Deacons Seek Fourth ACC Championship in Five Years

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May 19, 2002

Wake Forest (42-9-1) at ACC Tournament
Dates: May 21-26
Location: St. Petersburg, Fla.
Stadium: Florida Power Park, Al Lang Field
Radio: 98.1 FM (WBRF)
Live Stats: theACC.com

Wednesday / 5:00 / Florida Power Park

#2 WF: #20 Kyle Sleeth, So., RHP (12-0, 2.67 ERA)
#7 NCS: #31 Phillip Davidson, Fr., RHP (5-4, 5.67 ERA)

Wake Forest Seeks Fourth ACC Title in Five Seasons

Head coach George Greer already has three ACC Championship rings, more than any other active coach in the conference. He leads second-seeded Wake Forest (42-9-1, 17-5 ACC) to this week's ACC Tournament in St. Petersburg, Fla., in search of its fourth ACC Championship in five seasons.
The Deacons are looking to become the first team to accomplish that feat since Georgia Tech in the mid-to-late 1980's.
Their quest begins Wednesday with a first-round matchup against NC State.
The Deacons and Wolfpack met in last year's ACC Championship Game in Fort Mill, S.C., with Wake Forest winning 17-4 to capture the title.

Deacons Set New Standards of Excellence

The 2002 season has been one for the record books in a number of ways.
The team's 17 ACC wins during the regular season set a new Wake Forest record, breaking the old mark of 16 held by the 1999 and 2001 squads.
Wake Forest's number three national ranking is the best in recorded school history. Although the Demon Deacons won a national championship in 1955, a national poll did not exist until 1959 when Collegiate Baseball began its rankings.
Wake Forest has a good chance of breaking the single season record for wins, 47, set in 1999.

Wake Forest Perfect as a Two-Seed

Since the inaugural ACC Tournament in 1973, the Demon Deacons have been the two-seed on two occasions -- in 1977 and 1999.
Both times, Wake Forest came away with the tournament title. In 1977, the Deacons shocked Clemson in their own ballpark with a 22-9 win in the championship game.
In 1999, the Tigers were again the victim as then-freshman Dave Bush pitched 5.1 innings of one-hit relief and got his first career win while the Deacons rallied to beat Clemson 9-5.
Overall, Wake Forest is 9-0 in the ACC Tournament as a number two seed, including a 4-0 record in 1977 and a 5-0 mark in 1999. Current WFU administrative assistant Scott Daeley played on that 1999 championship team.

Deacons in the Polls...

As of May 13, Wake Forest remains the third-ranked team in the nation, according to Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball and the NCBWA Writers' Poll. For the Deacons, it is the sixth straight week in the top five, the tenth week in a row in the top ten and the 26th straight week in the top 25.

Bush Eyes ACC Record Books

It's only fitting that Wake Forest senior All-American closer Dave Bush will likely tie and possibly break the ACC appearances record at the conference tournament this week.
Some of the most memorable moments in Bush's career have happened at the league's annual baseball showcase.
Bush needs just two appearances to tie Thad Chrismon of UNC for the ACC's all-time record in appearances at 141. Bush is also chasing Chrismon in the saves department where he needs three to tie at 41.
Bush came onto the ACC scene as a freshman at the ACC Tournament in Durham when he picked up his first career win on the biggest of stages, the ACC Championship. He dominated that game, pitching 5.1 innings of one-hit relief as the Deacons won back-to-back conference crowns.
As a junior last season, Bush did not give up a run in four appearances, a span of 8.1 innings, on his way ACC Tournament MVP honors.

Deacons Get 5th Straight 40-Win Season

Wake Forest's win last Wednesday was the team's 40th of the season, the fifth straight year the Deacons have won 40 or more contests. The Deacons had never accomplished the feat prior to 1998.
Year Overall ACC (Place) NCAA
1998 43-23 13-10 (Champs) Sub-Regional
1999 47-16 16-7 (Champs) Super-Regional
2000 41-20-1 14-10 (4th) Sub-Regional
2001 44-18 16-8 (Champs) Sub-Regional
2002 42-9-1 17-6 (???) ???

Daeley Joins Coaching Staff

On May 12, Scott Daeley joined the Wake Forest coaching staff as an administrative assistant. Daeley was the everyday centerfielder for the 1998 and 1999 ACC Championship teams.
Daeley earned second team All-ACC honors in 1999 with 27 doubles and scored 83 runs, the second most in a single season in Wake Forest history.

Sleeth, Bush Named Howser Semifinalists

Deacon pitchers Kyle Sleeth and Dave Bush have been selected as semifinalists for the Dick Howser Award, presented to college baseball's top player as determined by the membership of the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
Sleeth, a sophomore, and Bush, a senior, are two of 40 semifinalists. It is the second straight year Wake has had a player in contention. Last year, Cory Sullivan was among the 20 finalists.

Medical Report

Perhaps the busiest person associated with Deacon baseball has been trainer Jeff Strahm who has been treating several injured players.
The good news is that catcher Stephen Ghutzman has fully recovered from a shoulder problem that limited his ability to throw.
The bad news is that second baseman Nick Blue is still day-to-day with a separated shoulder, originially suffered on April 23 at Charlotte. Blue re-injured the shoulder on April 27 at Clemson and has not played second base since.
On Friday at Duke, Ryan Hubbard tweaked his back in his first at-bat and was unable to finish the game. He missed Saturday and Sunday's game and would also be listed as questionable this week.

Sleeth Makes Push for All-ACC

At 12-0, 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 each ACC series for the Deacons this year, Sleeth has made 15 starts. In each of those appearances, the sophomore from Westminster, Colo., has gone at least six innings.
On May 1 vs. Davidson, Sleeth picked up his tenth win, becoming just the third Deacon pitcher in history to record back-to-back ten win seasons (John Hendricks, Scott Siemon).
Against top-ranked Clemson, Sleeth went seven innings and allowed just one earned run with six strikeouts. It was his fifth win against ACC teams.
Sleeth is tied for first in the league in wins (12), first in strikeouts (93) and second in ERA (2.67). 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.
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-plus seasons as a Demon Deacon, Sleeth has a career record of 22-3. Last season, he lead the team with 10 wins and defeated four NCAA Tournament teams.
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.
Louisville's Lelo Prado will serve as the head coach. One of the assistant coaches for the team is Maryland's second year coach, Terry Rupp. Rupp played one season for George Greer at Davidson. The official roster will be announced on June 24.

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. Eight of Wake Forest's nine losses, have come against teams with an RPI of 46 or better.

On Deck: The NCAA Tournament

Wake Forest expects to receive a bid to the NCAA Tournament when the 64-team bracket is revealed on Monday at 12:30 p.m. on ESPN2.
A berth in the NCAA Tournament would be the fifth straight for the Deacons, the longest streak in school history.
The Deacons have submitted a bid to host a sub-regional at Ernie Shore Field, the home of the Single-A Winston-Salem Warthogs, a White Sox affiliate.
Wake Forest hosted a regional at that site in 1999 and advanced to a super-regional.

The Big Run Machine

After a sensational rookie campaign that netted National Rookie of the Year honors from Collegiate Basball, sophomore third baseman Jamie D'Antona had a lot of expectations to live up to.
The preseason All-American has lived up to those expectations, continuing to drive in runs at a record-breaking pace, ranking third nationally in RBI at 1.43 per game (69 overall) with 16 home runs. He is moving up the Wake Forest single season RBI charts and is chasing Jon Palmieri's 93 RBI in 1999.
Of D'Antona's 16 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.

Bush Has NCAA Record on Horizon

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 three saves and two 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 71-0 when leading after seven innings over the last two seasons.

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.
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.

Bourassa Sets the Table

One of the biggest reasons for the huge RBI numbers of Jamie D'Antona and Ryan Johnson is Adam Bourassa, the junior college transfer from Kishwaukee CC in Illinois.
Bourassa had some awfully big shoes to fill, taking over in centerfield and the leadoff spot for first team All-American Cory Sullivan.
All Bourassa has done is start every game this season in center field for the Deacons while reaching base in 51 of 52 games. The model of consistency, Bourassa has kept his batting average above .355 at all times this season. He ranks third in the ACC in batting average, third in triples, third in on-base percentage, fifth in hits and fifth in stolen bases.
Bourassa is batting .444 vs. ACC pitching and has multi-hit games against Rice, Georgia Tech, Florida State, North Carolina and Nebraska.
All are impressive figures, but stats don't tell the entire story on Bourassa who is a tremendous defensive center fielder. He possesses great speed and gets a great jump on the ball.

Bling-Gold

Freshman shortstop Ben Ingold has been the team's biggest surprise. Ingold missed the first four games of the season with a back injury and struggled defensively in the very early stages of the season.
As the weather has warmed up, so has Ingold's productivity at the plate and in the field.
Since March 19, Ingold has made just seven errors in 35 games, a fielding percentage of .955. At the plate, Ingold has shown the ability to come up with a the clutch hit, batting .356 with runners in scoring position.

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 mid-April. He is re-established himeslf as the Deacons' number three 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 nine bombs in just 64 at-bats while in a part-time role.

A Healthy Dose of Random Stats

Jeff Ruziecki is 3-for-5 this season with the bases loaded... Ben Ingold is currently tied for fourth on the single season hit-by-pitch chart, sitting at 11... Among position players on the postseason roster, five have missed a combined 23 games due to injury... Nick Blue has missed the most (9), followed by Stephen Ghutzman (7), Ben Ingold (4), Ryan Hubbard (2) and Ryan Johnson (1)... Brad Scioletti is hitting .466 since April 14... Adam Bourassa is hitting .544 (37-for-68) with runners in scoring position.

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 made Collegiate Baseball's second team. Bush was NCBWA first team and second team by Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball.

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
0 40-win seasons 5

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 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) - 565 *
4. Mike Martin (FS) - 564 *
5. George Greer (WF) - 557 *
* While a member of the ACC
* Entering the ACC Tournament

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
557 Wins in 14-plus season at Wake Forest
663 Victories at the Division I Level
entering the ACC Tournament

Greer's Milestone Wins At Wake Forest

#   Date    Opponent1   2/14/88 at Fla. Int'l   W, 9-1100 5/6/90  vs. Ga. Tech    W, 3-2200 4/21/93 vs. UNCG    W, 8-3300 4/24/96 vs. NC A&T  W, 11-2400 3/23/98 vs. Ga. Tech    W, 7-0500 4/20/01 vs. NC State    W, 8-7550 4/23/02 at Va. Tech W, 10-3

Bush Earns Academic All-District Honors

Dave Bush was named to the Verizon Academic All-District III team last week. Bush, a double major in sociology and psychology, carries a 3.24 GPA.

Bush Featured in Sports Illustrated

In a recent issue of Sports Illustrated, Deacon closer Dave Bush was profiled by writer Albert Chen.
The feature chronicles Bush's decision to return for his senior season after getting drafted in the fourth round by Tampa Bay last June, the discovery of a life-threatening blood clot in his left leg and finally, Bush's return to dominance on the mound.
The piece was part of the publication's preview of several NCAA Championships and can be found in the clippings section of this postseason media guide.

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