Wake Forest Athletics
Baseball Preps for Key ACC Series
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 22, 1999
WAKE FOREST (29-12, 11-6 ACC)
vs NC STATE (30-16, 7-8 ACC)
April 23-25
Hooks Stadium
Winston-Salem, NC
DEMON DEACONS HOST WOLFPACK IN KEY ACC WEEKEND SERIES
The 16th-ranked Wake Forest baseball team hosts NC State in a key
three-game ACC series this weekend at Hooks Stadium. The Demon Deacons
carry a school-record 16-game home winning streak into the series, having
not lost at Hooks Stadium since Feb. 25. Wake Forest is a perfect 8-0
against ACC opponents in Winston-Salem this season.
The matchup between the second-place Demon Deacons (11-6 ACC) and fifth-place Wolfpack (7-8) pits two clubs trying to jockey for position in the league standings as the ACC chase hits the home stretch. Wake Forest will be looking to make up ground on first-place Florida State (14-1) as the Seminoles visit Miami in a non-conference weekend series, while NC State will attempt to move into the upper echelon of the ACC standings. Other weekend matchups include 3rd-place Georgia Tech (9-6) at 6th-place Clemson (5-6), 9th-place Duke (2-11) at 4th-place North Carolina (8-7), and 7th-place Maryland (5-9) at 8th-place Virginia (5-12).
PROBABLE PITCHING ROTATION
Junior right-hander Mike MacDougal (8-1, 4.35 ERA) will make his
seventh consecutive start on Friday of an ACC series this weekend against
NC State. He owns a 5-1 record in those six previous starts against ACC
opponents. MacDougal has been the anchor of the Wake Forest pitching staff
all season, leading the team in ERA, victories, strikeouts and opponent
batting average (.204). He has been especially impressive at Hooks Stadium,
posting a 5-1 record and a 1.19 ERA in 45.1 IP while holding opponents to a
.160 batting average. Here's a look at MacDougal's career starts against NC
State:
Year W/L IP H R ER BB K
1997 (H) L 8.2 7 5 5 5 8
1998 (A) - 6.0 4 8 3 7 5
Totals 0-1, 3.68 14.2 11 13 6 12 13
Senior lefty John Hendricks (6-5, 5.25 ERA) will start game two of the NC State series on Saturday afternoon. Hendricks became Wake Forest's all-time victory leader (30 wins) earlier this month and also holds the school marks for strikeouts (287) and innings pitched (361.1). Like MacDougal, he too has been impressive at Hooks Stadium this season, posting a 5-0 record and a 2.72 ERA in 46.1 innings. Following is Hendricks against NC State in his career:
Year W/L IP H R ER BB K
1996 (A) - 1.2 1 0 0 1 1
1996 (A) - 5.1 6 5 3 4 3
1996 (ACC) L 7.0 7 5 3 3 4
1997 (H) L 5.0 6 5 5 3 4
1998 (A) W 9.0 9 5 5 3 7
1998 (ACC) W 9.0 7 1 1 1 6
Totals-2, 4.14 37.0 36 21 17 15 25
Sophomore southpaw Danny Borrell (0-1, 3.86 ERA) will make his second start of the 1999 season on Sunday afternoon in the series finale against the Wolfpack. Borrell, who tossed a complete game in the finals of the 1998 ACC Tournament against Florida State in his last start against an ACC opponent, missed much of the first half of the season with various nagging injuries. He made his longest outing of the season earlier this week when he tossed 4.1 innings in relief at VCU. Following is Borrell vs. NC State:
Year W/L IP H R ER BB K
1998 (A) - 2.0 4 4 4 5 1
THE INJURY REPORT
The Wake Forest Sports Medicine staff has certainly earned their
pay this spring while treating the baseball Deacons. Here is a report on
the current injuries:
Ben Danosky - The senior right fielder suffered a hairline fracture of the hamate in his right hand on Mar. 9 against Virginia while checking a swing. His status for the remainder of the season in uncertain and he will be reevaluated prior to the NC State series.
Danosky has been a fixture in the Wake Forest lineup since his freshman season, starting 184 games to date in his career. He was the lone player to start all 66 games during the 1998 season and started each of the first 32 games of the 1999 season. He ended a streak of 98 consecutive starts, the longest such streak on the team, when he missed the final two games of the Virginia series.
Eric Schmitt - The junior right-hander left the game against Georgia Tech on Apr. 17 when he felt a twinge in his right elbow. A MRI earlier this week revealed a small tear in his elbow ligaments. Surgery will not be required, but Schmitt will have to undergo a six-week rehabilitation process that will cause him to miss the remainder of the season.
Schmitt was a regular in the weekend rotation for the Demon Deacons, posting a 4-1 record and a 4.13 ERA in 10 starts this season. He owns a career record of 17-2.
Stephen Sullivan - The junior outfielder was hit in his right elbow by a pitch in the Winthrop game on Apr. 20. He has suffered a hairline fracture in his right arm and will miss at least the remainder of the regular season. He may return to the active roster in time for postseason play. Sullivan was Wake Forest's opening day starter in left field, meaning that now two of the Deacs' opening day starters in the outfield are now out of action. He had played in 34 of the first 40 games of the year, making 12 starts against right handed pitching.
PALMIERI APPROACHES ELITE 300/200/200 CLUB Senior first baseman Jon Palmieri is quickly approaching an elite group of four players in ACC history that have recorded 300 hits, 200 RBI and 200 runs in their careers.
Player (School) Hits RBI Runs
Jake Austin (WF, 1989-92) 317 236 213
Jason Varitek (GT, 1991-94) 351 251 261
Jeremy Morris (FSU, 1994-97) 302 273 222
Jake Weber (NCS, 1995-98) 366 239 288
Jon Palmieri (WF, 1996-99) 298 205 199
DEMON DEACONS IN THE ACC
Spanning the 1998 and 1999 seasons, Wake Forest has been impressive
against ACC opponents. The Demon Deacons have 29 wins over ACC clubs
(including regular season and tournament games), second among all ACC
schools behind only Florida State's 36 wins.
ACC Wins in the Last Two Years*
1. Florida State 36
2. WAKE FOREST 29
3. Georgia Tech 24
4. North Carolina 23
5. NC State 21
6. Clemson 19
7. Virginia 11
7. Duke 11
9. Maryland 10
(*Includes regular season and tournament games)
HOME, SWEET HOME
Wake Forest owns a 19-2 record in Winston-Salem this season (18-2
on campus at Hooks Stadium and 1-0 at nearby Ernie Shore Field). The Demon
Deacons are on a current 16-game home winning streak, the longest in school
history. Below is a look at the longest home winning streaks at Wake Forest
since ACC play began in 1955.
A closer examination of the statistics reveals just how much the Demon Deacons have dominated their opponents at home. In 21 games, the Deacs are batting .352 as a team and own a solid 3.37 team ERA. Conversely, opponents are hitting just .249 and have a 8.95 ERA. Wake Forest has outscored its opponents 176-87.
The home field advantage also has an affect on individual statistics as well. First baseman Jon Palmieri is batting a whopping .500 (45-for-90) with 6 HR and 35 RBI at home while DH Danny Borrell is hitting .411 with 5 HR and 21 RBI. Overall, seven of Wake Forest's starting nine players are batting .329 or better. On the mound, Mike MacDougal is 5-1 with a 1.19 ERA in six starts (45.1 IP), including tossing a no-hitter against Duke (opponents are batting just .160 against him). Southpaw John Hendricks owns a 5-0 record and one save with a 2.72 ERA in 46.1 IP at home while bullpen ace Scott Siemon is a perfect 4-0 with 2 saves in 24.2 IP.
Longest Home Winning Streaks (since 1955)
Year Wins First Win Streak Ended By
1. 1999 16 Va Tech, 4-2 (Feb. 27) ???
2. 1982 14 VCU, 15-10 (Mar. 11) Wingate, 10-11 (Apr. 13)
3. 1962 12 Kent, 4-0 (Mar. 22) Duke, 1-3 (May 10)
4. 1990 10 Hartford, 9-3 (Mar. 18) North Carolina (Mar. 30)
