Clemson Tigers Star Pitcher Ranked Among Top Sophomores This Season

The Clemson Tigers have a team with an eye on trying to reach the Men’s College World Series this season.

Jun 9, 2024; Clemson, SC, USA; Clemson freshman Aidan Knaak (19) pitches to University of Florida during the bottom of the second inning of the NCAA baseball Clemson Super Regional at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. | Ken Ruinard - Imagn Images

The Clemson Tigers under coach Erik Bakich have become a recruiting machine the past few years. Their incoming freshman class was ranked as one of the best in the country.

So was last year’s recruiting class, and one of those players is now considered among the best college sophomores in the country.

Per Perfect Game, pitcher Aidan Knaak was ranked No. 22 in its list of the Top 100 sophomores in college baseball. He was on the site’s radar last season as he was ranked No. 74 among incoming freshmen.

Knaak had an impressive freshman season for the Tigers, who reached the NCAA super regionals last season.

Baseball America is quite high on the Tigers, ranking them No. 4 this preseason after they went 44-16 with a 20-10 record in the ACC. Perfect Game, meanwhile, has Clemson at No. 8.

Clemson went 13-2 in his 15 starts, though he ended up figuring in just six of those decision and went 5-1. He built a 3.35 ERA as he struck out 108 and walked 29 in 83.1 innings. Opposing batters hit just .221 against him and managed only 14 extra-base hits.

In five of his 15 starts he didn’t allow a run and in six starts he threw at least six innings. He struck out 10 batters in two starts.

He finished the season with the team lead in starts, innings pitched and strikeouts.

His campaign earned him an invitation to the USA Collegiate National Team training camp.

After the season, he earned first-team All-ACC honors, making him the first Clemson freshman pitcher to earn that honor in nearly 30 years.

He was also selected the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association’s National Freshman Pitcher of the Year and to the All-NCBWA All-Freshman team.

He became the second Tiger to earn a national freshman of the year honors, following Seth Beer in 2016.

He was also named third team all-American by Baseball America, D1Baseball and NCBWA, becoming the fourth Tiger freshman and first Tiger freshman pitcher to earn All-America honors. He was also named first-team freshman all-American by Baseball America, D1Baseball, NCBWA and Perfect Game.

Before Clemson, he was named the Lee County Pitcher of the Year and lettered four times in baseball at Bishop Verot Catholic High School in Fort Myers.