Wake Forest Athletics
Baseball Game Notes - 2011 ACC Baseball Championship
5/23/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 23, 2011
Wake Forest Game Notes 
| ACC Baseball Championship Central
Wake Forest is ready to make its first appearance in the ACC Baseball Championship since 2008 and will open up tournament play against top-seeded Virginia on Wednesday at 3 p.m.
The Demon Deacons will also play fourth-seeded North Carolina on Friday at 7 p.m. and fifth-seeded Miami on Saturday at 3 p.m. The tournament will take place in Durham, N.C., at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park.
No. 2 Florida State, No. 3 Georgia Tech, No. 6 Clemson and No. 7 NC State comprise the other four-team pool. The winner of each pool will play for the ACC title on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Wake Forest will enter the tournament with as much momentum as any team, having won eight of its last nine conference games. The Demon Deacons ended the year by sweeping Boston College (May 6-8), taking two of three from Duke (May 13-15) and sweeping Maryland (May 19-21).
The late season surge pushed the Deacs' record to 15-15 in conference play, marking the first time that Wake Forest has finished .500 or better in the ACC since 2006 (16-13).
A big reason for the recent success has been the rotation of left-handed starting pitchers in Brian Holmes, Tim Cooney and Austin Stadler. The trio has combined to post a 1.87 ERA in 57.2 innings during the nine-game stretch.
Michael Dimock has appeared six times in relief in the last three series, posting a 1.93 ERA in 9.1 innings and holding opponents to a .176 batting average while striking out 10.
The offense has also improved of late, hitting .260 over its last nine ACC contests. Pat Blair has led the way with a .378 average during that span and has a .521 on-base percentage.
Matt Conway has been hot at the plate and is riding a season-high 15-game hitting streak. He is no stranger to a lengthy hitting streak, as he recorded a hit in 20 straight games from the end of his freshman campaign to the beginning of this season.
Steven Brooks continues to rise in the record books. He remains in second place all-time with 79 stolen bases, and his 30 this season are the fifth most in a year. In addition, he has walked 112 times in his career, good enough for fourth in Wake Forest history.
Next Up...
The winner of the 2011 ACC Baseball Championship will earn the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. Wake Forest last appeared in the NCAA Tournament in 2007, following a 34-29 overall record and a 14-16 record in ACC play.
