Wake Forest University
Georgia Tech
Wake Forest Closes Home Stand with Weekend Set Versus No. 11 Georgia Tech
3/18/2021 2:16:00 PM | Baseball
Deacs look to continue winning ways against ACC foe.
GAME NOTES
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Wake Forest will close their four-game home stand with their third Atlantic Coast Conference series of the season against No. 11 Georgia Tech at David F. Couch Ballpark on March 19-21.
The Deacs (4-6, 1-4 ACC) look to continue their momentum from a 4-1 midweek victory over Charlotte on March 6 at The Couch against a Georgia Tech (9-5, 6-3 ACC) team that has won three out of their last six contests against conference foes.
The trio of games will be shown entirely on ACC Network Extra, with Friday's first pitch slated for 6:00 p.m. ET. Saturday's game is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. ET, while the teams will hit the diamond at 1:00 p.m. ET for the series finale on Sunday. 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.
100-Hit Club
Wake Forest is just one of two teams in the nation with four active players that have tallied at least 100 hits during their collegiate careers:
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Bobby Seymour- 178
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Chris Lanzilli- 156
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Michael Ludowig- 113
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Shane Muntz- 112
Seymour is set to become the 28th player in Wake Forest history to join the 200-Hit club as the junior is just 22 base hits away from the mark.
Jake Mueller (2016-19) was the last Deac to reach the mark with 203 base hits.
Michael Turconi is currently 14 hits from joining the 100-hit crew, as the sophomore has recorded 86 hits through 74 career games.
K's All Around
After a nine-strikeout outing against Charlotte, the Deacs currently sit first in the conference and seventh in the country in strikeouts per innings with an average of 12.5. Individually, Ryan Cusick has powered the ball through the opposition. The sophomore has fanned 21 batters through 11.1 innings, good for an average of 16.68 strikeouts per nine innings (second in ACC and seventh in nation). Additionally, Cusick led the ACC in strikeouts looking (8) at the time of his last start.
Through the team's first seven games, the Deacs lead the ACC with 99 strikeouts. The mark was good for second-most in the nation.
After striking out 10 batters in his first career start, Rhett Lowder currently sits with the most strikeouts on the team with 23.
Wilken Off To Historic Pace
Through his first 10 career games, freshman Brock Wilken has hit four home runs to led the Wake Forest bats. His four homers are the most through a Demon Deacons' first 10 games since 2009 when Carlos Lopez hit six homers in his first 10 contests for Wake Forest.
Wilken is on pace to finish the 2021 season with 18 home runs. The record for most home runs in a season by a freshman is 17, held by Jamie D'Antona (2001).
Additionally, current Deacs Brendan Tinsman (10) and Chris Lanzilli (9) sit in the top 10 after their freshman season in 2018 and 2019, respectively.
Last Time Out
The Deacs head into the weekend series after their first non-conference win of the 2021 season.
In the mid-week battle with in-state opponent Charlotte, the Deacs claimed a 4-1 victory thanks to superb pitching from Reed Mascolo, Brennen Oxford, Hunter Furtado, Cole McNamee, Camden Minacci, and Eric Adler. In relief, five Deacs lasted 6.2 innings, allowing just two hits and one run while striking out seven.
The bats were coming through as well for the Deacs as the squad scored a pair of runs in the first two innings off a Bobby Seymour double, his third-straight game with a two-bagger, and a Pierce Bennett RBI single. Charlotte answered with a run of their own in the fifth inning, but Wake Forest responded. Shane Muntz hit a solo home run in the sixth inning over the left field wall, and Lucas Costello singled in the eighth to increase the Deacs' lead.
Eric Adler picked up his first save of the season and Wake Forest prevailed by a final tally of 4-1.
Opponent & Series History
The Deacs and Yellow Jackets have a deep history, facing off 112 times prior to this year's series matchup. Georgia Tech holds a 72-40 advantage in games between the two teams.
The first matchup came in 1957 and the last game came in 2018, with the Deacs picking up a 6-3 victory in Atlanta.
Yellow Jackets Preview
The bats of Georgia Tech have begun the new season hot. The Yellow Jackets lead the ACC in team batting average at .328, the only team above the .300 mark. In addition, the team leads the ACC in runs, averaging just under nine per game. The strong start to the season is in large part due to the top six batters hitting over .300. Leadoff hitter Kevin Parada leads the entire ACC with a .510 average and 26 hits.
Batting in the two-hole, first baseman Drew Compton is also off to a good start in 2021. The sophomore leads the team in home runs, RBIs and runs scored while slashing .404/.484/.769. On the mound, redshirt junior Andy Archer leads the Yellow Jackets with a 2-1 record and 3.05 ERA. He has thrown 20 strikeouts, while only allowing five walks on the season.
In the team's last game against Pittsburgh, Georgia Tech fell 18-12 in a slugfest. It was the Yellow Jackets first ACC series loss since 2019 as the team surrendered nine earned runs over the first three innings. At the plate however, Georgia Tech had no shortage of production. Junior Luke Wadell managed three hits and four RBI off his first career grand slam. He currently trails only Kevin Parada in the nation with 26 hits to his name.
Gameday & Ticket Information
Wake Forest Athletics is now offering Season and Single-game ticket plans for all remaining home games for the 2021 season. Season tickets are now available here for purchase. Additionally, fans can buy individual-game tickets here.
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