Wake Forest Athletics
No. 19 Deacs and No. 20 'Noles Clash this Weekend
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 12, 1998
Wake Forest, off to a 2-0 start to the ACC season and ranked 20th this week by Collegiate Baseball, will continue ACC play with a three-game series vs. No. 19 Florida State this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Game times for all three days is 1:30 p.m. at Hooks Stadium.
The game also marks the first time that two ranked teams have faced off on Wake Forest's Winston-Salem campus. The Deacs played at NC State when they were ranked for one week in 1994 and played off campus at Ernie Shore Field when they were ranked previously in 1977. Wake Forest began playing its home games on the current site of Hooks Stadium in 1981.
NOTING THE DEMON DEACONS The pitching staff continues to anchor the Wake Forest squad, as Mike MacDougal (Mesa, AZ), 2-0, 3.38 ERA, and Jeremy Ward (Rocky Mount, NC), 3-2, 3.06, anchor the starting rotation. John Hendricks (Kernersville, NC), 5-0, 1.36 has been the surprise of the staff to this point, and is the workhorse after making relief appearances in all four games last week. Hendricks will continue to move between the starting rotation and the bullpen as needed.
Eric Schmitt (Fairfax, VA), 3-1, 1 SV, 2.21, and Danny Borrell (Sanford, NC), 1-1, 5.19, have been the other main weapons on the staff and each got a start in the two non-conference games earlier this week.
The Deacon offense is led by first baseman Jon Palmieri (Melville, NY), .419-4-24, who is currently riding a 12-game hitting streak in which he is batting .480 (24-for-50) with three home runs, seven doubles and 18 RBI.
Right fielder Ben Danosky (Yarmouth, ME), .304-5-21, and outfielder Will Rikard (Charlotte, NC), 379-5-14, continue to power the offensive attack while freshmen Jason Aquilante, .378-0-9, Borrell, .382-1-10, Corey Slavik, .350-1-6, and Scott Siemon, .279-1-3, have been solid of late.
POLLING NUMBERS Wake Forest is ranked 20th this week by Collegiate Baseball, which marks the first time the Deacs have cracked the nation's Top 25 since April 25, 1994 when they placed 22nd in the Baseball America poll.
The national ranking is only the second time Wake Forest has appeared in the polls since 1977. Prior to the one-week ranking in 1994, the Demon Deacons last appeared in the rankings in the final poll of 1977 when they placed 14th and captured the ACC Championship.
FRESHMAN TOO MUCH FOR DUKE Wake Forest swept Duke in a rain-shortened two-game series, and much of the credit for the victories should go to the freshman class.
During the series four freshmen - Jason Aquilante, Danny Borrell, Scott Siemon and Corey Slavik - combined for 15 hits in 28 at bats (.536) with four RBI and six runs. Aquilante, who started both games at second base, went 4-for-9 in the series while third baseman Siemon went 3-for-7.
After a 2-for-5 afternoon last Friday, Borrell was a perfect 4-for-4 with a walk on Saturday in addition to scoring the game-tying run in the ninth inning. Slavik, who came on as a pinch hitter on Saturday, drove in Borrell with a one-out single in the ninth inning and plated another run in the tenth inning rally with a base hit.
OH, HENRY! Nicknamed "Henry" by his teammates, junior southpaw John Hendricks has surpassed all expectations this season and is the anchor of a talented pitching staff. Hendricks leads the Deacons in victories (5), ERA (1.36), innings pitched (39.2), strikeouts (39) and opponent batting average (.163).
Last week he was tabbed as the ACC's pitcher of the week when he appeared in four games and picked up two wins and a save in leading Wake Forest to a 4-0 record. In Wednesday's 6-3 victory over Virginia Commonwealth, Hendricks came out of the bullpen in the fifth inning and finished the game by retiring all 14 batters he faced to pick up the victory.
On Friday, Hendricks pitched three perfect innings to earn the save and preserve Wake Forest's 6-4 victory over No. 11 Duke. In Saturday's comeback win over Duke, Hendricks tossed three more scoreless innings to pick up the victory as Wake Forest rallied to tie the game in the ninth inning and win in the tenth inning.
For the week, Hendricks tossed 11.2 innings and allowed just one hit (.028 opponent batting average) and one walk while striking out 12 batters. He did not allow a run and no runner advanced passed second base. Hendricks had a string of 26 consecutive batters retired broken when Duke's Ed Conrey reached on an error on Saturday. Of the 37 batters he faced on the week, only three reached base.
CARDIAC KIDS Just 18 games into the season, Wake Forest is already developing a reputation for late inning heroics as four of the Demon Deacons victories have come in their last at bat.
The first comeback win came in the opening weekend of the season against UNC Wilmington (2/15). Trailing 3-2 after eight innings, Jon Palmieri led off the ninth with a solo home run to center field. Will Rikard hit a three-run homer in the inning as Wake Forest rallied for five runs in the ninth and a 7-3 victory.
Wake Forest's second win in their last at bat came in Houston, Tex., against New Orleans (2/20). With the score tied at four runs apiece, Ben Danosky belted a two-run homer to right field in the bottom of the eighth inning to give the Deacs a 6-4 win.
Just five days later the Demon Deacons were at it again, this time against Appalachian State (2/25). With the score tied 4-4 in the bottom of the ninth, Corey Slavik hit a pinch-hit sacrifice fly to give Wake Forest a 5-4 victory.
The most recent comeback win came against Duke (3/7). The Deacs trailed 4-3 after eight innings, but Slavik delivered a pinch-hit single to tie the game in the ninth inning before Wake Forest scored seven runs, highlighted by a Sunny Chiou grand slam, in the tenth for a 11-4 win.
PALMIERI HEATS UP AT THE PLATE Junior first baseman Jon Palmieri has been on a torrid pace of late. Palmieri currently owns a 12-game hitting streak in which he is batting .480 (24-for-50) with seven doubles, three home runs and 18 RBI.
The streak began in Wake's 4-2 victory over Northwestern State when Palmieri reached base in all five plate appearances, collecting three hits, walking once and was hit by pitch once. Since then he hasn't missed a beat, including a 3-for-5 performance against New York Tech (2-28) in which he drove in a career high five runs.
For the season, Palmieri has raised his batting average to .419, with four home runs, 10 doubles and 24 RBI. He leads the Demon Deacons in batting average, hits (31), runs (22), doubles, triples (1) and RBI.
"BIG FOUR" CONTINUES TO SHINE Wake Forest has won 14 of their first 18 games largely due to the work of the Deac's "Big Four" pitchers of junior John Hendricks and sophomores Mike MacDougal, Jeremy Ward and Eric Schmitt.
The quartet has combined for a 13-3 record, with one of the losses coming in a 2-0 game at Rice when Ward allowed one earned run in eight innings. Overall they have allowed 33 earned runs in 122.0 innings of work (2.43 ERA), limited opponents to a .206 batting average (88-for-428) and struck out 105 hitters.
WHO IS THAT NUMBER 46? Now in his fourth season in the Wake Forest baseball program and wearing a jersey number usually reserved for non-roster players in spring training, senior Will Rikard is finally getting his opportunity to perform at the plate. He was used primarily as a relief pitcher over the last three seasons and saw very limited duty in the field. Entering this season, Rikard had a 5.42 ERA in 30 appearances (28.2 innings) on the mound while prior to this season at the plate, Rikard was 2-for-2 in his career with a home run and two walks.
Rikard was in the starting lineup on opening day, batting fifth and playing left field, and he made the most of his opportunity by collecting three hits in four at bats. In the comeback win over UNC Wilmington two days later, Rikard hit a towering three-run homer in the ninth inning to cap a five run inning as the Deacs rallied to win 7-3.
Rikard has been solid at the plate ever since, and for the season, he is now batting .379 with five home runs, five doubles and 15 RBI.
AQUILANTE LEAVES HIS MARK Freshman second baseman Jason Aquilante broke into the starting lineup Mar. 25 against Appalachian State and has delivered nothing but good results since that game.
Since joining the starting lineup, Aquilante has hit safely in eight of 10 games, collecting 11 hits in 32 at bats (.344) with nine runs scored and eight RBI. He had a career high three hits last Saturday against Duke.
For the season, Aquilante is batting .378 (14-for-37) and is fifth on the team in runs scored (12) despite significantly fewer at bats than his teammates.
DANOSKY POWERS THE OFFENSE Junior right fielder Ben Danosky has provided the muscle in the lineup to date this season, hitting .304 with five homers, five doubles and 21 RBI in 18 games. Danosky has developed a reputation for delivering timely hits for the Wake Forest offense.
Danosky leads the club with eight two-out RBI. He is 9-for-23 (.391) with runners in scoring position and is 8-for-23 (.348) with two outs. In Wake Forest's win over New Orleans, Danosky hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning to give the Deacs a 6-4 victory. He hit the second grand slam of his career earlier this season against UNC Asheville.
Additionally, the left-handed hitter has done much of his damage against southpaw pitchers. Danosky, who struggled at times last season against left-handed pitchers, has put that concern to rest with a 11-for-31 (.355) performance against lefty hurlers while three of his home runs have come off left handed pitchers.
SCHMITT SHUTS 'EM DOWN Sophomore Eric Schmitt has become a valuable member of the Wake Forest pitching staff, becoming a swingman on the staff who provide a quality start as well as make a critical appearance from the bullpen. He executed the latter role to perfection in the first series of the season at UNC Wilmington.
In the season opening win over the Seahawks, Schmitt pitched three scoreless innings in relief of starter Mike MacDougal to pick up the save in a 5-1 Deacon victory, striking out six of the 12 batters he faced.
In Sunday's 7-3 win over UNCW, Schmitt came on in the eighth inning with Wake Forest trailing 3-2. He held the Seahawks at bay as the Deacs rallied for the victory.
Schmitt will also join the starting rotation at times. In his last two starts, he has allowed just one earned run in 12 innings (0.74 ERA) while striking out 14.
SLAVIK GOES DEEP IN FIRST AT BAT Freshman do-it-all Corey Slavik made a strong impression on the coaching staff during pre-season camp with his ability to play a number of different positions, including catcher, third base and outfield.
The 17-year-old Slavik got his first opportunity to play in the first weekend of the year with a pinch-hit appearance against Radford and made yet another strong impression when he took the ball deep down the right field line for a home run in his first collegiate at bat.
Teammate Ricky Mendez hit a home run last year for his first collegiate hit, but that was accomplished in his fourth at-bat of the season.
Slavik added another page to his resume against Appalachian State with a pinch-hit sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth inning to give Wake Forest a 5-4 victory. Slavik had a pinch-hit RBI single in the ninth inning against Duke to tie the score at 4-4 as Wake Forest rallied to win 11-4 in 10 innings.
FAST START OUT OF THE GATE Wake Forest's 5-0 start in 1998 is the best start to a season since 1983 when the Deacs opened 5-0 and equals the best start since 1964 when Wake Forest started 10-0. Overall, the 5-0 start ranks among the best in school history.
The record for consecutive wins to start the season is 20, set back in 1949 when the Deacs finished 31-4 and lost in the NCAA Championship game to Texas.
Following is a list of top starts to a season since ACC play began in 1954:
Record Year Finish
11-0 1961 23-7
10-0 1964 23-7
7-0 1956 13-5
5-0 1998 ???
5-0 1977 31-13 (NCAA Regional)
5-0 1983 17-18
4-0 1955 29-7 (NCAA Champions)
4-0 1958 12-9
CHIOU GOES DEEP ... TWICE! Senior second baseman Sunny Chiou has never been known for having outstanding power in his bat, but rather has been counted on for his defense and situational hitting abilities. Last year, he hit only one home run in 127 at bats and owned two career home runs in 209 at bats entering 1998.
Chiou, however, needed only seven at bats to get his first two home runs in 1998. After an 0-for-4 performance on opening day, Chiou responded by going deep twice against Radford in the second game of the year to double his career home run output.
Chiou added a grand slam, hit third homer of the season, against Duke as Wake Forest rallied for seven runs in the 10th inning in a 11-4 Deacon victory.
MacDOUGAL NAMED #2 PROSPECT IN ACC Righthander Mike MacDougal, who went 6-4 with a 4.12 ERA and earned freshman all-America honors last year, was rated as the ACC's No. 2 prospect by Baseball America behind only shortstop Jay Hood of Georgia Tech. Although only a sophomore, MacDougal is eligible for the 1998 Major League draft in June because he will be age 21 by draft day.
In Baseball America's 1998 draft preview, MacDougal was rated as the 23rd best college player and the 14th best pitcher eligible for the June draft. A 22nd round pick of the Orioles in 1996, MacDougal was the only sophomore to be listed among the top 100 college players in the country and is a potential first round selection in 1998.
WARD TABBED FOR '99 DRAFT Not to be outdone by his teammate, sophomore righty Jeremy Ward was named the 12th best college prospect by Baseball America in the publication's early preview for the Major League draft in 1999. Not drafted out of high school, Ward caught the eyes of scouts with his performance in the Alaska League last summer when he was voted the league's third best prospect.
WARD INVITED TO TEAM USA TRIALS Sophomore Jeremy Ward was one of 66 collegiate players invited to the USA Baseball National Team Trials last November in Tucson, Arizona. The National Trials served as the first step in USA Baseball's player evaluation and development process, and Team USA coaches and staff will monitor the progress of all players throughout the course of the 1998 season. Players will be invited back following the college season to compete for a spot on the roster.
HEAD COACH GEORGE GREER The winningest coach in Wake Forest baseball history, George Greer is now in his 11th season with the Demon Deacons. He owns a record of 355-238-2 (.598) at Wake Forest, and has led the Deacs to 30 or more wins in nine of 10 seasons. Greer picked up his 350th win at Wake Forest against Campbell on Mar. 3.
A 24-year veteran of coaching, Greer has a 460-360-6 record at the Division I level. Prior to coming to Wake Forest, Greer coached at Davidson and Connecticut-Avery Point as well as in the Cape Cod League.
DEACS ON THE AIR Wake Forest's game against Georgia Tech on Sunday, Mar. 21 is scheduled for live T.V. coverage on the ACC Television Network (Fox Sports South, Home Team Sports and Sunshine Network). Game time has been moved to 4 p.m. and the game will be played at Ernie Shore Field, home of the Winston-Salem Warthogs.
Additionally, six home games are currently scheduled for radio broadcast on WTOB 1380 AM. The three-game home series with North Carolina (Apr. 3-5) and Maryland (Apr. 17-19) are already on tap and the possibility remains for more games to be added to the broadcast schedule at a later date. Stan Cotten, the voice of the Demon Deacons, will call the action for Wake Forest baseball fans.
