Deacons Ranked in Preseason Baseball Polls
12/20/2001 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
WINSTON-SALEM, NC -- The Wake Forest baseball team was ranked 16th in the preseason top 40 poll released by Collegiate Baseball on Dec. 20. The publication also chose senior pitcher Dave Bush and sophomore third baseman Jamie D'Antona to its second team preseason All-American squad.
Baseball America released its top 25 on Janurary 4. That publications lists the Demon Deacons 21st.
Wake Forest, the defending Atlantic Coast Conference champions, are one of five ACC teams listed in the top 25. The Deacons return 18 letterwinners including 10 pitchers who accounted for 73 percent of the team's victories last season.
Last spring as a junior at Wake Forest, Bush was chosen as the ACC Tournament's Most Valuable Player, helping the Deacons to their third ACC title in four years. Bush was also a first team All-ACC selection. He finished second in the nation in saves with 16 and became the school's all-time leader in saves and appearances. Bush, a two-time Cape Cod League All-Star, was drafted in the fourth round in June by Tampa Bay, but elected to return for his senior season.
D'Antona, a native of Trumbull, Conn., is the reigning National Freshman of the Year. He finished his rookie campaign with a .364 batting average, 17 home runs and 77 RBI. He ended the season on a 13-game hitting streak and added his name to the NCAA record books when he blasted three home runs in an NCAA Tournament game against Tennessee Tech on May 26. He became just the fifth player in history to hit three or more homers in a single NCAA tournament game. This year, he moves across the diamond back to third base, his natural position.
Wake Forest opens the 2002 campaign on the road against Davidson on February 12.