Wake Forest Set to Host Duke This Weekend
4/26/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 26, 2007
| Games No. 47-49: Wake Forest vs. Duke | |
| Records: | Demon Deacons (24-22, 8-13) vs. Blue Devils (26-17, 6-15) |
| When: | Fri., April 27 - 3:00 p.m. |
| Where: | Hooks Stadium - Winston-Salem, N.C. |
| Pitching Matchup: | WF: RHP Brad Kledzik (3-3, 4.75) |
Game Notes: | |
| Coverage: | Television: ACC Select (Fri.), RSN (Sat.) |
IN THE BATTERS BOX -- Wake Forest returns to ACC play this weekend looking to build off the momentum it gained from two mid-week wins. In-state rival Duke visits Hooks Stadium for a three-game set with the Demon Deacons. Wake enters the series 24-22 overall and 8-13 in the ACC after picking up non-conference road victories at Charlotte and Appalachian State this week. The Deacs, who were swept at Boston College last weekend, are looking to snap a four-game conference losing streak. The Blue Devils come in at 26-17 overall and 6-15 in the ACC. Duke has won three in a row, including its final two games against Maryland last weekend.
DUKE INSIDER -- Duke comes to Winston-Salem with a record of 26-17 overall and 6-15 in ACC play. The Blue Devils are coming off a 12-0 shutout of Campbell on Tuesday. Duke is 4-8 on the road this season, including a 2-7 mark in the conference. As a team, the Blue Devils are hitting .310 with 24 home runs. Jimmy Gallagher and Nate Friemann are the leaders of the Duke offense. Gallagher leads the team with a .365 average and ranks third in RBIs with 38. Friemann is second in both batting average (.362) and RBIs (39). Brett Bartles leads Duke with 41 RBIs and is tied with Friemann for the home run lead with six apiece. Gallagher and Jonathan Anderson have stolen 13 bases each this season. The pitching staff has a team ERA of 3.10 in 381.0 innings pitched. Tony Bajoczky leads the staff with a record of 8-2 and an ERA of 2.70. Michael Seander is the Blue Devils' closer, compiling eight saves and a 1.18 ERA.
LAST MEETING -- Wake Forest swept Duke April 14-16, 2006, in Durham. The Demon Deacons held off a ninth-inning rally to post a 10-9 win against the Blue Devils on Friday. Josh Ellis earned the win in relief, while Ben Hunter recorded his 11th save of the season. Evan Ocheltree, Eric Williams and Dustin Hood had three hits each to lead the offense. On Saturday, Ocheltree hit two home runs to lead Wake to a 10-2 rout of Duke. Eric Niesen did not allow an earned run in six innings on the mound, picking up this third win of the season. The Deacs completed the sweep with a 13-3 win on Sunday. Ocheltree and Dan Rosaia both homered, and Hood turned in a three-hit performance.
ON DECK -- The Demon Deacons have two mid-week games on the horizon. Wake will host Elon on Tuesday at 3 p.m. and then travel to UNC Greensboro on Wednesday at 6 p.m. Wake Forest is off next weekend before returning to ACC play May 11-13 at home against Miami.
RANKINGS -- Both Duke and Wake Forest are unranked.
MID-WEEK LEFTOVERS --
-Wake Forest won twice during the mid-week, defeating Charlotte and Appalachian State. On Tuesday, Brett Linnenkohl homered in the top of the 11th inning to send the Deacons to a 3-2 defeat of No. 22 Charlotte. Wake breezed past Appalachian State, 13-5, on Wednesday in Boone.
-The victory against the 49ers gave Wake Forest a season series sweep of its in-state rival. The Deacons split the season series with the Mountaineers after ASU defeated Wake 10-9 in February.
-Joel Ernst earned the first win of his collegiate career on Wednesday, allowing four runs in six innings. Willy Fox also made his return that day after missing the previous 15 games with a laceration in his left leg. Fox went 1-for-3 with three RBIs in his return.
FOX MAKES BIG RETURN -- Junior Willy Fox made his return to the lineup on April 25 at Appalachian State and did his best to make up for lost time. After missing the previous 15 games with a laceration to his left leg, Fox went 1-for-3 with three RBIs and a double as the Deacons' designated hitter. In Fox's absence, Wake had gone 8-7. Fox had to sit out after receiving the laceration while stopping a burglary attempt in his Winston-Salem apartment.
HUNTER IMPRESSIVE AS STARTER -- Junior Ben Hunter has been solid in each of his three starts this season. The Deacons' All-American closer in 2006, Hunter made the transition to a starting role in mid-April. He has made three starts, and all three have come against ranked opponents (Coastal Carolina twice and Charlotte). Hunter has gone 1-0 with a 3.18 ERA as a starter. He has struck out 15 batters and walked six in 17.0 innings pitched. More importantly, Wake Forest is 3-0 in games that Hunter has started. In contrast, Hunter is 3-5 with a 6.91 ERA in 20 relief appearances in 2007.
BULLOCK TIMES TEN -- Sophomore Garrett Bullock pitched 10 innings in Wake Forest's 17-inning loss at Boston College on Saturday, April 21. The last Deacon pitcher to throw 10 innings was John Hendricks in 1999. Hendricks went 10 in a complete-game effort against NC State on April 24 in Winston-Salem. Bullock's stat line was more impressive than Hendricks' line, however. Bullock allowed just two runs on eight hits with seven strikeouts and a walk. Hendricks gave up 10 runs on 14 hits with four strikeouts and three walks. Wake won the game in 1999, 11-10, over the Wolfpack. In 2007, though, Bullock took a no-decision as the Deacs fell 4-3 to the Eagles.
TERRY'S STREAK AT 13 GAMES -- Junior Ben Terry is currently riding a 13-game hitting streak that dates back to April 8 at Maryland. Terry's streak is the second-longest by a Deacon this season, as Willy Fox had a 16-game streak earlier in the year. Terry has had just two multi-hit days during the streak but has had eight games with at least one RBI. He hit his first home run of the season Friday, April 20, at BC. After getting spot duty in the outfield early in the season, Terry has since taken over the everyday centerfielder job.
Player Statistics During Streak
Ben Terry (13) .306 (15-for-49), 12 R, 2 2B, HR, 12 RBI, 9 BB, 5 HBP, .460 OBP
CURRENT HITTING STREAKS -- In addition to Ben Terry's 13-game hitting steak, junior Andy Goff is on an eight-game streak. Sophomores Dustin Hood and Evan Ocheltree are each riding three-game hitting streaks entering the weekend. Junior Brett Linnenkohl has had a hit in 12 of his last 13 games. Linnenkohl had hit 10-game streak snapped April 22 at BC.
Player Statistics During Streak
Andy Goff (8) .324 (12-for-37), 8 R, 5 2B, 5 RBI, .459 SLG
Dustin Hood (3) .385 (5-for-13), 2 R, 2 RBI, .467 OBP
Evan Ocheltree (3) .556 (5-for-9), 2 2B, 5 RBI, .778 SLG, .556 OBP
ELLIS NAMED TO STOPPER OF THE YEAR WATCH LIST -- Senior Josh Ellis was named to the midseason watch list for the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year Award on April 20. The award, to be presented June 6, will be given to the top relief pitcher in Division I college baseball. Ellis took over the Deacons' closer role in early March. The righthander is 3-2 with a 1.89 ERA and six saves in 23 relief appearances this season. The Lexington, Ky., native began the season with a 16.1 scoreless inning streak. Ellis has struck out 49 batters and walked just nine in 33.1 innings pitched. Coming into the season, Ellis had never recorded a save in his collegiate career. He notched his first one on March 9 against nationally-ranked Virginia. The midseason watch list includes 40 of the top relievers in the country. Ellis is one of five ACC closers included on the list.
ONE-RUN WOES -- Wake Forest suffered two more one-run losses last weekend at Boston College. The Demon Deacons are 7-11 in one-run games, including a 2-6 mark in conference play. No other ACC team has more than five one-run losses and none have played more than 11 one-run games. Clemson is 6-5 in one-run games, while Virginia is 4-5.
BOSTON COLLEGE LEFTOVERS --
-Wake Forest was dealt a frustrating three-game sweep at the hands of Boston College. The Deacons let a two-run lead slip away in the ninth inning, falling 5-4 on Friday. The Eagles then outlasted the Deacs, 4-3, in 17 innings the next night. Holding all of the momentum, BC ran past Wake 11-5 on Sunday.
-The Demon Deacons got strong outings from starters Brad Kledzik and Garrett Bullock, but both pitchers had to settle for no-decisions. Kledzik went a career-long 7.1 innings, allowing two runs on four hits. Bullock pitched 10.0 innings on Saturday and gave up just two runs.
-Wake hit .214 as a team and struck out 34 times. On Saturday, the Deacs struck out 23 times and had three players with four strikeouts each. Wake Forest scored just 12 runs in the series and suffered two one-run defeats.
