Wake Forest University
Lafayette
Demon Deacons Set to Open 2022 Season against Lafayette, Georgetown and VCU
2/17/2022 12:00:00 PM | Baseball
Wake Forest welcomes a trio of non-conference opponents to David F. Couch Ballpark to begin the new campaign.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The Wake Forest baseball team welcomes Lafayette, Georgetown and VCU on Feb. 18-20 inside David F. Couch Ballpark to begin the 2022 season.
The Deacs take on the Leopards on Opening Day inside David F. Couch Ballpark on Friday, Feb. 18 at 6 p.m. before facing the Hoyas on Saturday, Feb. 19 at 6 p.m. Wake Forest concludes the first weekend of the year against the Rams at 4 p.m.
The trio of games will be streamed on ACC Network Extra. Additionally, fans can tune into an audio streaming broadcast through the Wake Forest Athletics app.
Stay tuned to the Demon Deacons social media accounts (@WakeBaseball) for all in-game updates and information.
Tickets & Promotions
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Friday:
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Free Couch Cushions to the first 100 fans.
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Saturday:
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Free Hot Chocolate to the first 200 fans.
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Super Saturday combo: $25 ticket package for the men's basketball game vs. Notre Dame and the baseball game vs. Georgetown.
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First Pitch: Rick Ickles and Willie Cannon
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Sunday
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Kids Day at the Couch! Kids have the opportunity to run the bases following the game.
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First Pitch: Luke Tewalt
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Opponent & Series history
Wake Forest holds an 15-5 record against their three opening-weekend opponents, including perfect marks against Lafayette (2-0) and Georgetown (6-0).
The Deacs take the field against the Leopards for the first time since 1964, when the Deacs beat Lafayette twice.
Since 2012, the Demon Deacons have faced off against the Hoyas six times, with the first appearance coming in 2012. In their last game, Wake Forest defeated Georgetown 5-3 at David F. Couch Ballpark on Feb. 17, 2019.
Wake Forest holds a 7-5 advantage over VCU, with the first matchup between the two programs coming in 1982. In the last game between the teams in 2015, the Deacs captured a 1-0 win in Winston-Salem. The Deacs will take a two-game win streak against Rams into their third game of 2022.
Production Returning In All Facets
The Deacs' 2022 roster is highlighted by 20 returners from last year's team. In almost every category, Wake Forest will return at least half of its production:
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Pitching Appearances: 63.6 percent (138 out of 217)
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At Bats: 62.8 percent (1,018 out of 1,622)
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Hits: 54.9 percent (231 out of 421)
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Innings: 52 percent (212 out of 412)
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RBIs: 50.3 percent (146 out of 290)
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Strikeouts: 50 percent (240 out of 481)
Additionally, this year's position players returning made 237 starts last season, led by Brock Wilken with 47 at third base, Lucas Costello with 41 in center field, 37 starts by Pierce Bennett at 2B and 31 starts at SS by Michael Turconi.
Highly-Rated Newcomers
After Wake Forest's 2021 class was ranked in the top 20 for the first time in program history, the 2022 class landed at No. 13 according to D1 Baseball.
Freshman Josh Hartle heads into his first collegiate season as the top-rated recruit to attend college from this year's class. D1 Baseball's Andrew Fitt says "LHP Josh Hartle (5) was the top southpaw in the 2021 class, but withdrew from the MLB Draft, giving the Demon Deacons the best recruit in the country. He is loose and projectable with a fastball in the low 90s and the ability to manipulate spin on his breaking ball."
Danny Corona was selected in the 16th round of the 2021 MLB Draft, but decided to head to Winston-Salem. Fitt on Corona: "Shortstop Daniel Corona (267) has a solid all-around skill set and an advanced feel for the game. The left-handed hitter has a good feel at the plate and actions."
Overall, the class consists of 13 freshmen as well as six incoming transfers.
Welcome To The Staff
Wake Forest's staff added a trio of newcomers to the program this offseason.
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Corey Muscara (Pitching Coach): Muscara comes to Winston-Salem with over a decade of collegiate coaching experience, elevating multiple program's pitching staffs to new heights. Under Muscara's leadership, his teams have finished in the top 10 in ERA and strikeouts on the conference and national level on several occasions, while developing numerous MLB draft prospects at every stop throughout his career.
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Ty Blankmeyer (Volunteer Assistant): Blankmeyer joins the Demon Deacons with a wealth of experience as a player and baseball professional, most recently serving as an Area Scout with the Milwaukee Brewers from 2017-21. During his time with the organization, Blankmeyer was in charge of all scouting responsibilities in the Northeast region of the United States, highlighted by the drafting and signing of Sal Frelick, the 15th overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft. Blankmeyer was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the 2016 MLB draft and tallied a batting average of .280 in the Pioneer League before stepping into a player development role with the franchise at the Arizona Complex League (AZL) under Jose Nieves and Miguel Cairo in the summer of 2017.
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Mike McFerran (Pitching Lab Coordinator): Prior to Wake Forest, McFerran served as the Associate Head Coach, Pitching Coach, & Recruiting Coordinator at Skidmore College from 2017-2020. His pitchers saw a quick and vast improvement under his tutelage, moving from eighth in conference ERA in 2017 to fourth in 2018. Additionally, McFerran's pitchers went from last in strikeouts to fourth in a year span. In 2019, Skidmore conceded the least amount of walks in the conference.
Wilken Back After Historic Freshman Season
Sophomore Brock Wilken returns after a historic freshman season with a spot on the Golden Spikes Award Watch List as well as Preseason All-American recognition from Perfect Game, Baseball America and D1 Baseball. In 2021, the Valrico, Fla. native appeared and started in all 47 games at third base, tallying a batting average of .279, 17 home runs, 44 RBIs, 41 runs scored, 11 doubles, a slugging percentage of .617 and an on-base percentage of .365.
Additionally, Wilken is at the top of the Wake Forest record book for most home runs by a freshman, tying a 20-year-old record with his solo shot on Friday, May 21
Wilken recorded 44 RBIs, the 10th-most by a freshman in program history while finishing with the most home runs by a true freshman in the nation and ranked fourth overall in the conference.
Wilken racked up the postseason honors after the season as he was named a 2021 Perfect Game First Team Freshman All-American, 2021 Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American, 2021 Baseball America Third Team Freshman All-American.
Lowder Leads Weekend Trio
Sophomore Rhett Lowder will be taking the bump as the opening day starter after making 14 appearances (12 starts) as a freshman last season. Lowder earned four victories, tying for a team high in wins while fanning 78 batters, the third most by a freshman in Wake Forest history. Additionally, Lowder tallied a strikeout-walk ratio of 3.55, the second highest by a freshman Deac ever and finished the regular season tied for the ninth-most punch outs in the conference.
Both Hartle and sophomore Teddy McGraw join Lowder in the weekend rotation as the pair will make the first starts of their collegiate careers on Saturday and Sunday.
McGraw is slated to take the bump against the Rams after an impressive summer at the Cape Cod league, securing the league title after retiring three batters in the ninth inning. As a freshman in 2021, McGraw made 19 relief appearances, striking out 22 batters and posting the lowest ERA by a true freshman on last year's squad (4.42).
The trio landed on D1 Baseball's preseason power rankings for starting pitchers, led by Hartle:
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Hartle (No. 47… Top Freshman)
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Lowder (No. 79)
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McGraw (No. 85)
Best Duo On The Cape
Wilken and redshirt sophomore pitcher Eric Adler received top honors from the Cape Cod Baseball League after stellar first-year performances at the top collegiate summer league.
Wilken was named the league's most valuable player after an incredible debut season for the Harwich Mariners, while Adler was named the league's top relief pitcher as the right hander continued to slam the door as the Bourne Braves' closer.
Wilken posted a batting average of .302 with 39 hits, 10 doubles, six home runs, 26 RBIs and 26 runs scored. The Valrico, Fla. native led the league in doubles and walks, while he also finished in the top ten in batting average (tied for eighth), hits (second), home runs (tied for fourth) and RBIs (fourth).
On the mound, Adler struck out 29 batters while only conceding two runs and six hits in 15.2 innings. Adler fanned 22 batters and walked just three batters in 11 appearances before giving up his first earned run, becoming the first Cape Cod pitcher to post averages of 0.00 ERA, over 10 strikeouts per nine innings and less than 2.5 walks per nine innings since Marcus Stroman in 2010.
Next Up
Wake Forest continues their season-opening homestand with the team's first midweek contest of the new year as the Deacs welcome UNC Greensboro to The Couch on Tuesday, Feb. 22 at 4:00 p.m.
