Wake Forest Athletics
Baseball Gameday: Wake Forest at Coastal Carolina
3/7/2017 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
| Gameday Central | Wake Forest at Coastal Carolina | |
| Game 14 | Wednesday, March 8, 4:00 p.m. |
| Coverage |  | Live Video ($) |
| Location | Conway, S.C. (Spring Brooks Stadium) - Facility Info | Tickets | Weather |
| Information | Wake Forest Notes  | ACC Release | @WakeBaseball  |
The Matchup
• Wake Forest hits the road after a nine-game homestand, traveling to take on the defending national champions and No. 21-ranked Coastal Carolina on Wednesday at 4 p.m.
Last Time Out
• Wake Forest finished the weekend 4-0 with two wins over Kent State, a 45-win team from a year ago, and single victories over Quinnipiac and Radford.
• The Demon Deacon pitching staff finished the weekend with a 1.42 ERA and a 32-to-8 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
• Offensively, the Deacs hit .347 with 16 extra-base hits and eight stolen bases.
Wake Forest Storylines
• Following the season-opening trip to Houston, the Deacs were hitting just .194 as a team and had only three players hitting better than .215. In the nine games since, Wake Forest is hitting .343 as a team, with 46 extra-base hits.
• That surge has increased the team average to .324, while Wake Forest has scored the fifth-most runs in the nation. Six starters are hitting .340 or better. Gavin Sheets currently leads the nation with 26 RBIs.
• Despite losing D1Baseball National Player of the Year Will Craig, a first-round pick of the Pirates, and All-American Nate Mondou, a 13th-round pick of the A's, Wake Forest does return all five of its regular starting pitchers, as well as five starting position players. Draftees Parker Dunshee (Cubs - 14th round) and Chris Farish (Indians - 31st round) elected to return to Wake Forest for the 2017 season. Dunshee, as well as outfielder Stuart Fairchild, earned Preseason All-America honors.
Opponent And Series History
• Coastal Carolina claimed the 2016 national championship, the first in program history. The Chanticleers finished last season with a 55-18 overall record, and are 9-5 so far in 2017.
• Wake Forest and Coastal Carolina met twice in Conway a season ago. The Deacs claimed the first game, 11-0, and were the only team to shut CCU out until Arizona did so in the College World Series final. The Chanticleers rebounded to take the second game, 7-6.
Looking Ahead
• Wake Forest is set to play the next 12 games in the state of North Carolina, six of those at home. The Deacs open ACC play this weekend, welcoming No. 20 NC State to Winston-Salem for a three-game series.
