Wake Forest University
UNC Greensboro
Deacs Return to Diamond for Midweek Matchup with UNC-Greensboro
2/21/2022 7:40:00 PM | Baseball
Wake Forest hosts the Spartans in their first midweek game of the season.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - After picking up three wins during Opening Weekend, the Wake Forest baseball team returns to the diamond against UNC-Greensboro in a midweek matchup inside David F. Couch Ballpark.
The Deacs take on the Spartans Tuesday, Feb. 22 at 4 p.m. in the first of two games against the in-state foe. The Tuesday afternoon contest 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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It's 336 Night at The Couch. Fans who arrive early will receive giveaways from CookOut. Additionally, fans can participate in 336 trivia throughout the contest.
Last Time Out
Behind a complete team effort that featured four Demon Deacons home runs and a great performance from a trio of Wake Forest pitchers on the mound, the Deacs (3-0) downed VCU (1-2) on Sunday afternoon at David F. Couch Ballpark, 6-4.
Wake Forest grabbed an early lead with a pair of solo home runs by sophomore Jake Reinish and freshman Nick Kurtz. VCU was able to answer in the fourth and fifth innings behind timely hitting to take the lead, 4-2.
Undaunted, the Deacs scored once in the fifth on a sacrifice fly and regained the lead for good when sophomore Adam Cecere mashed his first long ball of the season over the right field fence to score a pair of runs and allow Wake Forest to retake the lead, 5-4. Wake Forest would add an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth on a Cecere solo home run.
Opponent & Series history
Wake Forest holds a 42-16 advantage in the all-time series against UNC Greensboro.
The first matchup between the two programs came in 1992, with the Spartans winning 14-4. In two other matchups that season, the Deacs outscored their in-state opponent 17-9 to pick up a pair of victories.
In the last contest in 2020, Wake Forest earned a 6-2 victory inside David F. Couch Ballpark.
Bats Explode During Opening Weekend
The Deacs outscored their opponents by a tally of 40-8 during Opening Weekend, highlighted by a 25-3 victory on Opening Day against Lafayette. With the victory, the Deacs won their eighth-straight season opener dating back to 2015 and marked Wake Forest's largest margin of victory in a season opener since 2003.
The Deacons' 25 runs were the most they have scored since March 10, 2015 and Friday was the first time they scored 20-plus runs since April 13, 2019 against Pitt. Additionally, 20 hits were the most in a single game since Feb. 15, 2020 against UW-Milwaukee.
Wake Forest went on to score a program single-inning record-tying 16 runs in the fifth, and they tacked on another eight in the sixth to defeat the Leopards.
In the weekend finale, the Deacs crushed four home runs against VCU:
- Jake Reinisch (Third)
- Nick Kurtz (Third)
- Adam Cecere (Sixth)
- Adam Cecere (Eighth)
Heading into Tuesday, Wake Forest is second in the nation in home runs per game (2.33), fifth in on-base percentage (.518) and eighth in scoring (13.3). All three numbers are good for the top in the ACC.
Additionally, Wake Forest's team batting average of .379 is 12th in the nation.
Big Bat Bennett
Pierce Bennett led Wake Forest's offense all weekend as the Baltimore, Md. native reached base safely eight times, highlighted by seven hits. Overall, Bennett's batting average of .778 is tied for the second-highest in the nation.
Against Lafayette, Bennett went a perfect four-for-four at the plate, becoming the first Deacon to tally four base knocks in a game since Will Simoneit against Sacred Heart (March 1, 2020).
In the midst of Wake Forest's massive offensive performance in the fifth inning on Opening Night, Bennett smashed the first grand slam of his career as well as Wake Forest's first home run of the new season.
Keener Set for First Collegiate Start
Seth Keener is slated to make his first collegiate start on Tuesday against the Spartans. As a freshman in 2021, Keener made 11 appearances out of the bullpen and tossed three-straight scoreless outings against Virginia Tech, Appalachian State and Duke.
Keener will become the third-straight Deac to make their first collegiate start on the mound after Josh Hartle (Saturday) and Teddy McGraw (Sunday) led Wake Forest to victories over the weekend.
In 2021, Wake Forest posted a 6-3 record in midweek games, highlighted by a pair of three-game winning streaks.
Wilken Back After Historic Freshman Season
Brock Wilken returns after a historic freshman season with 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.
After the first three games of the season, Wilken is batting .500 (5-for-10) with a home run, five RBIs, two doubles and six walks.
Best Duo on the Cape
Wake Forest baseball third baseman Brock Wilken and right-handed 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.
Welcome to the Staff
Wake Forest's staff added a trio of newcomers to the program this offseason.
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.
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.
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.
On Deck
Wake Forest returns to David F. Couch Ballpark with a quartet of non-conference contests against 2021 NCAA Tournament qualifier New Jersey Tech on Feb. 25-27.
The first pitch for Friday's series opener is slated for 4 p.m.
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