Baseball Homestand Continues with Hokies, Terps

April 16, 2002

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Wake Forest vs. Virginia Tech, Maryland

Dates: April 17, 19-20
Site: Hooks Stadium
Radio: WBRF (Wed., Sat.) / Web (Wed., Fri., Sat.)
Live Stats: WakeForestSports.com

Probable Pitching Matchups

Wednesday / 3:00 / Hooks Stadium
WF: #33 Daniel Davidson, Fr., RHP (3-0, 4.66)
VT: #8 Joe Saunders, Jr., LHP (5-0, 2.13 ERA)

Friday / 3:00 / Hooks Stadium
WF: #20 Kyle Sleeth, So., RHP (7-0, 3.39 ERA)
MD: TBA

Saturday / 1:30 / Hooks Stadium
WF: #17 Seth Hill, Jr., LHP (2-0, 2.85 ERA)
MD: TBA

Sunday / 1:30 / Hooks Stadium
WF: #30 Ryan Braun, Jr., RHP (0-0, 9.64 ERA)
MD: TBA

Homestand Continues with Hokies, Terps

Wake Forest (29-6, 11-3 ACC), sitting atop the ACC standings and ranked fifth nationally, continues its homestand on Wednesday against Virginia Tech and this weekend versus Maryland.
Virginia Tech is expected to send their ace, Joe Saunders, to the mound against the Deacs. The Maryland series will be the last weekend home series for Wake Forest. Ten of the team's final 13 regular season games will be played away from the friendly confines of Hooks Stadium.

Wake Forest-Virginia Tech: Series History

The Deacs captured both meetings last year, one in Winston-Salem (3-1 on Feb. 24) and one in Blacksburg (18-9 on April 10).
In the first game at Hooks, Ben Clayton tossed seven innings, allowing just one run with six K's to get the win.
In the second game at English Field, the Deacons put on an offensive display as Jamie D'Antona, Stephen Ghutzman and Steve LeFaivre each homered.
The series is even at 21 games each.

Wake Forest-Maryland: Series History

The Deacons won two of three in College Park last April. Wake Forest leads the all-time series 71-46-1 since 1954. The Demon Deacons are 14-4 at home against Maryland since 1990.
George Greer is 37-8 vs. the Terps since 1988.
(Career stats vs. the Terps on page four)

Greer Picks Up Career Win #650

On Tuesday against High Point, head coach George Greer earned career victory number 650.
Greer, the fifth winningest coach in ACC history, has 544 wins since coming to Wake Forest in 1988.
Here is a historical perspective on what Greer has accomplished at Wake Forest.

Before Greer          Since 1988     89      Seasons      14+      4    NCAA Berths     4      4    ACC Titles      3      3  10-wins in ACC   11      3  30-win seasons   13

(Complete Greer bio on page eight)

Demon Deacons Rank in Top Five

For the second straight week, Baseball America ranked Wake Forest at number five. The Deacons are still behind Clemson, Stanford, Rice and Alabama.
Wake Forest is one of three ACC teams in the top six, four in the top ten and one of five teams in the top 25.

Making the Rounds in the ACC

Wake Forest has won nine straight ACC series since March of 2001, the longest such streak in school history. The previous high was four. Since dropping three games at Florida State last year, the Deacons captured series victories over Georgia Tech (twice), NC State (twice), Virginia (twice), Maryland, UNC and Florida State.
That is the longest active streak in the ACC. Clemson has won five series in a row.

King of the Hill

There may not be a Wake Forest pitcher who has been more dominate lately than junior left-hander Seth Hill.
Hill, a transfer from Kishwaukee Community College where he was teammates with Adam Bourassa, has been on fire in the month of April.
Against UNC Greensboro, North Carolina and Virginia, Hill has totalled 17.1 innings of work with a 1.56 ERA. He has an incredible 18 strikeouts against no walks.
Last Saturday at Virginia, Hill did not factor in the decision but allowed just two earned runs in 7.2 innings. Against UNC on April 7, Hill fanned nine just 5.2 innings, yielding just one run.

Braun Back in the Saddle

Last season, Ryan Braun emerged as one of the team's top starters. Armed with a deadly slider, Braun fooled hitters down the stretch, beating Georgia Tech and Maryland.
He struck out 36 batters in his final 32 innings of the season. Braun struck out a career-high 10 Cavaliers in the ACC Tournament.
A lingering lower back injury had kept Braun off the mound until last Sunday in Charlottesville where he made his return. He is again slated to be Wake's Sunday starter.
Despite his absence on the mound through the first 33 games, Braun continued to contribute with the bat. One of the most powerful players on the roster, Braun has five bombs in just 40 at-bats while platooning in right field with Steve LeFaivre.

On Deck: The Long and Winding Road

Following the Maryland series, the Deacons get on the bus to play ten of their final 13 regular season games on the road.
In succession, Wake Forest will play in Kannapolis (N.C.), Blacksburg (Va.), Clemson (S.C.), home for two games, Lynchburg (Va.), Morgantown (W.V.) and Durham.
Between April 23 and May 19, the Demon Deacons will travel 1,867 miles via bus before flying to St. Petersburg, Fla., for the ACC Tournament.

Reliable is His Middle Name

After ten starts, the Deacons pretty much know what they're getting out of Kyle Sleeth.
In each of his appearances, Sleeth has gone six-plus innings. With a 7-0 record and a 3.39 ERA, the sophomore from Westminster, Colo., should receive consideration for All-American.
After a Freshman All-America campaign in 2001 and an All-Star season for Cotuit in the Cape League this past summer, Sleeth is a premier pitcher in the premier league in the country.
Sleeth has defeated three ranked teams -- Nebraska, Florida State and North Carolina.
In its season preview, Baseball America identified Sleeth as the seventh-best sophomore nationally.
The biggest improvement for Sleeth since last year has been his control. He has improved his strikeout-to-walk ratio from 1.8 to 2.9.
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.
In one and a half seasons as a Demon Deacon, Sleeth has a career record of 17-3. Last season, he lead the team with 10 wins and defeated four NCAA Tournament teams.

There's No Place Like Home

Last season, Wake Forest posted an impressive 23-4 mark at Hooks Stadium with the only losses coming against Clemson (2), Duke and Liberty.
In 2002, the Deacons are holding down the fort with a 16-3 mark, winning 37 of their last 45 ACC home games since 1998, including a two-game sweep of Georgia Tech and series victories over nationally-ranked Florida State and North Carolina.
Not surprisingly, the Deacs have big numbers at home this season, averaging 9.2 runs per game.

D'Antona Named National Hitter of the Week by NCBWA

The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) released its National Hitter and Pitcher of the Week awards for the period ending April 7th.
Wake Forest sophomore third baseman Jamie D'Antona shared the Hitter of the Week award.
D'Antona, a sophomore from Trumbull, Conn., led the Demon Deacons to a 3-1 week that included a pair of wins over No. 12 North Carolina. He hit safely in each game, going 7-for-15 (.467) on the week, reaching base 10 times in 18 plate appearances for a .556 on-base percentage. D'Antona scored seven times, smashed four home runs and drove in nine runs. Twice, he drove in the game-winning run, including in the series-opener against North Carolina.

ACC, NCAA Records In Sight for Bush

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 an outside 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 102, needing 50 to become the new NCAA leader. To put that in perspective, he had 41 as a junior.
Bush could also become the ACC's all-time saves and appearances leader this year. He needs 15 saves and 37 appearances to catch UNC's Thad Cristmon, the league's all-time leader in both categories.

Greer Begins 15th Season At Wake Forest

For the last 14 seasons, George Greer has built the Wake Forest baseball program into a consistent winner. In recent years, Greer has molded the Demon Deacons into a power in the country's toughest conference, the ACC.
By capturing the 2001 ACC Championship, Greer and Wake Forest earned its third league title in four years. No other current coach in the league has won three rings.
Greer's accomplishments at Wake Forest have been numerous. The year 2001 was a banner year for the program but especially for Greer. During the course of the season, he picked up career win number 600 and also his 500th win as the Wake Forest skipper.
As a team last year, the Deacons won 44 games, the second-most in school history and reached the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight season.
Greer's complete bio available on page eight.

ACC's All-Time Coaching Leaders

1. Bill Wilhelm (CU) - 1161
2. Mike Roberts (NC) - 780
3. Dennis Womack (VA) - 540 *
4. Mike Martin (FS) - 547 *
5. George Greer (WF) - 544 *
entering the Virginia Tech game

Greer By The Numbers

3 - ACC Championships
4 - NCAA Tournament appearances
11 - Freshman All-Americans
14 - Seasons with 30+ wins at Wake Forest
24 - All-Americans in 14 seasons at WFU
26 - Former players that made the big leagues
45 - Former players that played professionally
544 - Wins in 14-plus season at Wake Forest
650 - Victories at the Division I Level
entering the Virginia Tech game

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