Wake Forest Athletics
Wake Forest Closes Homestand with Three Games Against Xavier
3/4/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 4, 2010
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Wake Forest closes its 12-game, season-opening homestand this weekend as it hosts Xavier in a three game series at Gene Hooks Field at Wake Forest Baseball Park.
Game times are set for 4 p.m. (ET) on Friday, 4 p.m. (ET) on Saturday and 1 p.m. (ET) on Sunday.
Single-game tickets for this weekend's action cost $6 and can be purchased on game day or in advance by visiting WakeForestSports.com. Season passes are also available. Adult season passes cost $45, while youth and senior season passes cost $25.
The Demon Deacons enter the weekend with a 3-6 record. Wake Forest was scheduled to play Winthrop in a midweek game, but attempts to play the game on both Tuesday and Wednesday were unsuccessful and the game was postponed.
The Deacs dropped three of four games to Kent State last weekend in their most recent action. Senior catcher Mike Murray led the Demon Deacons against Kent State, hitting .400 over the four-game series with five RBIs and four runs scored. Redshirt junior outfielder Ryan Semeniuk hit .375 with a homer, two RBIs and five runs scored in the four games against the Golden Flashes.
Semeniuk, who brings a career-long, nine-game hitting streak into this weekend's action, leads the Deacs with a .395 batting average and is tied for the team lead in homers (2) and RBIs (8). Murray is batting .300 on the year with a team-high tying eight RBIs, while junior outfielder Steven Brooks is hitting at a .290 clip with a homer, three RBIs and a team-high four stolen bases.
Sophomore right-handed pitcher Michael Dimock (0-1, 1 save, 3.18 ERA) will make his first start of the season in the series opener on Friday. Freshman lefty Tim Cooney (1-0, 1.46 ERA) will start Saturday's game, while sophomore southpaw Austin Stadler (1-0, 3.65 ERA) will toe the rubber in the series finale on Sunday.
Redshirt senior Joel Ernst (0-0, 1 save, 3.86 ERA) and junior Ryan McGrath (0-0, 9.64 ERA) are tied for the team lead with five appearances out of the bullpen, while sophomore Zach White (0-0, 4.50 ERA) has made four relief outings on the season.
Xavier currently has a 1-5 record on the season. The Musketeers were also plagued by bad weather during the week as scheduled games against Campbell and Duke were cancelled. Xavier added a game with NC State on Thursday afternoon, before heading to Winston-Salem for this weekend's series. Xavier's only win of the 2010 season came last Sunday in the series finale at No. 4 Georgia Tech, a 7-6 victory.
As a team, Xavier is hitting .245 through the first six games of the season. Phil Bauer, John McCambridge, Drew Schmidt and Ben Thomas lead the Musketeers as each are hitting .333 on the year. McCambridge is tied for the team lead with five RBIs and also has a team-high four stolen bases. Bobby Freking is hitting .304 on the season with a homer and is also tied for the team high with five RBIs.
On the mound, Xavier has posted an 11.94 ERA. Redshirt sophomore right-handed pitcher Nate Mutsch (0-1, 10.12) will start the series opener on Friday. Junior southpaw Tommy Shirley (0-1, 11.32) will get the call in Saturday's game, while freshman lefty Jon Richard (1-1, 9.90) will get the nod in the series finale on Sunday.
Out of the bullpen, Josh Deeg (0-0, 10.50 ERA) has pitched a team-leading 6.0 innings in relief. Markus Kuykendoll (0-0, 9.00 ERA) and Brian Muransky (0-1, 9.00 ERA) are tied for the lowest ERA among the Xavier relievers. Alex Vice (0-1, 12.00 ERA) has a save for the Musketeers on the season.
Wake Forest and Xavier are meeting for just the second time in series history. The Demon Deacons won the only other meeting, 18-3, during the 2006 season.
Live stats and a recap of this weekend's games will be available on WakeForestSports.com. Fans can also get in-game updates by following the Wake Forest baseball Twitter feed at www.twitter.com/WFUBaseball.
Weekend Schedule (Times Eastern and Subject to Change) - Winston-Salem, N.C.
Friday, March 5 - 4 p.m.
Saturday, March 6 - 4 p.m.
Sunday, March 7 - 1 p.m.
Ticket Information
Single-game tickets for this weekend's action cost $6 and can be purchased on game day or in advance at by visiting WakeForestSports.com. Season passes are also available. Adult season passes cost $45, while youth and senior season passes cost $25.
Live Game Coverage
Television - None
Radio - None
Live Stats - WakeForestSports.com
Twitter - www.twitter.com/WFUBaseball
Probable Pitching Matchups (Wake Forest vs. Xavier)
Friday, March 5 (4 p.m.)
RHP Michael Dimock (So., 0-1, 3.18) vs. RHP Nate Mutsch (R-So., 0-1, 10.12)
Saturday, March 6 (4 p.m.)
LHP Tim Cooney (Fr., 1-0, 1.46) vs. LHP Tommy Shirley (Jr., 0-1, 11.32)
Sunday, March 7 (1 p.m.)
LHP Austin Stadler (So., 1-0, 3.65) vs. LHP Jon Richard (Fr., 1-1, 9.90)
Records
Wake Forest - 3-6, 0-0 ACC
Xavier - 1-5, 0-0 Atlantic 10
Rankings
Wake Forest - Not Ranked
Xavier - Not Ranked
