Wake Forest Athletics
Wake Forest Hosts Elon in Midweek Game Wednesday
4/13/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 13, 2010
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The Wake Forest baseball team looks to get back on the winning track when it hosts Elon on Wednesday at 6 p.m. in the finale of a five-game homestand.
Wednesday's game will be aired live on WBRF 98.1 FM and WakeForestSports.com with Stan Cotten and Alan York on the call.
Admission to Wednesday's game and all midweek games at Gene Hooks Field at Wake Forest Baseball Park is free of charge.
The Demon Deacons bring a 10-24 overall record into the contest against the Phoenix. Wake suffered a three-game sweep against No. 7 Florida State last weekend, losing 10-1 in the opener and dropping a pair of one-run games, losing 5-4 on Saturday and 17-16 on Sunday.
Ryan Semeniuk led the Demon Deacons against the Seminoles, hitting .500 with a home run, two RBIs and six runs scored. Steven Brooks hit .357 in the three-game set with three RBIs, three runs scored and two stolen bases. Shane Kroker hit .333 in the series, while Matt Conway hit .300.
Mike Murray leads Wake Forest with a .347 batting average on the season with three homers a team-high 26 RBIs. Brooks is hitting .344 with four homers, 21 RBIs and a team-best 19 stolen bases. Conway is also hitting .344 on the year with a homer and 12 RBIs.
The Demon Deacons are slated to start sophomore RHP Michael Dimock on Wednesday. Dimock has a 1-6 record on the season and a 7.11 ERA. Dimock, who started last Friday's game against Florida State, has allowed 41 runs, 30 earned, on 54 hits in 38.0 innings. Dimock has struck out 31 and walked 13 on the season.
Redshirt senior Joel Ernst boasts the lowest ERA out of the Wake Forest bullpen. Ernst, who has appeared in 17 games on the season, has a 1-1 record with two saves and a 3.48 ERA. Junior Ryan McGrath has made 20 appearances on the season, which ranks second in the conference, and has a 1-1 record with a 7.56 ERA. Freshman Niko Spezial has compiled a 1-4 record and a 4.24 ERA in nine appearances on the season.
Elon brings a 21-12 record into this week's play. The Phoenix have dropped two straight games, losing the final two games in a series against Georgia Southern. Before the two loses, Elon had run off six straight wins. The Phoenix plays Liberty on Tuesday, before traveling to Winston-Salem on Wednesday night.
As a team, Elon is hitting .300 on the season and is averaging 8.4 runs a game. The Phoenix is led by catcher Mike Melillo, who is hitting .348 on the season with four home runs and 34 RBIs. Matt Hinson and Ryan Adams are tied for the team lead in home runs with eight, while Adams is tied with Melillo for the team high in RBIs (34). Justin Hilt has a team-leading 14 stolen bases on the season.
On the mound, the Elon pitching staff has a 5.84 ERA. The Phoenix is scheduled to start senior LHP J.D. Reichenbach on Wednesday. Reichenbach, who will be making his seventh appearance and third start of the season, is 0-1 with a 7.30 ERA. In 12.1 innings, Reichenbach has allowed 13 runs, 10 earned, on 18 hits with five strikeouts and 10 walks.
Kyle Webb has been the go to reliever out of the Elon bullpen, appearing in a team-high 14 games. Webb leads the Phoenix with three saves and is 0-1 on the year with a 5.62 ERA. Thomas Girdwood has been the most effective Phoenix reliever, posting a 3-0 record with two saves and a 1.93 ERA in 13 appearances.
Wake Forest holds a slim 18-15 advantage in the all-time series against Elon. The Phoenix has had success in recent meetings, winning six straight in the series, including a 17-12 win in the first meeting this season.
Live stats and a recap of Wednesday's game will be available on WakeForestSports.com. Fans can also get in-game updates by following the Wake Forest Twitter feed at www.twitter.com/WFUBaseball.
