Tom Walter Joins Deac2Deac Podcast
11/7/2022 4:18:00 PM | Baseball
The Wake Forest head baseball coach sits down with Kevin Smith
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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - With 366 wins as the Demon Deacon skipper Tom Walter sits as the second-winningest coach in Wake Forest history and is one of just two active head coaches in the country to lead three different programs to the NCAA Division I Tournament, becoming just the seventh coach all-time to do so.
Walter guided the Demon Deacons to one of the best baseball seasons at Wake Forest ever in 2022. The Deacs finished the campaign with 41 victories, the fifth most in program history and increased its win total by 21 games (41 wins to 20 wins), the largest year-to-year turnaround in program history.
Wake Forest was selected to the 2022 NCAA Baseball Tournament, the program's 14th appearance in the national playoffs and the third tournament appearance in Walter's tenure, after posting the program's seventh 40-win season.
Wake Forest ended the regular season with 39 wins, tying the 1999 Demon Deacons for the second-most regular season wins in program history.
The 2022 Deacs combined for one of the best offensive seasons in program history and across Division I baseball. Wake Forest broke program records for home runs (122), walks (364), RBIs (535), runs scored (561), runs per game (9.1), slugging percentage (.548), 20-run games (four), 20-run games in ACC play (two), runs in ACC game (27) and hits in an ACC game (28) while ranking in the top-10 nationally in every offensive category and leading the conference in walks, hits, home runs and runs.
On the mound, the Demon Deacons dropped their team ERA by a whole run per game from 2022 to 2021 and finished in the top half of the ACC in runs allowed per game. Wake Forest's pitching staff got off to a hot start, giving up just 11 runs through the first four games, the fewest number of runs the Deacs have allowed in the first four games in Walter's tenure.
Walter also selflessly donated a kidney to outfielder Kevin Jordan just days before the 2011 season opener. Jordan was diagnosed with a serious kidney disease and needed a transplant. Without hesitation, Walter gave Jordan one of his own, and in turn, gave Jordan an opportunity at a new life.
In 2020, amidst the nationwide outcry about racial justice and equity, Walter and Jordan built on their story of togetherness and created Get In the Game, an organization aiming to educate and empower young people to take action.
In its inaugural season, Get In the Game launched programs for middle and high school students, facilitated by trained educators. The students, known as "GameChangers," are empowered to be the best version of themselves by fostering challenging yet meaningful conversations on race and social justice in the classroom and on the field. Get In the Game develops leadership skills to empower GameChangers to reframe equity in their schools and local communities through words, actions and deeds.
On July 12, 2021, Get In The Game, Walter and Jordan were awarded the Stuart Scott ENSPIRE Award at the Sports Humanitarian Awards, hosted by ESPN. The Stuart Scott ENSPIRE Award, created in honor of former ESPN anchor Stuart Scott who battled cancer until his passing in 2015, celebrates someone who has taken risks and used an innovative approach toward helping the disadvantaged.
Walter graduated from Georgetown in 1991 with a bachelor's degree in finance. He later went on to earn his MBA at George Washington in 1994, while serving as an assistant coach for the Colonials.
