Deacons Resume ACC Action at NC State

March 21, 2002

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#8 Wake Forest (17-3, 2-0) at NC State (17-5, 0-0)

Date/Time: March 22-24
Site: Doak Field
Live Stats: WakeForestSports.com
Broadcast: NC State - www.GoPack.com

Probable Pitching Matchups

Friday / 3:00
WF: #20 Kyle Sleeth, So., RHP (4-0, 3.60 ERA)
NCS: #34 Derek McKee, Jr., RHP (2-1, 5.63 ERA)

Saturday / 2:00
WF: #34 Tim Morley, Fr., LHP (2-1, 2.10 ERA)
NCS: TBA

Sunday / 1:30
WF: TBA
NCS: #48 Daniel Caldwell, Jr., RHP (5-1, 4.40 ERA)

Deacons Resume ACC Play at NC State

Wake Forest (17-3, 2-0 ACC) visits NC State for a weekend series in Raleigh. The Demon Deacons are coming off a midweek split with Georgia. Wednesday's loss snapped six-game winning streak and served as the team's first home loss of the season.
NC State, 17-5, is off to a very solid start and begins its ACC schedule this weekend with the defending conference champions.
Last year, the Deacons and Wolfpack met four times on the diamond with Wake Forest capturing the season series, four games to none. The fourth game was for the ACC Championship at Knights Stadium in Rock Hill, S.C., a game the Deacons won 17-4.

NC State - Wake Forest: Series History

The Deacons have won the last four games between the schools but the Wolfpack leads the all-time series, 84-44, dating back to 1954.
Historically, Wake Forest has struggled in Raleigh as NC State has won eight of the last ten at Doak Field since 1994.
Last season, the regular season series was played in Winston-Salem, the first two at Ernie Shore Field.
Dave Bush earned a win and a save in the series. Kyle Sleeth won on Sunday, allowing no earned runs in five innings. In four games, Ryan Johnson and Jamie D'Antona were deadly, hitting .476 and .471 off Wolfpack pitching, respectively.

Nothing Like Waiting 'Til the Last Minute

The Deacons have showed a flair for the dramatic lately. With a win in the final at-bat last Friday against the Jackets and an extra-inning victory last week at New Orleans, Wake Forest is getting comfortable in the late innings.
The Deacons have outscored their opponents 47-24 in the seventh inning and later.

Quality Pitching Has Been A Team Effort

Most expected the returning experience, talent and depth of the Wake Forest pitching staff to be the team's strongest attributes. That expectation has held as the staff has posted a 3.97 ERA.
Sophomore Adam Hanson (3-0, 1.54) and freshman Tim Morley (2-1, 2.10) rank among the league leaders in ERA. Their freshman teammate, Daniel Davidson, (2-0, 2.08) would rank in the top five but need more innings to qualify.

Bourassa Swinging a Hot Bat

Most college baseball teams reserve the nine spot in the order for a "good glove, light bat" player. Adam Bourassa fills the good glove mold but is anything but a "light bat."
The junior from Apple Valley, Minn., has been the team's most consistent hitter, sporting a .397 average. Despite hitting ninth in the order in 18 of the team's 20 games, Bourassa is second on the team in hits (27) and tied for second in RBI (17). He has proven to be a clutch hitter and a dangerous baserunner with a seven stolen bases.
One of the fastest players in the ACC, Bourassa covers a lot of ground and has started every game in center field.
Bourassa came to Wake Forest via Kishwaukee Community College in Illinois. This summer, he took the Cape Cod League by storm, ranking among the league's best hitters and earning the prestigious 10th Player Award for Yarmouth-Dennis.

Blue Does It All for the Deacons

Last year as a sophomore, Nick Blue was the one of two new faces on an ultra-talented, veteran infield. This year, he is the lone returnee to his 2001 position and he has done a little bit of everything for the Deacons.
In the field, Blue has very solid defense at second base. At the plate, Blue has been one of the team's toughest outs, reaching base at a .469 clip with 29 hits and 14 walks.
On the year, Blue is hitting .358 with 14 RBI. Both marks are good for third place on the team. He leads the Deacons with seven steals in eight attempts.

Sleeth Quickly Becoming One of the ACC's Premier Pitchers

After a Freshman All-America campaign in 2001 and an All-Star summer for Cotuit in the Cape League this past summer, Kyle Sleeth is one of the ACC's premier pitchers.
In its season preview, Baseball America identified Sleeth as the seventh-best sophomore nationally.
He has lived up to the billing with a 4-0 record and a 3.60 ERA, ranking among the ACC's leaders in those categories.
The biggest improvement Sleeth since last year has been his control. In his last three starts, he was struck out 23 batters and walked just one.
Sleeth earned the ACC Player of the Week award on Feb. 18 after leading Wake past No. 8 Nebraska and fanning a career-high ten batters at Davidson.
At New Orleans on March 9, Sleeth carried a perfect game into the fifth inning before a 67-minute rain delay. He eventually lost the perfect game but did combine for a shutout of the Privateers, allowing just three hits in eight innings with seven K's.

Morley Making an Impact as a Rookie

The Wake Forest pitching staff is off to an outstanding start this season thanks in large part to the performances from several of its first-year pitchers including Daniel Davidson, Seth Hill and Brian Bach. But no rookie has made a bigger impact on the mound than freshman left-hander Tim Morley, who will make his seventh start of the season on Saturday.
Without the services of Ben Clayton and Ryan Braun, two of the team's top three starters in the preseason, the freshman out of Buffalo Grove, Ill., has successfully filled the role of No. 2 starter.
With a 2.10 ERA, Morley's 2-1 record would be more impressive with better run support. In his loss, March 6 at Elon, he went 5.2 innings, allowing one unearned run on five hits.
Morley has allowed two earned runs or less in five of his six starts.

Bush Has ACC, NCAA Records In Sight

Dave Bush, recognized by Baseball America as the nation's top senior and best overall closer, made a lot of Deacon fans happy when he passed on Tampa Bay's contract offer to return for his senior year.
The native of Devon, Pa., was the fourth-round choice of the Devil Rays in June but couldn't come to terms with the team, opting to return to the Deacons for his final season.
Bush, who originally came to Wake Forest as a catcher, has been showered with accolades since his dominating pitching performance against Clemson in the 1999 ACC Championship game. He is a two-time Cape Cod League All-Star, a third-team All-American last year and is already Wake Forest's all-time leader in appearances and saves.
Bush has a legitimate shot at becoming the NCAA's all-time leader in appearances. The current leader is Stetson's Tom Hickox who made 151 appearances between 1988-91. Bush came into the season with 112, needing 40 to become the new NCAA leader.
Bush could also become the ACC's all-time saves and appearances leader this year. He needs 17 saves and 30 appearances to catch UNC's Thad Crismon, the league's all-time leader in both categories.
Through the Georgia series, Bush has recorded four saves and 13 appearances.
Unlike most relievers, Bush has a very resilient arm and actually tends to throw with better velocity and movement when many pitchers are "overworked."

On Deck: Charlotte, Liberty at Home

Following the weekend visit to Raleigh, Wake Forest returns home to face regional rivals, Charlotte and Liberty, on Tuesday and Wednesday with top-ranked Florida State looming on the horizon.

Bush, D'Antona: Preseason All-Americans

Dave Bush and Jamie D'Antona were named by several publications to preseason All-America teams.
D'Antona, last season's National Rookie of the Year with a .364 average, 17 HR and 77 RBI, a second team selection by Collegiate Baseball.
Bush, a third team All-American last year, was named to the first team by the NCBWA and to the second team by Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball. In 2001, he finished second nationally in saves with 16.

Deacons Ink Four in Early Period

Wake Forest announced its recruiting class from the early signing period in December. The group consists of four prep players from four different states.
They are: Brendan Enick (3B, Pittsburgh, Pa., Upper St. Clair HS), Chris Getz (SS, Grosse Point, Mich., Grosse Point South HS), Steve Malinowski (C, Kensington, Conn., Berlin HS), and Kirby Wedekind (RHP, Jacksonville, Fla., Episcopal HS).

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