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UNC's Jake Knapp, Scott Forbes and Gavin Gallaher after the Heels roll past Holy Cross
May 30, 2025
UNC's Jake Knapp, Scott Forbes and Gavin Gallaher after the Heels roll past Holy Cross
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0:00
is difficult. Uh I expected it to be
0:03
difficult. Uh we had scouted Holy Cross
0:06
well. Um you know, and you guys saw
0:08
their starter. I mean, he's out of the
0:11
gate. 94 95 sink three pitches, actually
0:14
four with a good cutter. Um we were
0:16
hitting some balls hard. Uh credit our
0:18
guys. They stayed with it. Credit this
0:20
guy to my right. Matched him pitch for
0:22
pitch. Reached back when he needed to.
0:24
Uh there late in the game. Um Gavin had
0:27
a had a big swing of the bat to get us
0:29
going right there. Uh but I would I
0:30
would have predicted this was going to
0:31
be a close game. Um just had a feeling
0:34
about it watching them play. Uh they're
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an older team. Um so I want to give a
0:38
shout out to Holy Cross. They have a
0:40
really good team. Uh they made us work
0:42
extremely hard. Uh but at the end of the
0:44
day, the story of the game was uh Jake
0:47
Knap and I'm proud to be sitting up here
0:49
beside him. Raise your hand when I get
0:50
here.
0:53
Coach, uh, with Jac and the third, how
0:55
big is it for you guys going down the
0:57
road in regionals for your bullpen to
0:59
not have much work just in case if one
1:01
of your other guys uh isn't playing
1:04
well? And Jake, what was working well
1:06
for you today? Yeah, I'll answer that
1:08
first. It was huge. Um, and that's been
1:09
Jake all year. He set the tone for us
1:11
and he's the reason we've had so much
1:14
success since that pit series of winning
1:16
series. Um, because he goes out there
1:19
and our arms are fresh the whole
1:20
weekend. And even Duff today, a tight
1:22
game, he didn't have to exert himself
1:24
that much. So, he'll be ready to rock
1:26
and roll. He might even be better
1:27
tomorrow. Um cuz he's a freshman and we
1:30
also have a lot of guys that that was
1:31
their first postseason game even though
1:32
they're older. Uh so, I congratulated
1:35
them as well. But, um that's been Jake
1:38
all season for us, right? For for Jake
1:41
and Scott. What were the emotions for
1:44
you guys? Particularly Jake, sitting out
1:46
all last year to get your first
1:48
postseason start at home and to have
1:50
that kind of effort. What were the
1:51
emotions walking on the mound and then
1:53
walking off of it in the ninth?
1:56
It was awesome. I mean, that's what I've
1:58
been working for. This season's been
1:59
great, but you played baseball for
2:01
postseason baseball and the adrenaline
2:03
was high early. Walked the first guy,
2:05
had a great at bat. Um, but was able to
2:07
settle in and like you said, I reached
2:09
back when I needed to. But it was just
2:10
awesome to back be back out there with
2:12
everybody and that's a testament to
2:13
everybody in the program has helped me
2:15
get back to where I was. Hang on one
2:17
second. TV, can you hear Jake? Okay.
2:20
Okay. Yeah, for me I mean it was a
2:23
two-part question. You know, obviously
2:25
just watching him go out was emotional
2:27
for all of us because he didn't have to
2:28
come back here. He could have signed a
2:30
pro contract. He uh believed in, you
2:33
know, Coach Gaines and Coach How
2:35
believed in our program and obviously he
2:36
believed that he would get extremely
2:39
good care rehabing with Terry Joe and
2:41
and our training staff and uh you know,
2:43
they they deserve a lot of credit for
2:46
where he is. Um you know, people don't
2:48
see the things that Terry Joe does and
2:50
how hard she works. She does a
2:52
phenomenal job of getting our guys
2:54
better and getting them on the field.
2:55
Far right Adams and Jaden. Jake, the in
2:58
the sixth inning when you're able to get
3:00
out of the bases loaded, jammed there,
3:02
what were you feeling? You had the big
3:04
reaction uh when you when you got the
3:06
strike out, but you may have been
3:08
grunting a little more uh than normal. I
3:11
don't know. Were you grunting more than
3:12
you normally do? And what what was going
3:14
on there? Just take I was I was Yeah, I
3:16
knew in that situation, one of those
3:19
moments where I did have to reach back.
3:20
So, I knew I had some more in the tank
3:22
and in a big situation like that, not
3:24
going to leave anything out there. So, I
3:26
was I was definitely grunting more than
3:28
I usually do, but
3:30
um Oh, well.
3:32
Yeah. Your reaction to that? Yeah. Yeah.
3:36
No, it was pretty awesome. Uh it was a
3:38
big situation and Jake's a guy that
3:40
doesn't always show a ton of emotion on
3:42
the mound. So, to see him fired up
3:44
definitely got us going a little bit
3:46
going back into the dugout. So, that was
3:47
Yeah, it was exciting. It was a lot of
3:48
fun to see. Good. Gavin, we were told
3:51
that was your first career triple. Um
3:54
just what was it like? uh rounding
3:56
second um and getting into third for
3:58
you. Yeah. Uh I've had a lot of close
4:00
calls uh rounding second base and I know
4:03
myself as a runner. So finally got one
4:05
that bounced off the wall far enough
4:07
away from the guy uh to really uh kick
4:10
into the next gear. But um just you know
4:13
first day of the game get a guy in
4:15
scoring position uh less than two outs.
4:18
Uh that's it's always good to have and
4:20
with this lineup I know that uh if I'm
4:23
in scoring position and uh got a good
4:25
chance of scoring. So
4:27
Jake, uh you as the guy who led the ACC
4:31
in innings to pitch today uh this year
4:33
and you look back at your stat line, you
4:34
went eight and the third. How important
4:36
and how good does it make you feel to
4:37
know that you know you cut down the
4:38
workload tremendously for your pen
4:40
especially in playoff time here? That's
4:43
my biggest goal going into every weekend
4:44
is to try and get deep into a game and
4:46
give us a chance to win. So, it's been
4:49
my mindset to just attack and try and
4:50
let other teams put the ball in play,
4:52
not necessarily chasing strikeouts or
4:54
any of that. Trying to get deep and have
4:55
quick innings and the defense is great
4:58
and they've helped me all year. So,
4:59
that's honestly the biggest key for me
5:01
is just having the other team put the
5:02
ball in play and trusting those guys
5:04
behind me because they're great. Gavin,
5:06
three double plays tonight, almost four.
5:08
Just how important is that defense to
5:10
this team identity and how has it led to
5:12
the results you guys have? Yeah, I think
5:14
it's huge.
5:15
Um like talked about with Nap going deep
5:18
into games. Um he gives us a little bit
5:21
of credit. Obviously he does way more
5:22
than we do, but those double plays are
5:24
huge. Um they help everybody out. Uh I
5:27
think couple times leadoff guy was on
5:30
and getting that double play just shifts
5:31
the momentum right back to us. Um and
5:35
it's also just kind of, you know, let
5:37
you take a deep breath. So Jake, um,
5:40
having Luke behind the plate and how
5:42
solid he is and such great of catcher he
5:44
is talking to you throughout the entire
5:46
time when you have bases loaded, what
5:48
does him being behind the plate allow
5:49
for you and and your team to do? It
5:51
gives you all the confidence in the
5:52
world. I think I threw a couple sliders
5:54
there with bases loaded and Coach Gains
5:56
has the confidence in him as well. Like
5:58
I know I can let it rip and nothing's
6:00
going to get by him. So I don't have to
6:02
be careful and and throw pitches over
6:03
the plate. like I can just kind of get
6:05
after it and he's unbelievable back
6:07
there for everybody on the staff and
6:08
he's been a constant all year and he'll
6:10
continue to do that. Ryan, um Gavin, can
6:13
you talk about the offense's ability to
6:15
score in bunches? You obviously have
6:16
that big inning against Clemson, the two
6:18
runs to beat Florida State and you had
6:20
the three runs today in the fourth. Can
6:21
you talk about the offense's ability to
6:23
score in bunches? Do you guys feed off
6:24
each other with that momentum? Yeah, of
6:26
course. hitting is contagious. And so,
6:28
uh, when you have a guy on the mound
6:30
that, um, he's got some good stuff, uh,
6:33
like their pitcher had today,
6:36
um, sometimes all it takes is one hit
6:38
and then it kind of gets everybody else
6:40
going. So, um, I think that's something
6:43
that we've done really well is that
6:44
we're able to capitalize on kind of like
6:47
that momentum, keeping that on our side,
6:49
and then taking advantage of mistakes
6:51
when they give them to us.
6:52
than Adam. Jake and Coach Forbes longest
6:56
postseason outing since Hobbes Johnson
6:58
against state in the World Series
7:00
believe in 13. What were those
7:02
discussions after the seventh? After the
7:04
eighth and then the mound visit in the
7:06
ninth, what were they like? I'll start
7:09
you Hosman. That was a good one. He
7:10
threw all fast balls, too. So, I enjoyed
7:13
that one. Me and Brian Brian Hbertton
7:14
was catching that game and I looked at
7:16
him in the fifth and he just stopped
7:17
looking at me and just caught all fast
7:19
balls.
7:20
Um, man, that's a good memory. Uh, and
7:23
it doesn't surprise me somewhat. Jake
7:24
has an elite fast ball. Um, it doesn't
7:26
have to be 94 95. It's going to beat a
7:29
lot of barrels. It's hard to get the bat
7:31
head out front on his fast ball because
7:33
of that ride. Um, I'll let Jake answer
7:36
the
7:37
discussions. There was nothing until the
7:40
eighth and I could tell that he wasn't I
7:44
I was going to have to argue. So, I
7:46
didn't even try and argue. I just told
7:47
him I'm going back out. And he said,
7:48
"Are you sure?" I said, "I'm going back
7:50
out." He said, "Well, if you give up the
7:52
base runner, you're coming out." I said,
7:53
"That's a deal." And so, I wish AAD
7:56
would have had a little more range right
7:57
there. So, I'm
7:59
like, he he kept me from going still,
8:02
but yeah, there wasn't much of a
8:04
conversation, but glad I won him over.
8:06
Yeah, he made the deal. I accepted it.
8:09
Adam, then RL, then Pat last three.
8:11
Scott, did you have any Jake was saying
8:14
earlier about the adrenaline running
8:16
high? Did you have any sort of I don't
8:18
know particular message about this maybe
8:20
being like the first step of what you
8:22
want to be obviously a long journey like
8:24
what sort of thoughts were you giving
8:26
these guys just going into today being
8:28
the first one of what you hope are many?
8:30
Yeah, just flat out honesty. Like you're
8:33
lying to yourself if you don't think
8:34
you're going to be amped up. You don't
8:36
think you're going to be excited. You
8:37
have a little bit anxiety. We talk about
8:39
whatever comes anxiety and that's trust
8:41
and hard work. We have a lot of guys
8:43
that haven't played. I mean Kane Keley
8:44
hasn't played in a postseason game as
8:46
good as a player is. And other guys like
8:48
Bass hasn't played in one here. Um but
8:51
no matter what like I tell them like I
8:53
will feel it and if I don't I don't need
8:54
to be coaching cuz I mean you should be
8:57
excited. It's a big game. So, I was just
8:59
honest with him like, "Hey, you got to
9:00
slow down. You have to breathe." Um,
9:02
because it's that first postseason game
9:05
for some reason in all my years coaching
9:08
where everybody's the most like just
9:10
amped up, ready to play. They know
9:12
what's on the line and then from my
9:14
experience just kind of then you start
9:16
just playing into the regional. Uh, so
9:18
we just talked about it and talked about
9:20
staying with your routine. I thought
9:21
that was really important because the
9:22
game will frustrate the heck out of you.
9:24
Um, our guys were really barreling some
9:26
balls and I was just getting the pulse
9:28
of the team and they look fine. Um,
9:30
because you can start pressing. Uh, you
9:32
hit those balls right, two people, it's
9:33
no coincidence in the game of baseball
9:35
that Stoke Oakley hits one off the end
9:37
and that one falls in, we get a run. So,
9:39
just reminding them like this is the
9:41
time of year where you got to manage
9:42
those emotions. Um, but you have to go
9:45
back to being a kid and just like a
9:46
little leager and having a blast because
9:48
this is what you want to be in. Nice TRL
9:50
impact. Gavin, what is it about the
9:53
regionals? Obviously, you had a huge hit
9:54
in the opener last season. Do you kind
9:57
of take it up a few notches? A little
9:58
bit more adrenaline. I mean, two hits,
10:00
two walks.
10:03
Um I, you know, I wish I had an answer
10:06
for you, but I just try to go about
10:08
every game like it's um just another
10:10
game. Obviously, you get into the
10:12
postseason, you know, it's not just
10:14
another game, but um just stick to my
10:16
routine. I stick to my plan. I try to
10:19
execute our approach at the plate. And
10:22
you know sometimes if you do all that
10:24
good things happen. Patrick Jake
10:27
obviously for a long time there that
10:29
Iowa
10:30
start was your last start for a long
10:32
time you know even after all the success
10:35
of this year just after sitting on that
10:37
and kind of being back. How did that
10:40
kind of maybe add to the sort of
10:41
adrenaline you were talking about? Yeah
10:43
that was honestly I was talking about it
10:45
with coach Gaines this morning. It was a
10:47
good experience for me two years ago,
10:48
but being able to draw back on pitching
10:51
in the first game of a regional. I I
10:53
learned a lot from being able to manage
10:55
the emotions. That game didn't go how I
10:57
wanted it to, how the team wanted it to
10:59
back then, but uh that was something
11:01
that I drew on a lot today and helped me
11:03
keep stay in my routine. And honestly,
11:05
just leading up to the game was probably
11:06
the biggest thing. Uh obviously, it's
11:08
not a lot nicer being at home than in
11:10
Ter Hope, but um it was it was something
11:14
that I drew on a lot.
11:16
All right. Thank you everybody. Thank
11:17
you.
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