Haugh & Knapp Taken On Day 2 Of 2025 MLB Draft

ATLANTA, Ga. – Diamond Heels starting pitchers Aidan Haugh and Jake Knapp were both selected on the second day of the 2025 Major League Baseball Draft.

Haugh, a sixth round pick by the Tampa Bay Rays, and Knapp, an eight round pick by the Chicago Cubs, round out the draft for North Carolina with four total selections. UNC has now had 21 players drafted under head coach Scott Forbes, including 10 pitchers. It is the most Tar Heels taken in the first eight rounds of a draft since 2015.

Haugh had been in this spot before. He was chosen by the Minnesota Twins in the 16^th round of the 2024 draft, but chose to come back to Carolina and bet on himself to improve his stock. He can now say mission accomplished, as he jumped 10 rounds up to the sixth with the Rays this year.

One the regular starters for a Carolina arm barn that had the third best ERA in the country, Haugh made 17 appearances with 14 starts for the Tar Heels in 2025. He logged a 5-4 record with a 3.72 ERA in 75.0 innings. His was the 9^th best ERA in the ACC.

The Cubs drafted the National Pitcher of the Year Knapp in the eighth round, pairing him with fellow Tar Heel Kane Kepley whom they selected in the second round. Knapp, who is a consensus first team All-American and 2025 ACC Pitcher of the Year, finished the season with a 2.02 ERA in 102.1 innings with 88 strikeouts on just 16 walks.

The Greensboro, N.C., native racked up the best record of any pitcher in the country at 14-0. It is the most wins in a single-season without defeat and tied for the most victories overall in program history.

MLB teams have until July 28 to sign their new draftees.

Players Mentioned

Aidan Haugh

Kane Kepley

Jake Knapp

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