Wake Forest Selected to NCAA Tournament
5/30/2022 1:12:00 PM | Baseball
The Demon Deacons head to the national tournament for the first time since 2017 as the No. 2 seed in the College Park Regional.
INDIANAPOLIS – The Wake Forest baseball team was selected to the 2022 NCAA Baseball Tournament as the No. 2 seed in the College Park Regional, as announced on ESPN2 on Monday afternoon.
This is the Demon Deacons' 14th all-time NCAA Tournament appearance and its first since the 2017 season. Wake Forest has made two College World Series appearances, highlighted by winning the program's first national championship in 1955. Overall, the Demon Deacons hold a 44-29 record at the national tournament.
Ready to bring the juice ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/S7lF6aGzpK
— Wake Forest Baseball (@WakeBaseball) May 30, 2022
"I am incredibly proud of this team," head coach Tom Walter said. "They have worked hard to come together and are playing their best baseball when it matters most. We have a tough challenge ahead of us but I can't wait to be back on the diamond Friday."
In addition to the second-seeded Demon Deacons (40-17-1), the regional will include No. 15 national seed Maryland (45-12), No. 3 seed UConn (46-13) and No. 4 seed Long Island (37-19).
Wake Forest will begin play against the Huskies on Friday, June 3 at 1 p.m. on ESPU in the opening game of the regional. Maryland and Long Island will follow at 7 p.m.
The College Park Regional is paired with the Stanford Regional. The winners of those two regionals will play in a Super Regional the following weekend (Friday, June 10-Monday, June 13). In addition to No. 2 national seed Stanford, the regional features Texas State, UC Santa Barbara and Binghamton.
Wake Forest heads into the NCAA Tournament fresh off a dominant 16-3 win against nationally-ranked Miami at the 2022 ACC Baseball Tournament. The Friday afternoon victory helped the Demon Deacons become the first squad since 2017 to reach 40 wins and post Wake Forest's seventh 40-win season in program history.
The Deacs have increased their win total by 20 games from last season (40 wins to 20 wins), the largest year-to-year turnaround in program history.
The Demon Deacons are 6th in RPI, the third highest in the ACC. Wake Forest finished as one of six teams in the conference with a winning record. Out of conference, the Deacs tied Tennessee for the highest non-league winning percentage (24-2) in the entire nation.
College Park Bound. #GoDeacs 🎩 pic.twitter.com/IWuFs3dkVj
— Wake Forest Baseball (@WakeBaseball) May 30, 2022
College Park Regional
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Maryland- 45-12 (Big Ten)
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Wake Forest- 40-17-1 (ACC)
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UConn- 46-13 (Big East)
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Long Island- 37-19 (Northeast Conference)
College Park Regional Schedule
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Game 1: No. 2 Wake Forest vs. No. 3 UConn | Fri., June 3 | 1 p.m.| ESPNU
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Game 2: No. 1 Maryland vs. No. 4 Long Island | Fri., June 3 | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
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Game 3: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser | Sat., June 4 | TBD | TBD
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Game 4: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner | Sat., June 4 | TBD | TBD
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Game 5: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 loser | Sun., June 5 | TBD | TBD
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Game 6: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner | Sun., June 5 | TBD | TBD
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Game 7*: Game 6 winner vs. Game 6 loser | Mon., June 6 | TBD | TBD
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*-Game 7 will only be necessary if the winner of Game 5 also wins Game 6.
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NCAA Tournament Information
The field of 64 teams will be placed in 16 different four-team regions, with teams seeded one through four to compete in a double-elimination format.
Games then start with regionals and continue on to super regionals before the College World Series begins Friday, June 17 at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha.
A complete schedule can be found below:
2022 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament Schedule
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Selection show: Noon ET on Monday, May 30, on ESPN2
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Regionals: Friday, June 3 through Monday, June 6
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Super Regionals: Friday, June 10 through Monday, June 13
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CWS opening celebration day: Thursday, June 16
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First day of CWS games — Friday, June 17
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CWS Finals — Start Saturday, June 25 (best out of 3)
Demon Deacons in the NCAA Tournament
This is the Demon Deacons' 14th all-time NCAA Tournament appearance and its first since the 2017 season. Wake Forest has made two College World Series Appearances, highlighted by winning the program's first national championship in 1955. Overall, the Demon Deacons hold a 44-29 record at the national tournament.
In 2017, Wake Forest hosted West Virginia, Maryland and UMBC at David F. Couch Ballpark. After going a perfect 3-0, the Deacs advanced to the Gainesville Super Regional, where Wake Forest fell in three games to the eventual national champion Gators.
This year's opening game against UConn marks the first time the Deacs and Huskies have faced off in the NCAA Tournament.
Additionally, Wake Forest has never faced off against the Terrapins or Sharks in postseason play.
Ticket Information
Fans will be able to purchase all-session general admission tickets for the College Park Regional, which includes a ticket to all potential games held at Bob "Turtle" Smith Stadium during June 3-5.
All-session tickets will go on sale to the general public Tuesday, May 31 at 1 PM and include tickets for all games June 3 through June 5. All-session tickets are priced at $30 for youth and seniors and $60 for adults. Should the Regional advance to Monday, June 6, tickets will be sold as single session tickets beginning at 9 AM June 6.
Single session Regional tickets will go on sale Tuesday, May 31 at 5 PM. Single session tickets are priced at $5 for students of the participating schools, $8 for youth and seniors, and $12 for adults.
"I am incredibly proud of this team. They have worked hard to come together and are playing their best baseball when it matters most. We have a tough challenge ahead of us but I can't wait to be back on the diamond Friday." - head coach Tom Walter
— Wake Forest Baseball (@WakeBaseball) May 30, 2022
Season Highlights
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Became the first squad since 2017 to reach 40 wins and posted Wake Forest's seventh 40-win season in program history.
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Increased their win total by 20 games from last season (40 wins to 20 wins), the largest year-to-year turnaround in program history
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Ended the regular season with 39 wins, tying the 1999 Demon Deacons for the second-most regular season wins in program history.
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Finished tied for the second-most wins in the conference, while leading the ACC's Atlantic division
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Currently ranked 6th in the RPI, the third highest in the ACC
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Complied a 24-2 record in non-conference play, tying for the best non-league winning percentage in the nation
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Won four ACC series this season, claiming the first two games at Georgia Tech as well as against Boston College before sweeping Big Four rivals Duke (first time since 2008) and NC State (first time ever).
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Reached 30 wins in just 43 games, the fourth-fastest in program history and the fastest since 2017
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Posted one of the best starts in program history with an 11-0 record, the first time since 1961 Wake Forest has won their first 11 games. At that point of the season, Wake Forest stood as one of five unbeaten teams in Division I.
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Gave up just 11 runs through the first four games, the fewest number of runs the Deacs have allowed in the first four games in head coach Tom Walter's tenure.
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Held ACC opponents to three runs or less in 13 games
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Finished the regular season with one of the best offenses in the entire nation, ranking in the top-10 of every category while leading the conference in walks, hits, home runs and runs:
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Walks- second in nation, first in ACC
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Batting Average- sixth in nation, second in ACC
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Hits- third in the nation, first in the ACC
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Home Runs- fourth in the nation, first in the ACC
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On-Base Percentage- second in the nation, first in the ACC
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Runs- fourth in the nation, first in the ACC
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Slugging Percentage- eighth in the nation, third in the ACC
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Set multiple offensive program records:
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Home runs (115)
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Walks (354)
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20-run games (four)
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20-run games in ACC play (two)
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Runs in ACC game (27)
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Hits in an ACC game (28)
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Earned seven wins against top-15 opponents
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Then-No. 8 Florida State
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Then-No. 6 Georgia Tech twice
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Then-No.15 Liberty
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Then-No. 10 Virginia
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Then-No. 5 Louisville
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Then-No. 9 Miami
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Individual Highlights
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Earned six wins during the regular season to become the 12th freshman in program history to reel in six victories in a season
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One of four pitchers in program history to make 13 starts as a freshman
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Leads Wake Forest in batting average (.376) and on-base percentage (.502) These numbers rank first (on-base percentage) and fifth (batting average) in the ACC.
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Finished the regular season with the second-highest batting average (.406) and on-base percentage (.525) in conference play
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Leads the Deacs in stolen bases with seven
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Ranks in the top 10 in home runs (tied for second), runs (second), walks (second), RBIs (third) and doubles (tied for ninth) by a Demon Deacon freshman
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Ranks second on team with 48 walks, .675 slugging percentage, .492 on-base percentage, third with a .356 batting average and 68 hits and fourth with 129 bases
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Finished the regular season leading the ACC with a .422 batting average and .548 on-base percentage in conference play
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Posted the second-highest OPS (1.254) and fifth-highest slugging percentage (.706) in conference play at the conclusion of the regular season
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Named ACC Pitcher of the Year, the first Demon Deacon ever to win the award, and a First Team All-ACC selection
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Became the fifth pitcher in program history and the first since 2002 to reach 11 victories in a season
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Named ACC Pitcher of the Week and Perfect Game Pitcher of the Week after becoming the first Demon Deacon to throw a complete game since 2017, going the distance on 87 pitches at NC State
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His 11 wins are currently lead the ACC, while ranking second in ERA (2.61), second in innings pitched (93) and third in strikeouts (98)
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Sits as the only pitcher in the ACC to rank in the top three in wins, strikeouts and ERA.
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Ranks in the top 10 in WHIP (fourth), walks allowed per nine innings (seventh) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (seventh).
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Named to the Pitcher of the Year Midseason Watch List
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Earned a career-high five wins, holding opponents to a batting average of just .205, the lowest among weekend rotation
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Struck out 57 batters while only allowing nine earned runs in 43.2 innings
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His career-high strikeout number is tied for second on the team, while sporting the lowest ERA (1.85) on the squad.
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Ranks sixth in conference in saves
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Named to the Stopper of the Year Midseason Watch List
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Has hit the second-most home runs (23) in a single season by a Demon Deacon ever, entering the NCAA Tournament just one home run away from tying the record
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His 23 home runs rank fourth in the ACC and ninth in the nation
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Posted a career year, posting bests in every offensive category
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Leads the ACC in base runners caught stealing while ranking second in fielding percentage
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Named a Semifinalist for the 2022 Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Award
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Named to 2022 ACC All-Tournament Team
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Set career bests in batting average (.320), hits (73), home runs (14), walks (41), triples (5), RBIs (66), slugging (.596), on-base (.428) and stolen bases (5)
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Posted career highs in hits (64), home runs (21), RBIs (73), doubles (13), triples (1) runs (57) and walks (34) this season
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Reached a career milestone against Longwood, registering his 100th career hit with his three-run home run to end the second game of the double header
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In game one against Louisville, Wilken had his best game of his career, hitting a career-high three home runs and driving in a career-high eight runs.
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Tied for third for most home runs by the Demon Deacon in a single season (21)
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Named to 2022 ACC All-Tournament Team
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