Wake Forest Athletics
Demon Deacon Baseball Monday Report Card
4/17/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 17, 2006
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The Wake Forest baseball team returns to Hooks Stadium this week with a non-conference game against Davidson and three-game weekend series with Maryland. First pitch is scheduled for 3 pm. Tuesday's game with the Wildcats will conclude a stretch of 14 games in 19 days.
Wake Forest (28-12, 12-6 ACC) will send freshman Tyler Smith to the mound against Davidson. The right-handed hurler is 1-2 with a 3.08 ERA in 13 appearances and four starts. Smith has allowed 17 hits over his 26.1 innings -- good for a .175 opponent's batting average. He has struck out 13, but also walked 15. In his last start, Smith tossed 6.0 hitless innings in a 17-2 rout of UNC Greensboro on April 12. He did not allow an earned run en route to his first career victory. Smith only allowed one Spartan to reach second base after the second inning.
Davidson (13-23) dropped two of three this past weekend at UNC Greensboro. Wake Forest hammered the Wildcats, 14-6, back on March 28. Davidson will send senior right-hander Matt Meade to the hill. Meade is 1-1 with an 11.31 ERA in 14 appearances and two starts. He tossed 1.0 inning of relief in this season's earlier meeting and was knocked around for five earned runs on four hits.
INJURY UPDATE -- Freshman starting pitcher Garrett Bullock returned from his bout with pneumonia against Virginia Tech on April 2, but injured his left tricep in the outing and is questionable this week... junior starting pitcher Charlie Mellies underwent Tommy John surgery on April 14 and will miss the season... sophomore pitcher Matt Hammond is out for the year after breaking his right hand... freshman Cory Hindel will redshirt the season following elbow surgery last fall.
ON DECK -- After this week's non-conference game against Davidson, Wake Forest will host Maryland for a three-game series this weekend.
RANKINGS -- Wake Forest climbed back into the Rosenblatt Report and Collegiate Baseball polls this week at No. 24 in both. The Deacons are still receiving votes in the ESPN/Sports Weekly and NCBWA polls. Despite the sweep of Duke, Wake Forest slipped to 15th in the Warren Nolan and Boyd's World RPI. Davidson is unranked.
HITTING STREAKS -- Entering this week, seven players have a hitting streak of at least four games.
Player Statistics During StreakMatt Antonelli (7) .286 (8-for-28), 9 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 3 SBAllan Dykstra (5) .529 (9-for-17), 6 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 12 RBIEvan Ocheltree (5) .565 (13-for-23), 10 R, 1 2B, 5 HR, 9 RBICasey Sterk (5) .533 (8-for-15), 8 R, 2 2B, 1 RBI, 3 SBDan Rosaia (5) .278 (5-for-18), 3 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 6 RBIAndy Goff (4) .313 (5-for-16), 4 R, 2 2B, 2 RBIDustin Hood (4) .471 (8-for-17), 4 R, 3 2B, 1 3B, 2 RBIDEACON TIDBITS --
- Wake Forest freshman Evan Ocheltree was named ACC Player of the Week on Monday. The outfielder batted .565 (13-for-23) with five home runs and nine RBI in five games. The freshman outfielder registered four straight three-hit games, scored 10 runs, added a double and walked three times. Ocheltree led the Demon Deacons in batting average, runs scored, homers and on-base percentage (.615) over the five-game span. Against Duke, Ocheltree hit .600 (9-for-15) with four home runs and seven RBI. He registered a double and six runs scored as Wake Forest improved to 12-6 in league play. With a two-run homer in the series finale against the Blue Devils, the Richmond, Va., native has blasted a home run in four straight games and six in the last seven.
- The sweep for Wake Forest over Duke was the third for the Demon Deacons in ACC action this year. Wake Forest, which swept Boston College and Virginia Tech, had not swept three ACC series since 2002. The road sweep is the first for the Deacs since taking three straight over Maryland in College Park during the 2003 season.
- Wake Forest belted 10 home runs in the series against the Blue Devils. The Deacons had not hit that many home runs in one series since they smacked 13 in a three-game sweep of Maryland in 2002.
- The Demon Deacons scored 10 or more runs in each of the three games against Duke. Wake Forest scored a total of 33 runs and batted a robust .377. Freshman Evan Ocheltree, freshman Dustin Hood, redshirt sophomore Eric Williams and freshman Allan Dykstra all batted over .400.
- Freshman Allan Dykstra continued his incredible freshman season last week. The first baseman batted .500 with three home runs and 12 RBI in five games. Dykstra leads the ACC in home runs (14), walks (40), slugging percentage (.791), sacrifice flies (8) and total bases (106). He is tied for second in doubles (14), third in RBI (49) and third in on-base percentage (.503). He is on track to be the first freshman to lead the ACC in home runs, slugging percentage and on-base percentage since Derek Hacopian of Maryland in 1992. Dykstra would be just the third rookie to ever accomplish the feat in the 53-year history of the Atlantic Coast Conference. He is also on pace for 19 home runs and 69 RBI (applied over a 56-game regular season schedule). The 19 home runs would break the single-season freshman record set by Jamie D'Antona in 2001 (17) and the 69 RBI would rank as the second-most ever by a freshman.
- Freshman Tyler Smith did not allow an earned run en route to his first career victory on April 12 against UNCG. The right-handed hurler lowered his season earned run average to 3.16 over 25.2 innings of work. Smith has surrendered just 16 hits all season as opponents are batting only .170 against him. He added a pair of singles and a sacrifice fly. He was the first Wake Forest pitcher to start and play both ways since Cory Sullivan on May 26, 2001. Sullivan, the starting center fielder for the Colorado Rockies, started on the mound against Middle Tennessee State.
- The one hit allowed against UNC-Greensboro on April 12 was a season-low for the Demon Deacon pitching staff -- surpassing the three hits allowed in the 3-2 victory over Virginia on March 25. Ironically, it is the fewest hits by a Wake Forest opponent since Ben Clayton no-hit the Spartans on March 22, 2000.
- Sophomore Nathan Frazier registered his first hit, double and RBI all on the same swing with his two-run double in the 17-2 victory over UNC-Greensboro on April 12.
- While junior All-American Matt Antonelli's streak of consecutive starts extended to 148, his streak of 145 straight starts at third base ended on April 14. Antonelli made his first career start at second base. Sophomore Andy Goff will be the first Deacon other than Antonelli to start at third since Jamie D'Antona in 2003. In fact, Goff is the first player other than D'Antona or Antonelli to start at third base since Brad Scioletti started at the hot corner on May 12, 2002 against VCU.
- Wake Forest was 24-0 when taking a lead into the seventh inning before the loss to NC State on April 7th. The Deacons, who led by as many as five runs, took a 6-5 advantage into the seventh inning, but the Wolfpack got one run in the seventh and another in the eighth en route to an 8-6 victory.
- Sophomore closer Ben Hunter made it a perfect 11-for-11 in save opportunities in the 10-9 victory over Duke on April 14. The righty went 2.0 innings and was charged with two earned runs. Of Hunter's ACC-best 11 saves, eight have come in outings of more than 1.0 inning. He did not surrender his first earned run of the season until April 4. He allowed a solo home run in the ninth inning against Coastal Carolina snapping his streak of 26.2 innings without an earned run. Hunter has struck out 44 in 35.0 innings. In fact, he has allowed just 21 hits all year and opponents are batting just .171 against him.
- Wake Forest managed just one hit in a 5-0 loss at No. 23 Winthrop on April 5. The last time Wake Forest was one-hit came on February 21, 1998 when Rice blanked the Deacons, 2-0.
- Junior All-American Matt Antonelli has had quite a power surge in 2006. The third basemen entered this season with seven career home runs, five of which came in 2005, but Antonelli has smacked 11 over the Demon Deacons first 40 games. In fact, eight of the 11 homers have been hit to the opposite field.
- After opening the season 0-2 with a 14.14 ERA, junior Josh Ellis changed his arm angle and has since been absolutely dominant. Over his last 23 appearances, all out of the Wake Forest bullpen, he has posted a 2.08 ERA in 26.0 innings. Ellis has struck out 33 against 12 walks.
- Senior setup-man Kyle Young has excelled since moving back into the bullpen on February 21. The right-handed hurler is 3-1 with a 2.82 ERA in 38.1 innings of work.
THE DEACONS 1-2 PUNCH IN THE ACC RANKINGS --
Allan Dykstra Matt AntonelliSlugging % .791, 1st .652, 5thOn-Base % .503, 3rd .455, 12thRuns Scored -- 54, t-1stRBI 49, t-3rd --Doubles 14, t-2nd 12, t-10thHome Runs 14, 1st 11, 3rdTotal Bases 106, 1st 101, 3rdWalks 40, 1st 32, 5thSacrifice Flies 8, 1st --Stolen Bases -- 13, 8th
DYKSTRA NAMED NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK -- Freshman Allan Dykstra was named Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week on April 3. The first baseman batted .786 (11-for-14) with five home runs and 11 RBI the previous week. He also added three doubles, eight runs scored and drew five walks. Dykstra recorded an absurd slugging percentage of 2.071 and on-base percentage of .850. Dykstra opened the week with a school-record tying three home runs against Davidson on March 28.
DYKSTRA ENTERS THE RECORD BOOKS - Wake Forest freshman Allan Dykstra entered the Demon Deacon all-time record books on March 28 in a 14-6 rout of Davidson. Dykstra became the ninth player in WFU history to hit three homers in a game and finished with a career-high five RBI. The first baseman joined a prestigious list that includes the likes of Jamie D'Antona and Bill Merrifield -- both former ACC Player of the Year winners and All-Americans. D'Antona was the last player to hit three homers in a game on May 26, 2001 versus Tennessee Tech in the NCAA Regional. Dykstra leads the ACC with 11 homers.
KINGS OF THE MOUND -- Wake Forest's pitching staff is vastly improved from each of the past two years. The Deacons might have the deepest and most talented staff in recent memory, including any staff of the three ACC Tournament Championship teams (1998, 1999, 2001). Wake Forest has posted a 3.99 ERA to this point of the season, well down from 6.21 in 2005 and 7.12 in 2004. In fact, the team ERA for the 1998, 1999 and 2001 clubs was 4.87 (2001), 4.82 (1999) and 4.26 (1998). The 3.99 ERA would be the lowest single-season ERA since 1980.
HOW DO THE 2006 DEMON DEACONS COMPARE TO THE BEST TEAMS OF THE PAST -- At 28-12 overall and 12-6 in the ACC, Wake Forest is off to its best start since 2002. The key to the early success, without question, has been the Deacons pitching. Wake Forest enters this week sporting a 3.99 ERA -- better than the ERA from all five Wake Forest teams that reached the NCAA Regionals (1998-02). The team ERA for the 1998, 1999 and 2001 ACC Tournament championship clubs was 4.26 (1998), 4.82 (1999) and 4.87 (2001). The 2000 team posted a 4.03 ERA and the 2002 club had a 4.34 ERA.
MAKING AN IMPACT -- The impact of a freshman class normally takes some time to discover, but SS Dustin Hood, 1B Allan Dykstra, OF Evan Ocheltree, OF/RHP Tyler Smith, LHP Garrett Bullock and RHP Brad Kledzik have yielded immediate results. Hood hits second in the lineup and is batting .333 with 18 RBI. Dykstra bats cleanup and leads ACC in home runs (14), slugging percentage (.797), totals bases (106), sacrifice flies (8) and walks (40). He also ranks among the top 10 in on-base percentage (3rd), RBI (3rd), doubles (t-2nd) and on-base percentage (3rd). Kledzik has not only moved into the ACC weekend rotation, but has served as the Friday night starter each of the past five ACC series. Kledzik is 2-2 with a 3.86 ERA in 35.0 innings in ACC action. He has struck out 23 and walked 12. Ocheltree has exploded the past three weeks. The outfielder is hitting .394 (.28-for-71) with six home runs and 21 RBI in the last 20 games. He was named ACC Player of the Week on April 17 after homering in four straight games. Smith is 1-2 with a 3.08 ERA in 26.1 innings, including 6.0 no-hit innings against UNCG on April 12. He is also batting .310 with a couple RBI. Bullock, who has missed over a month with pneumonia, is 1-0 with a save and a 6.10 ERA. Bullock picked up the victory against Ohio State and struck out seven Buckeyes in the outing.
MR. DURABLE -- Junior All-American Matt Antonelli takes the term "everyday player" to another level. Antonelli has started all 148 games in his entire Demon Deacon career. He started 145 consecutive games at the hot corner before starting each of the past three games at second base.
TRIO OF GOOSE EGGS -- The Deacons blanked High Point, 7-0, on March 22 for their third shutout of 2006. Wake Forest did not register a single shutout in 2004 or 2005. In fact, the Deacons have not had three shutouts in a single season since 2000.
ANTONELLI AND YOUNG MOVING UP ALL-TIME CHARTS -- Junior Matt Antonelli walked a school-record 57 times in 2005 and has recorded 32 already this season. The third baseman has drawn 121 walks over his career, eclipsing Jamie D'Antona's school record of 113. Senior pitcher Kyle Young led Wake Forest with 33 appearances in 2005 and has pitched in 20 more games in 2006. Young has appeared in 78 games over his career which ranks sixth all-time. Young has a decent chance to climb as high as second on the chart (Frank Humber, 86), but Dave Bush's ACC record of 142 games is not in danger. The 142 appearances for Bush is the second most in NCAA history.
DEACONS AT THEIR BEST AGAINST THE BEST -- With Wake Forest's 11- victory over No. 12 NC State on April 8, the Deacons picked up their fifth against a team in the top 25 this season. Wake Forest had also defeated two top five and three top 10 teams in the same season for the first time since 2002.
DEACONS AT THEIR BEST AGAINST THE BEST -- With Wake Forest's 11- victory over No. 12 NC State on April 8, the Deacons picked up their fifth against a team in the top 25 this season. Wake Forest had also defeated two top five and three top 10 teams in the same season for the first time since 2002.
INSIDE THE 11-GAME WINNING STREAK --
- Wake Forest extended its winning streak to 11 games before losing to No. 4 North Carolina on March 11. The Deacons fell shy of the school record winning streak of 15 games set in 1999, but it was the longest winning streak since 2002. Over the last 50 years of Wake Forest baseball, only eight teams have won 10 or more consecutive games.
- The Demon Deacons allowed two or fewer earned runs in each of the first eight games of the winning streak.
- Wake Forest extended its streak to 83 consecutive innings without trailing at the end of a full inning before Elon grabbed a 2-0 lead after three innings on March 8.
- After opening his Wake Forest career 3-for-19 (.158), freshman Allan Dykstra found his stroke during the 11-game winning streak. The first baseman batted .432 (16-for-37) with five doubles, four home runs and 12 RBI. Dykstra slugged .892 over the span.
- In the end, the Demon Deacon pitching staff only allowed more than two earned runs in three times. Wake Forest posted a 2.52 earned run average and its opponents batted just .220 over the stretch.
- The Wake Forest baseball team moved into the Rosenblatt Report national poll at No. 24. The Demon Deacons entered the top 25 for the first time since April 14, 2003.
ENICK NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK -- Collegiate Baseball named Wake Forest redshirt junior Brendan Enick their National Player of the Week on March 6. Enick finished the previous week with a .786 (11-for-14) batting average, two home runs and 12 RBI in just three games. He led Wake Forest for the week in batting average (.786), slugging percentage (1.429), on-base percentage (.765), hits (11), RBI (12) and doubles (3).
ACC PITCHER OF THE WEEK -- Wake Forest junior Charlie Mellies was named ACC Pitcher of the Week on February 27. The junior tossed a five-hit, complete game shutout of No. 1 Florida. Mellies is the first Demon Deacon to receive ACC Pitcher of the Week since Kyle Sleeth earned the award on March 24, 2003. He was also the first Deacon to toss a complete-game shutout since Sleeth.
DEACONS RECOGNIZED -- After sweeping through the 2006 Pepsi Baseball Classic, including a 4-0 shutout of top-ranked Florida, Wake Forest was named Team of the Week by Rosenblatt Report.com and CollegeBaseballInsider.com.
RECAP FROM THE PEPSI BASEBALL CLASSIC --
- The victory for Wake Forest over No. 1 Florida, 4-0, on February 26 was its first over the nation's top-ranked team since April 26, 2002 when the Deacs beat Clemson, 4-2.
- Wake Forest captured the 2006 Pepsi Baseball Classic Tournament title and finished the weekend as the only undefeated team. After defeating No. 10 Missouri on February 25, the victory over No. 1 Florida gave the Demon Deacons consecutive wins over ranked opponents for the first time since March 15 and 16 of 2002.
- Junior Charlie Mellies not only tossed his third career complete game against the Gators, but his first career shutout. It was Wake Forest's first shutout since February 11, 2003 when the Deacons blanked Appalachian State, 26-0. Former All-American Kyle Sleeth was the last WFU pitcher to toss a complete game shutout -- blanking Maryland on April 19, 2002.
- Wake Forest registered victories over members of the Big 10, Big 12 and SEC in the same season for the first time in school history. The Demon Deacons were the first ACC school to accomplish the feat since Florida State defeated Nebraska, Michigan State and Florida in 2004.
- The Demon Deacons allowed a total of five runs, only four of which were earned, the entire weekend. The four earned runs were the fewest allowed by a Wake Forest pitching staff since 1998 when the Deacons allowed just three earned runs in victories over UNC Wilmington (twice) and Radford.
- After Ohio State scored in the top of the first inning on a solo home run, Wake Forest answered with three runs of their own in the bottom of the inning and never trailed the rest of the weekend.
- In addition to Charlie Mellies being named MVP, sophomore closer Ben Hunter, sophomore catcher Austin Jones and freshman Allan Dykstra were each named to the Pepsi Baseball Classic All-Tournament team.
- Sophomore Weldon Woodall did not register a single plate appearance in 2005, but the designated hitter made his first career start on February 24 against Ohio State. After failing to pick up a hit against the Buckeyes, Woodall went 5-for-8 with a run scored and two RBI in victories over No. 10 Missouri and No. 1 Florida.
HOME OPENERS -- Wake Forest slipped past Charlotte, 4-3, in 10 innings on February 21. The Demon Deacons have won their home opener 19 of the past 20 years.
OPENING WEEKENDS -- Wake Forest has now dropped three consecutive season openers. The Deacons lost to Rice to open 2004, Winthrop in 2005 and now Charlotte. Dating back to the 1958 season (the last 50 years), Wake Forest is 30-20 on opening day. The Demon Deacons are 0-2 under Rick Rembielak on opening day and Rembielak is 6-7 all-time in his career.
AFTER FURTHER REVIEW -- Wake Forest freshman Dustin Hood had quite a debut for the Demon Deacons against Charlotte. The shortstop had seven hits in the twin bill, including five in the nightcap. Hood, who went 5-for-5 with an RBI double and two runs scored, became the first Deacon rookie to record five hits in a single game since Bill Merrifield went 5-for-8 against Georgia Tech on April 4, 1981.
YOUTH SERVING THE DEACONS WELL -- Wake Forest started three true freshman in its season opener against Charlotte on February 12 -- first basemen Allan Dykstra, left fielder Evan Ocheltree and shortstop Dustin Hood. The Deacons also used a pair of rookies out of the bullpen as well in southpaw Garrett Bullock and right-hander Brad Kledzik.
IN THE BOOKS -- Wake Forest had a number of players that recorded firsts in the season-opening doubleheader against Charlotte. In addition to the Demon Deacon debuts of five true freshman and two transfers (So., Ben Hunter, So., Austin Jones and R-So., Eric Williams), Allan Dykstra, Dustin Hood, Jones and Williams each picked up their first career hits. Dykstra, Hood and Williams also had RBI. Hunter, who made 13 starts last season for Furman, registered his first career save, while junior Brian Shust smacked his first career home run.
NATIONAL FLAVOR -- As is usually the case, the Demon Deacon baseball roster is made up from players across the United States. This year, however, it's even more apparent as 30 of the 32 players on the roster are from outside the state of North Carolina. In fact, 15 different states, including North Carolina, are represented. The only North Carolinians on the team are pitchers Kip Byrum (Sr., Greenville, N.C.) and Garrett Bullock (Fr., Greenville, N.C.) -- both of whom attended J.H. Rose HS.
ANTONELLI PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN -- Wake Forest junior third basemen Matt Antonelli was named second team Preseason All-American by Baseball America. Antonelli, who has already been named to the Wallace Award Watch List, is the first Demon Deacon to garner Preseason All-American status since 2003.
A native of Peabody, Mass., Antonelli led Wake Forest in batting average (.332), walks (57), on-base percentage (.475) and runs scored (68) in 2005. The 57 walks set a new single-season school record surpassing the previous mark of 55 held by Billy Masse (1988). Antonelli also tied Dave Lardieri for 10th all-time in single-season school history for runs scored. He was second on the squad in hits (77) and doubles (22).
ANTONELLI, DYKSTRA NAMED TO FAB 50 -- Wake Forest junior Matt Antonelli was named to Baseball America's Fab 50: Juniors. Antonelli, a third basemen, was listed as the No. 27 junior prospect in the country. Allan Dykstra was named to the same list for freshman. Dykstra was rated as the No. 41 freshman in the country.
