Wake Forest University
Notre Dame
Deacs Open ACC Play with Home Series against Notre Dame
2/25/2021 7:17:00 PM | Baseball
No. 16 Wake Forest will welcome the Fighting Irish to Winston-Salem for a three-game set on Feb. 26-28.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- No. 16 Wake Forest will open Atlantic Coast Conference competition on Feb. 26-28 against Notre Dame at David F. Couch Ballpark.
The Deacs (2-2) welcome the Fighting Irish (0-0) to Winston-Salem for the first of 12 series against ACC opponents.
The trio of games will be shown entirely on ACC Network Extra, with Friday and Saturday's games starting at 4 p.m. ET and Sunday's at 1 p.m. ET. Fans can also stream the radio broadcast live through the Wake Forest Athletics app.
Stay tuned to the Demon Deacons social media accounts (@WakeBaseball) for all in-game updates and information.
Last Time Out
The Deacs suffered a 4-1 loss on Feb. 23 in a non-conference, extra-innings clash with Coastal Carolina. The 12-inning game marked the first time Wake Forest went into extras in almost two seasons.
The Wake Forest pitching staff registered a record-setting night in the matchup. Against the Chanticleers, the Deacs struck out 20 batters, the most by a Wake Forest pitching staff since at least 1999.
Rhett Lowder, in his first career start, sat down 10 batters in six innings. He currently leads the ACC with 13 strikeouts over seven innings.
Additionally, the Deacs have struck-out the second-most opponents through four games in the ACC, holding an average of 13.2 strikeouts per game.
Michael Turconi and Pierce Bennett led the Deacs at the plate, each knocking two hits on the night.
Fighting Irish Preview
Notre Dame opens their season against the Demon Deacons after their first three games (Air Force, Louisiana Tech and LSU) of the season were canceled due to COVID protocols. The Fighting Irish opened the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season on a blistering pace, finishing the season 11-2 with a series sweep of North Carolina on the road in their only ACC series that season.
Outfielder Spencer Meyers is the Fighting Irish's top returning hitter from 2020. The senior hit .431 and scored 14 runs in 12 starts a season ago, nabbing 15 stolen bases in the process. Infielder Niko Kavadas is Notre Dame's top power threat. The senior smashed seven home runs and has 17 RBIs over 13 games in 2020.
On the mound, Notre Dame returns its three weekend starters from a season ago, led by ace lefty Tommy Sheehan. The senior finished fanned 22 batters over 23.1 innings, while maintaining a 2.70 ERA and finishing with a 3-0 record. Fellow left-hander Tommy Vail is the best returning arm out of the Irish bullpen. The senior finished 2020 with a 3-0 record and 2.08 ERA across seven appearances, holding opposing batters in a miniscule .086 batting average while compiling 24 punch outs across 17.1 innings.
Opponent & Series History
The Deacs and the Fighting Irish have faced off 22 times prior to this weekend's series, with Wake Forest holding a 13-9 series advantage. The teams first met in 1988, and have evenly split the last 10 meetings.
In 2017, The Deacs swept three games at David F. Couch Ballpark against the Irish, marking the last series win against the ACC foe.
Gameday/Ticket Information
On Wednesday, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper announced that athletics outdoor venues can now allow 30 percent capacity and indoors 15 percent. Wake Forest will prioritize students for this capacity, along with student-athlete families.
"Our staff is excited to safely host our student-athletes' parents and families, Wake Forest students, and a limited number of fans for Saturday's game against Notre Dame at Couch Ballpark," Director of Athletics John Currie said. "Wake Forest Athletics has been in constant communication with Forsyth County and state health authorities to develop extensive plans that adhere to social distancing requirements and uphold the Show Humanitiate standard of our University. Our student-athletes, coaches and staff missed the passion and support of our Wake Forest community last weekend in the Deacons' series win over Northeastern."
"We are excited to play in front of Deacon Nation again, even if it is a limited capacity," said head coach Tom Walter. "Our players and staff are excited to feel the energy and support starting with our game this Saturday against Notre Dame. I appreciate the guidance of our University leadership as well as Gov. Cooper and the state of North Carolina in welcoming back fans to Couch Ballpark in a healthy and safe manner."
On Friday, Wake Forest students will receive the first priority for the newly available attendance space through the Screamin' Demon Rewards and lottery programs which were introduced last fall.
Season and single-game tickets are now on sale for fans to join us at The Couch beginning Saturday, Feb. 27. Starting this season, and in compliance with the updated North Carolina executive order governing in-person attendance at sporting events, all tickets will provide access to reserved seats at David F. Couch Ballpark.
To purchase tickets, head to GoDeacs.com/tickets.
All Screamin' Deacon Rewards and lottery information can be found here, while general fan and ticket information can be found here.
On Deck
Wake Forest will continue its homestand with a midweek, non-conference contest on March 3 against Western Carolina. First pitch is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
The Deacs will be right back on the diamond for their second ACC series of the season against Boston College on March 5-7 at The Couch. The team then hits the road for four-straight games, traveling to Elon on March 9 and the sunshine state on March 12-14 for their first road series of the 2021 campaign against Miami.
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