Deacons Face In-State Rivals at Hooks Stadium

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April 29, 2002

Wake Forest (36-8) vs. UNCG, Davidson

Dates: April 30, May 1
Site: Hooks Stadium
Radio: Tuesday - WakeForestSports.com
Live Stats: WakeForestSports.com

Probable Pitching Matchups

Tuesday / 3:00 / Hooks Stadium
WF: #34 Tim Morley, Fr., LHP (4-2, 4.99 ERA)
UNCG: TBA

Wednesday / 3:00 / Hooks Stadium
WF: #20 Kyle Sleeth, So., RHP (9-0, 2.84 ERA)
DC: TBA

#3 Deacons Host In-State Rivals Before 10-Day Break for Final Exams

Third-ranked Wake Forest (36-8, 15-5 ACC) entertains UNC Greensboro on Tuesday and Davidson on Wednesday at Hooks Stadium before a 10-day break while the student-athletes take final exams.
The Deacons come off their first series loss of the season to top-ranked Clemson.
Wake Forest remains a half-game ahead of the Tigers but offically sits in second place, based on winning percentage.
The Deacons faced the Spartans four weeks ago in the Gate City and captured a 6-3 win. Wake Forest defeated Davidson on opening day, Feb. 12, by a 7-2 margin.

All Good Things Must Come to an End

Saturday's loss at Clemson snapped the Deacons' 12-game winning streak which tied for the second longest in school history.
Another impressive string came to an end as the Tigers won the series two games to one, breaking Wake's streak of 10 straight ACC series wins, dating back to March 2001 at Florida State.

Demon Deacons Remain in the Top Three

Wake Forest remains the third-ranked team in the nation, according to Baseball America. For the Deacons, it is the fourth straight week in the top five, the eighth week in a row in the top ten and the 24th straight week in the top 25.

These Guys Need Nametags

One of the most interesting things to consider about this Wake Forest team is despite the losses of five All-ACC selections from last year and seven position starters plus its top starting pitcher, 16 newcomers have quickly filled those shoes.
Amazingly, no one in the 2002 opening day lineup was in the same place in 2001. In fact, only Nick Blue and Jamie D'Antona was holdovers from last season but both were at different positions on opening day. D'Antona moved from first base to third base. Blue shifted from second base to shortstop.

To Be the Best, You Have to Beat the Best

One of the reasons for Wake Forest's rise in the national polls is the growing list of victories over ranked opponents. The Deacons are 5-3 against teams ranked in the top five and 8-5 against teams ranked in the top 25. All of Wake Forest's eight losses, all have come against teams with an RPI of 40 or better.

Greer Picks Up Career Win #650

On April 16 against High Point, head coach George Greer earned career victory number 650.
Greer, the fifth winningest coach in ACC history, has 551 wins in 14-plus seasons at Wake Forest. A complete Greer bio is available in this release on pages eight and nine.
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    14

Greer In 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 Wake history and earned a fourth straight NCAA Tournament berth.

ACC's All-Time Coaching Leaders

1. Bill Wilhelm (CU) - 1161
2. Mike Roberts (NC) - 780
3. Dennis Womack (VA) - 563 *
4. Mike Martin (FS) - 554 *
5. George Greer (WF) - 551 *
* While a member of the ACC
* Entering the UNC Greensboro 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
551 - Wins in 14-plus season at Wake Forest
657 - Victories at the Division I Level
entering the UNC Greensboro game

On Deck: Deacons Hit the Books

Following the games against UNC Greensboro and Davidson, the Deacons take a 10-day break for final exams.
Wake Forest will return to action at Liberty on May 13. The Deacons have penciled in a make-up date on May 12 at home against Virginia Commonwealth but that game is not set in stone.

Bush Quickly Closing In On ACC, NCAA Records

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 six saves and eight appearances to catch UNC's Thad Chrismon, the all-time leader in both categories.
To give an idea of Bush's value of the team, consider that the Deacons are 66-0 when leading after seven innings over the last two seasons.

Sleeth Makes Push for All-ACC

At 9-0, nobody has a better record in the ACC than Kyle Sleeth. He continues to make his case for All-ACC honors.
The Friday starter in every series for the Deacons this year, Sleeth has made 12 starts. In each of those appearances, the sophomore from Westminster, Colo., has gone at least six innings.
Last Friday against top-ranked Clemson, Sleeth went seven innings and allowed just one earned run. with six strikeouts. It was his fifth win against ACC opponents.
Sleeth is tied for first in the league in wins (9), second in strikeouts (76) and fifth in ERA (2.84). With those numbers, Sleeth 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 four ranked teams -- Nebraska, Florida State, UNC and Clemson.
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 2.6.
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 19-3. Last season, he lead the team with 10 wins and defeated four NCAA Tournament teams.

USA Baseball Invites Kyle Sleeth to National Team Trials

Last Wednesday, Kyle Sleeth was selected as one of 19 preliminary invitees to the 2002 USA Baseball National Team Trials to be held in Tucson, Ariz., June 18-23. The USA National Team will be selected from a pool of 35-40 college players, of which an additional 16-21 have not been chosen.
"Playing at the National Team Trials is the chance of a lifetime. It's awesome," Sleeth said.
Louisville's Lelo Prado will serve as the head coach and will be assisted by Terry Alexander (Jacksonville), Sunny Golloway (Oral Roberts) and Terry Rupp (Maryland). The official team roster will be determined and announced on June 24.

D'Antona Continues Torrid Pace

After a fast start, sophomore third baseman Jamie D'Antona is showing no signs of slowing down.
The preseason All-American continues to drive in runs at a record-breaking pace, ranking third in the ACC in RBI and fifth in home runs. He now has Jon Palmieri's single season RBI record in his sights.
Palmieri had 93 RBI in 1999. Through 44 games, D'Antona has driven in 66, an average of 1.5 per game. He has helped his total over the last eight games by belting five home runs to bring his season home run mark to 15.
Of those 15 home runs, nine have come against ACC competition. D'Antona has homered against three nationally ranked teams including North Carolina (three times), Florida State and Nebraska.
D'Antona, who moved across the diamond to his natural position of third base before the season, was named the NCBWA National Hitter of the Week for the period ending April 7th.

Unfriendly Hosts

The Deacons have not been very accomodating to visiting teams at Hooks Stadium, posting a 90-24 record at home since 1999.
This year, the Deacons are holding down the fort with a 20-3 mark, winning 40 of their last 48 ACC home games since 1998.
The team's only home losses have been against Georgia and Florida State. The Deacs were upended at nearby Ernie Shore Field by North Carolina.

Deacons Picked To Finish Third in ACC

In the Atlantic Coast Conference preseason poll, Wake Forest, the defending league champion, was predicted to finish third in a vote by the league's coaches. Clemson is the preseason favorite.
Last year, Wake was picked fourth in the preseason and finished third in the regular season before capturing the tournament title.
The Deacons won 16 ACC games to tie a school record originally set by the 1999 team.

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, was a second team selection by Collegiate Baseball.
Bush, a third team All-American in 2001, was named to the NCBWA first team and to the second team by Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball. He finished second in the nation with 16 saves.

Random Notes

The Wake Forest roster has players from 15 different states... eight Deacons hail from California... Six teams on the 2002 schedule made the NCAA Tournament last year including two CWS squads -- Georgia and Nebraska... the Deacons beat the Huskers and split a midweek series with the Bulldogs.
Ten of Wake Forest's 30 players did not start their college baseball careers at WFU... Five came from other four-year schools, five from junior colleges.
Ryan Hubbard and Jeff Ruziecki were teammates at Huntington Beach HS and Cypress Junior College.

Wake Forest Athletics

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