Clemson has a freshman ace on the mound, but his preparation is far beyond his age.

If you ask head coach Erik Bakich, that’s the biggest reason why Aidan Knaak is having such an impressive first season as a Tiger. After two impressive seven-inning outings over the last two weekends, he delivered a dominant outing to close the NC State series.

Knaak pitched a shutout 8.0 innings, allowing just two hits and striking out 10 batters. Over his last 22 innings of work, he’s allowed just a single earned run and Bakich raved about what makes him capable of these performances postgame.

“He’s the most detail oriented, routine oriented, regimented kid that I maybe have come across in decades. He just goes about his preparation, it’s almost like a methodical tactician where he’s just so mature beyond his years. He’s an old soul,” Bakich said.

The pitching rotation at this stage of the season is led by Knaak who won ACC co-pitcher of last week. Bakich had high praise for Knaak, and even compared him to a former Clemson player that’s turned into a star in the MLB.

Turns out Knaak is the Luke Skywalker of the mental side of baseball.

“We had Spencer Strider come in and I thought we were talking to a Jedi Master of the mental game. That’s what Spencer Strider is, how he goes about it and it was almost like a young Aidan Knaak. Same thing, like a young Skywalker there,” Bakich said.

Over his nine starts as a freshman, Knaak holds a 3.38 ERA and has struck out 57 batters. Arguably the most impressive number is how he’s managed to only walk 14 batters.

The performances are all a testament to the preparation he puts in. Freshmen aren’t supposed to perform how Knaak has, but he’s no simple freshman at Clemson.

“He’s very consistent with his routine regardless of what the start is.” Bakich said. “That’s what makes him good is he just has a laser focus…it’s why we were willing to put him in the rotation as a freshman.”