s 15th no-hitter in history and first since 2009; named ACC Pitcher-of-the-Week … pitched 6.0 innings in a starting role, allowing four hits, one run and one walk with six strikeouts to earn the win against Virginia Tech in the ACC Tournament on May 21 … preseason first-team All-American by D1Baseball, NCBWA and The Athletic … preseason second-team All-American by Perfect Game … preseason first-team All-ACC by Perfect Game … No. 4 starting pitcher in the nation in the preseason by D1Baseball … No. 22 sophomore in the nation in the preseason by Perfect Game … No. 34 college prospect for the 2026 draft in the preseason by D1Baseball … No. 14 ACC prospect for the 2026 draft in the preseason by D1Baseball.

2024: National Freshman Pitcher-of-the-Year by NCBWA; became the second Tiger to earn a national freshman-of-the-year honor, joining Seth Beer (2016) … third-team All-American by Baseball America, D1Baseball and NCBWA; became the fourth Tiger freshman and first Tiger freshman pitcher to earn All-America honors … first-team freshman All-American by Baseball America, D1Baseball, NCBWA and Perfect Game … second-team All-Atlantic Region by ABCA … First-Team All-ACC selection; became the first Tiger freshman pitcher to earn First-Team All-ACC honors since 1997 (Ryan Mottl) … All-ACC Freshman selection … won the team’s Newcomer Award … All-ACC Academic selection … ACC Academic Honor Roll member … had a 5-1 record and 3.35 ERA in 15 starts … in 83.1 innings pitched, he allowed 67 hits (.221 opponents’ batting average) and 29 walks with 108 strikeouts … second in the nation among freshmen in ERA, strikeouts, strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.72) and WHIP (1.15) … third in the ACC in strikeouts and hits allowed per nine innings pitched (7.24), fourth in ERA and opponents’ batting average, fifth in strikeouts per nine innings pitched (11.66), seventh in innings pitched and tied for eighth in starts on the mound … led the team in ERA, innings pitched, starts on the mound, strikeouts and opponents’ batting average … his 108 strikeouts were the most by a Tiger freshman in history and the most by any Tiger since Charlie Barnes had 113 strikeouts in 2017 … Clemson had a 13-2 record in his 15 starts … only allowed 14 extra-base hits … had a 4-1 record, 2.55 ERA, .208 opponents’ batting average and 75 strikeouts against 15 walks in 53.0 innings pitched in nine ACC regular-season starts; only allowed 10 extra-base hits … in 53.1 innings pitched after the second inning, he allowed 15 earned runs (2.53 ERA) and 19 walks with 60 strikeouts … had a 2.96 ERA, .211 opponents’ batting average and 32 strikeouts against seven walks in 24.1 innings pitched over four road starts … pitched 6.0 innings in a starting role, allowing three hits, no runs and one walk with five strikeouts to earn his first career win against Kennesaw State on Feb. 25; did not allow a runner past second base … pitched 6.0 innings in a starting role, allowing four hits and one earned run with six strikeouts against UNC Greensboro on March 10 … pitched 6.1 innings in a starting role, allowing one earned run and no walks with nine strikeouts at No. 3 Duke on March 17 … pitched 7.0 innings in a starting role, allowing two hits, no runs and one walk with 10 strikeouts to earn the win at Miami (Fla.) on March 30; did not allow a runner past second base and allowed only one past first base … pitched 7.0 innings in a starting role, allowing three hits, one earned run and no walks with nine strikeouts at Notre Dame on April 7; allowed his first hit in the seventh inning; named ACC Co-Pitcher-of-the-Week; became the first Tiger freshman to earn ACC Pitcher-of-the-Week honors since 2016 and first Tiger first-year freshman since 2013 … pitched 8.0 innings in a starting role, allowing two hits (both infield singles), no runs and one walk with 10 strikeouts to earn the win against NC State on April 14; faced just two batters over the minimum; retired the first 14 batters; did not allow a baserunner past second base and allowed just one past first base; named ACC Pitcher-of-the-Week for the second week in a row; became the first Tiger pitcher to earn ACC weekly honors twice in one year since 2016 and the first in back-to-back weeks since 2005 … pitched 5.2 innings in a starting role, allowing four hits and no runs with eight strikeouts to earn the win in the second game of a doubleheader against Pittsburgh on April 20; did not allow a baserunner past second base … pitched 4.0 innings in a starting role, allowing two hits and one run with seven strikeouts against Georgia Tech on May 5 … pitched 6.0 innings in a starting role, allowing no runs and no walks with a team-season-high 11 strikeouts to earn the win against Boston College on May 18 … pitched 6.0 innings in a starting role, allowing six hits, two runs and no walks with six strikeouts against Coastal Carolina in the Clemson Regional on June 1 … No. 74 freshman in the nation in the preseason by Perfect Game … No. 44 freshman in the ACC in the preseason by D1Baseball … No. 14 ACC prospect for the 2026 draft in the preseason by Perfect Game … invited to the USA Collegiate National Team Training Camp in June.

Before Clemson: No. 102 player and No. 26 righthander in the nation by Perfect Game … No. 18 player and No. 6 righthander in Florida by Perfect Game … No. 308 prospect for the 2023 draft by Perfect Game … selected to the Senior All-Star Game … Lee County pitcher-of-the-year … lettered four times in baseball at Bishop Verot Catholic High School, where he was coached by Casey Scott.

Personal: His father, Robert, played baseball at Cal Poly (1991-94) … pronounced kuh-NOCK … majoring in management … born Aidan Robert Knaak on Sept. 19, 2004 in Sarasota, Fla.