Wake Forest Athletics
Demon Deacon Baseball Monday Report Card
5/8/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 8, 2006
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The No. 18 Wake Forest baseball team returns to action for its final non-conference game of the season on Wednesday against High Point. First pitch at Erath Field is scheduled for 3 p.m. The Demon Deacons then hit the road for a critical three-game ACC series with Miami this weekend.
Wake Forest (31-15) will send redshirt senior Justin Keadle to the mound against the Panthers. He will make his first appearance in a mid-week contest after missing his turn in the rotation when Sunday's series finale with FSU was rained out. The right-handed hurler is 4-2 with a 4.37 ERA in eight appearances, all starts. Keadle has allowed 36 hits over his 35.0 innings -- good for a .254 opponents' batting average. He has struck out 36 and walked 15. In his last start, Keadle allowed just one earned run on three hits in 5.0 innings of work against Maryland on April 23.
High Point (23-24) took the series opener from Big South leader Birmingham-Southern, 2-1, Saturday. Sunday's game was rained out and the teams will play a doubleheader Monday starting at 11 am. The Deacons blanked High Point, 7-0, back on March 22. High Point has not decided on a starting pitcher.
THE MATCHUP
May 10
Demon Deacons vs. Panthers
Erath Field
High Point, N.C.
PITCHING MATCHUP
RHP Justin Keadle (4-2, 4.37) vs. TBA
LIVE GAME COVERAGE
Gametracker: WakeForestSports.com
SERIES HISTORY
All-Time Series: Wake Forest leads, 19-9.
2006 Results: Wake Forest blanked High Point, 7-0, back on March 22.
2005 Results: The Deacons swept both meetings from the Panthers (5-4, 19-13).
HIGH POINT INSIDER -- The Panthers, who are led by fifth-year head coach Sal Bando, Jr., enter the game with a 23-24 record. The Panthers defeated Birmingham-Southern, 2-1, on Saturday at Erath Field. High Point faces BSC in a doubleheader on Monday to conclude their series. The Panthers are hitting .291 as a team and are led by senior outfielder Mark Shorey. The Peabody, Mass. native is hitting .412 with 16 doubles, 16 home runs and 51 RBI. He has walked 27 times, owns a .495 on-base percentage and a .788 slugging percentage. Chris Norwood is hitting .358 with six homers and 32 RBI, while Jeff Cowan is batting .332 with a couple home runs and 25 RBI. Norwood and Cowan have stolen 13 and nine bases, respectively. The Panthers sport a 5.52 ERA and .287 opponents' batting average. High Point's defense has a .963 fielding percentage, committing 67 errors in 47 games.
INJURY UPDATE -- Freshman starting pitcher Garrett Bullock returned from his bout with pneumonia against Virginia Tech on April 2, but injured his left triceps in the outing and remains questionable this week... junior starting pitcher Charlie Mellies underwent Tommy John surgery on April 14 and will miss the season... sophomore second baseman Andy Goff missed both games in the FSU series with a hamstring strain and remains questionable... 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 High Point, Wake Forest will travel to ACC rival Miami for a three-game series this weekend.
RANKINGS -- Wake Forest rose to No. 18 in the Rosenblatt Report. The Collegiate Baseball, USA Today and NCBWA polls have not been released. The Demon Deacons slipped to 17th in the Warren Nolan RPI. High Point is not ranked.
HITTING STREAKS -- Entering this week, only two players have a hitting streak of at least two games.
Player Statistics During Streak Matt Antonelli (13) .327 (18-for-55), 15 R, 6 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 11 RBI, 4 SB Tyler Smith (4) .278 (5-for-18), 1 R, 1 HR, 5 RBI
LET'S PLAY TWO -- Wake Forest and Florida State played the longest game in the 53-year history of the ACC on Saturday, May 6. The previous record in unknown, but the 20-inning affair turned out to be the 12th in NCAA Division I history to ever reach the 20th inning and only the third to do so since 1974. There have been more individual perfect games (16) in NCAA Division I history since 1957 than games that reached the 20th inning. The game featured 11 difference pitchers, 546 pitches and lasted five hours and two minutes. The Seminoles and Demon Deacons each had a pitcher throw at least six innings out of the bullpen (Barret Browning went 6.0 for FSU and Kyle Young went 7.0 for WFU). Wake Forest catcher Dan Rosaia, who pinch hit in the ninth inning, recorded five at-bats. Demon Deacons defensive substitute Nathan Frazier, who entered in the 10th inning, recorded a season-high nine assists (also tied for third most in single-game school history). Wake Forest first baseman Allan Dykstra recorded 26 putouts, not only an ACC record, but the second most in NCAA Division I history. FSU first baseman Dennis Guinn and Deacon designated hitter Brendan Enick tied the ACC single-game record with nine at-bats. The game had an ACC record 171 fielding chances combined by both teams (ranks fifth most in NCAA Division I history) and an ACC record 88 fielding chances by Wake Forest (ranks eighth most in NCAA Division I history). The teams also combined to make an ACC record 147 plate appearances (eighth most in NCAA Division I history).
