Wake Forest Athletics
Deacons Open Baseball Season on Tuesday against Appalachian State
2/9/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 9, 2003
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Upcoming Schedule with Probable Pitchers
Date Opponent Time Location
2/11 App. State 2:30 Hooks Stadium
- #20 Kyle Sleeth (Jr., RHP, 14-0, 2.97 ERA)
- vs. #7 Nick Petersen (Fr., RHP, no 2002 stats)
2/12 Elon 2:30 Elon, NC
- #17 Seth Hill (Sr., LHP, 3-3, 4.86 ERA) vs.
- #31 Brian Henson (Jr., LHP, transfer - no 2002 stats)
2/14 West Virginia 2:30 Hooks Stadium
- #16 Brian Bach (So., RHP, 6-2, 6.60 ERA)
- vs. TBA
Deacons Raise Curtain on 2003 Season. . .
Wake Forest begins its 94th season of collegiate baseball on Tuesday, February 11 at home against Appalachian State. First pitch is set for 2:30 p.m. at Hooks Stadium. The Demon Deacons enter the season with their highest preseason ranking on record -- 7th by Baseball America.
For Starters. . .
Wake Forest has won 10 of its last 13 season openers, posting a 10-5 record in such games under 16th year head coach George Greer. Since the University moved to Winston-Salem in 1956, the Deacons are 30-17 in lidlifters.
The 2003 season will be the fourth time Wake Forest has begun its schedule with Appalachian State. The Deacons won all three previous meetings (1976, 1979 and 1983).
Wake Forest has won two straight season openers -- at Davidson last year and against James Madison in 2001. The Deacons lost its 2000 opener against Miami (Fla.) in Orlando.
Sleeth Seeks History. . .
With a win on Tuesday, junior starting pitcher Kyle Sleeth would set a new ACC record for consecutive wins. With 20 consecutive victories, Sleeth is tied with former Tar Heel and former major leaguer Scott Bankhead.
Sleeth's last loss for the Deacons came in March 2001 against Clemson. Since that time, each of his last 20 decisions have been W's. He has defeated 16 different teams including Davidson, Georgia Tech, NC State, UNC Greensboro twice.
 In his next start, Kyle Sleeth can set a new ACC record for consecutive victories. A win on Tuesday would give Sleeth 21 straight wins dating back to March 2001.  | |
Of the 20 wins, 17 have come as a starter. He came out the bullpen to beat the Jackets, the Wolfpack and the UNCG Spartans during his freshman year.
For a win-by-win breakdown, see the chart page two.
The NCAA record is 26, set by Scott Neilsen of Brigham Young during the 1978, 1982-83 seasons. A win on Tuesday would put Sleeth in a tie for the longest streak in NCAA history.
The Series with Appalachian State. . .
The Demon Deacons have rattled off 12 straight wins since 1996 and lead the all-time series with Appalchian State 26-9 since their first meeting in 1970. Under George Greer, Wake Forest is 14-4 against its neighbors from the High Country.
The last loss occured in Hickory, N.C., a 7-6 defeat in 1996. Current pitching coach Michael Holmes was the starting pitcher for the Deacons but did not factor in the decision.
In a two-game series last March, the Deacons outscored the Mountaineers by a combined margin of 32-7. The 22-run output on March 5 was the highest single game run total of the year. In the series, Jamie D'Antona was 5-for-11 with two home runs, four runs scored and six RBI. Adam Bourassa hit .625 (5-for-8) with a home run, five RBI and four runs.
Kyle Sleeth and Daniel Davidson earned the victories on the mound. Adam Hanson pitched one inning of relief and struck out the side.
Wake Forest - Appalachian State Connections. . .
- ASU freshman LHP Scott Clark and Wake Forest sophomore shortstop Ben Ingold were teammates at Durham's Riverside High School.
- ASU junior LHP Joe Norton (Crystal Lake) and Wake Forest pitchers Seth Hill (Sandwich), Eric Maycroft (Algonquin) and Tim Morley (Buffalo Grove) are all from suburban Chicago.
- ASU senior catcher Eric Pittman transferred from Young Harris JC in Georgia, the place where Wake Forest assistant coach Jamie Mabe was the recruiting coordinator from 1999-2000.
- ASU's Ty Racette and Clint Johns transferred from Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, Kan., the hometown of Wake Forest baseball SID Mike Vest.
On This Date. . .
On Feb. 11, 2001, the Deacons rallied to beat Penn State 3-2 at Hooks Stadium to give Wake Forest freshman reliever Adam Hanson his first career victory.
The Deacs trailed 2-1 entering the bottom of the eighth but Josh Hansen doubled in Cory Sullivan and later scored the go-ahead run on a Matt Price sac fly. Dave Bush closed the door for his first save of the year.
Wake Forest improved to 3-0 with the win.
The Friendly Confines of Hooks Stadium. . .
During the last five years, Wake Forest has been virtually unbeatable at home. Since 1998, the Deacons are 112-26 (.812) at Hooks Stadium.
That mark has been even more impressive against non-conference opponents. Wake Forest is 52-5 against non-ACC teams in the last four seasons including 13-1 records in each of the last three seasons.
The only non-conference teams to beat Wake Forest at Hooks Stadium in recent years are Georgia (2002), Liberty (2001), East Carolina (1999, 2000) and Evansville (1999).
The Deacons own a six-game winning streak at home against non-conference teams.
Deacons Among the Nation's Elite Baseball Programs. . .
Over the past two years, Wake Forest has the third best winning percentage in the country (.746) behind Notre Dame (.766) and Florida State (.764).
Wake Forest is one of just eight schools in the country to win 40 games in each of the last five years (FSU, Rice, Notre Dame, Clemson, LSU, Stanford, Baylor and Wake Forest).
Over the past five years, Wake Forest has the seventh best winning percentage in the country (.712). Only Florida State (.758), Wichita State (.749), Rice (.735), Notre Dame (.733), South Carolina (.730) and Miami (.729) have better marks.
