Wake Forest University
Georgia Tech
Demon Deacons Head to Atlanta for ACC Road Series Against No. 6 Georgia Tech
3/17/2022 2:53:00 PM | Baseball
Wake Forest continues their conference slate with their second-straight top-10 opponent.
Game Notes | Stream (Friday) | Stream (Saturday) | Stream (Sunday) | Live Stats (Friday) | Live Stats (Saturday) | Live Stats (Sunday)
ATLANTA, Ga. - The Wake Forest baseball team heads out for their first ACC road series of the season against No. 6 Georgia Tech on March 18-20 at Russ Chandler Stadium in Atlanta, Ga.
Wake Forest (14-3, 1-2 ACC) has outscored their opponents 170-57 to open the new campaign and jump into the second week of ACC play as the conference's leader in home runs and walks.
The Demon Deacons rank fourth in the ACC in both team ERA (2.70) as Wake Forest has yet to allow an opponent to score more than five runs in a single game this season.
Additionally, the Deacs also rank fourth in the conference with a .984 fielding percentage.
Friday's series opener is set for a 6 p.m. first pitch against the Yellow Jackets. The teams will return for game two at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday before closing out the three-game set on Sunday at 1 p.m.
The trio of games can be streamed on ACC Network Extra.
Stay tuned to the Demon Deacons social media accounts (@WakeBaseball) for all in-game updates and information.
Last Time Out
A seven-run third inning elevated the Wake Forest baseball team to a 7-5 victory over Western Carolina on Tuesday, March 15 at David F. Couch ballpark.
Trailing 3-0 in the middle of the third, the Deacons used their third inning of at least seven runs this season to outlast the Catamounts, highlighted by a three-run home run from Nick Kurtz and RBI-singles from Pierce Bennett and Adam Cecere.
Crawford Wade entered the game in the second inning and recorded eight outs while only giving up two hits to earn his first collegiate win. Gabe Golob relieved Wade at the top of the fourth inning and retired seven-straight batters. The Wade-Golob tandem combined for 5.2 innings of work on Tuesday night with four strikeouts and scattering four hits.
A Catamount rally began to unfold in the ninth before Jacob Grzebinski entered the game with the bases loaded and no outs. Grzebinski recorded a strikeout and held Western Carolina scoreless, recording his first save in the Old Gold and Black.
Pierce Bennett led the Deacs at the plate with three hits, two RBIs and one run scored. This marks the sixth time Bennett has notched at least two base hits this season.
Opponent & Series History
Wake Forest and Georgia Tech are longtime rivals as they have faced off 115 times prior to this year's three-game series. The Deacs trail the all-time series 41-74.
The teams have split the last 10 meetings. Last year, the Deacs and Yellow Jackets hit the diamond for the first time since the 2018 season at David F. Couch Ballpark.
Offense Among Nation and ACC's Best
Wake Forest has one of the top offenses in the entire nation and ACC as the Deacs lead the ACC in two offensive categories, as well as ranking in the top-10 nationally in five.
| Category | National | ACC |
| On-Base Percentage | 4 | 2 |
| Home Runs | 5 | 1 |
| Walks | 5 | 1 |
| Slugging Percentage | 6 | 3 |
| Runs | 7 | 3 |
| Batting Average | 11 | 4 |
| Hits | 14 | 4 |
Nine Demon Deacons have notched at least 10 base hits this season, including Pierce Bennett with a team-high 23 base knocks.
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23 - Pierce Bennett
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21 - Adam Cecere
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20 - Brendan Tinsman
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19 - Michael Turconi
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18 - Jake Reinisch, Brock Wilken
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17 - Nick Kurtz
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15 - Danny Corona
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12 - Chris Katz
The Demon Deacon offense got off to a historic start as the 2022 team became just the second team in program history to register at least 20 runs multiple times during the opening four games of a season, matching the 1951 squad that represented the United States at the 1951 Pan-American Games.
1951 (67 Runs)
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Argentina: 29 runs
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Brazil: 23 runs
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Columbia: 8 runs
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Nicaragua: 8 runs
2022 (63 runs)
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Lafayette (Feb. 18): 25 runs
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Georgetown (Feb. 19): 9 runs
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VCU (Feb. 20): 6 runs
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UNC-Greensboro: 23 runs
Patience At Plate Paying Dividends
Wake Forest has been patient at the plate over the opening 17 games of the season as the Deacs have been walked 115 times, the most in the ACC and the fifth most in the entire nation.
The Deacs have been walked at least 10 times in four games this season. In each of those contests, Wake Forest has notched double-digit hits, while scoring double-digit runs in three of the four instances.
| Opponent | Hits | Walks | Runs |
| Lafayette | 18 | 13 | 25 |
| Georgetown | 12 | 13 | 9 |
| UNCG | 21 | 10 | 23 |
| George Mason | 14 | 10 | 14 |
Defense and Pitching Thriving Early
On the mound, Wake Forest's starting pitchers have accounted for 56.7 percent of the team's innings (85-of-150). Additionally, the Deacs' starters have tallied 52.4 percent of the team's overall strikeouts (87-of-166).
The Demon Deacons have been able to rely on their bullpen as six relievers have given up three runs or less this season (six innings pitched minimum):
In a Sunday doubleheader against No. 8 Florida State, Wake Forest's bullpen combined for 7.1 scoreless innings and allowed just three hits while fanning 12 batters.
Overall, the Deacs have only conceded 46 earned runs through 17 games (2.71 per game) and have held every opponent to five or less runs to open the season. Their team ERA ranks fourth in the ACC.
Through the first four games, the Deacs gave up just 11 runs, the fewest number of runs the Deacs have allowed in the first four games in head coach Tom Walter's tenure.
Eight Wake Forest arms have held opponents to a sub-.200 batting average (at least six innings minimum):
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Crawford Wade - .133 in 8.2 IP
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Eric Adler - .138 in 8.1 IP
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Gabe Golob - . 143 in 11.1 IP
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Brennen Oxford - .174 in 6.2 IP
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Camden Minacci - .174 in 13.1 IP
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Reed Mascolo - .190 in 12.2 IP
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Rhett Lowder - .193 in 23.1 IP
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Derek Crum - .194 in 11.1 IP
Heading into Tuesday's game, Wake Forest is fourth in the ACC with a .984 fielding percentage (16th in the country).
Brendan Tinsman has caught eight base runners trying to steal a base, the most in the ACC
Lowder Leading Charge
After another strong performance from the Demon Deacon Friday starter against Florida State, Rhett Lowder remained perfect on the season as he is now 4-0 with a 1.93 season ERA. His 6.0 innings pitched mark the third-consecutive game he has gone through the sixth inning. He fanned four batters, allowing just two earned runs.
This season, Lowder has posted a team-high 29 strikeouts (fifth in the ACC) compared to just nine walks as opponents are only hitting .193 against him.
Lowder heads into the second weekend of ACC play as one of four pitchers in the conference with four wins.
Last season, Lowder tallied 78 punchouts, the third most by a freshman in Wake Forest history.
Big Bat Bennett
Pierce Bennett has paced Wake Forest at the plate all season and heads into the weekend with a team-high .426 batting average and 23 hits.
Against Western Carolina, Bennett led the Deacs at the plate with three hits, two RBIs and one run scored. This marked the sixth time Bennett has notched at least two base hits this season (10th of his career).
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Lafayette: Four hits (Feb. 18
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VCU: Three hits (Feb. 20)
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UNC Greensboro: Three hits (Feb. 22)
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NJIT: Two hits (Feb. 26)
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UMass Lowell: Two hits (March 4)
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Western Carolina: Three Hits (March 15)
Corona's Power Surge Leads Deacs To Win in ACC Opener
Behind two home runs and six RBIs from Danny Corona as well as strong pitching from three arms, the Wake Forest baseball team posted a 9-3 victory in their Atlantic Coast Conference opener versus No. 8 Florida State on Friday, March 11.
Corona got Wake Forest on the board with a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth inning before lifting a three-run long fly over the right field wall, increasing Wake Forest's lead to 7-2 in the bottom of the sixth.
The freshman came up clutch again in the eighth inning. With bases loaded, Corona took advantage of the drawn-in infield, splitting the second and first basemen for a two-RBI single. It was the third hit of the day for the No. 9 hole hitter as he tallied his fifth and sixth RBIs of the afternoon. The base knock pushed the lead to 9-2.
The six RBIs marked a career-best for Corona while the two home runs and three hits tie career-bests in first collegiate season
On Deck
The Deacs wrap up their road stand with a midweek matchup with nationally-ranked Liberty on March 22 in Lynchburg, Va. First pitch is slated for 4 p.m.
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