Three Deacons Make Valley League Top Prospect List
9/5/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Sept. 5, 2011
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Wake Forest baseball players Mac Williamson, Justin Van Grouw and Niko Spezialhave all been named to the Valley Baseball League's Top 35 Prospects list according to Perfect Game USA.
The three Demon Deacons all competed for the Harrisonburg Turks of the Valley League over the summer and helped their team to a league-best record of 34-14.
"All three of those young men took a big step forward this summer. Mac has always been a talented athlete, but this summer he became an offensive force and a guy you can build a lineup around," said Wake Forest head baseball coach Tom Walter. "Niko and Justin logged quality innings, but more importantly, they logged them as starters. This allowed them to develop all their pitches and pitch in high pressure situations. I am excited to see them back in the Black and Gold."
Williamson was honored as the top prospect in the league after having an excellent summer at the plate. The Wake Forest, N.C., native finished second in the league in hitting with a team-best .381 average.
Williamson finished ranked in the top three in five other categories as well, as he led the Valley in slugging percentage (.706), was second in RBIs (38) and home runs (10) and was third in on-base percentage (.469) and total bases (89).
"This summer was a huge stepping stone for my maturity at the plate. Playing every day helped me remain more consistent, and it allowed me to get game experience with some of the changes I was trying to implement into my swing," said Williamson. "Playing with Niko and Justin this summer was awesome, not only because we had a lot of fun, but because we were all able to help each other refine our baseball abilities together. As much as we improved this summer, I have very high expectations for our upcoming season."
Van Grouw and Spezial also had solid summers, ranking 31st and 32nd on Perfect Game's list, respectively.
Spezial started nine games for the Turks and finished the season with a 3-1 record and the second-best ERA in the league at 1.91. In 56.2 innings of work, Spezial struck out 37 batters and allowed just 12 earned runs, which was tied for the fewest in the league.
Van Grouw made eight starts and nine appearances, posting a 4-3 record and one save. His 4.25 ERA was ranked 18th in the league, and in 53 innings, he struck out 47 batters while only walking 15.
The trio helped Wake Forest to a 25-31 record during the 2011 season, including a 15-15 record in the Atlantic Coast Conference and a trip to the ACC Tournament.
