As expected, Clemson’s anchor in the starting rotation has heard his name called in the MLB Draft.

Right-handed hurler Aidan Knaak was selected No. 163 overall by the Milwaukee Brewers in the fifth round on Sunday.

After bursting onto the scene during his debut year in 2024, Knaak has been the lone fixture in the Tigers’ rotation over the past three seasons.

As a freshman, Knaak was outstanding, going 5-1 with a 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. He was second in the nation among freshmen in ERA, strikeouts, strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.72) and WHIP (1.15).

He was named National Freshman Pitcher-of-the-Year by NCBWA, becoming the second Tiger to earn a national freshman-of-the-year honor (Seth Beer 2016). He was a third-team All-American at three different publications, becoming the first Clemson pitcher to earn All-American honors as a freshman. He was also the first Tiger pitcher to earn first-team All-ACC honors as a freshman.

As a sophomore, Knaak was once again a first-team All-ACC selection after going 9-1 with a 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. The Tigers were 13-3 in games he started.

The 2026 season saw Knaan experience some difficulties. He finished just 2-6, and his ERA rose to 5.81. In 57.1 innings pitched, he allowed 71 hits (.295 opponents’ batting average) and 23 walks with 88 strikeouts. Despite some of the struggles, Knaak was still seventh in the nation in strikeouts per nine innings pitched, second in the ACC in strikeouts per nine innings pitched and eighth in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.83).

In May, Knaak became just the seventh Clemson pitcher to record 300 strikeouts in his career.