Wake Forest Hosts No. 5 Louisville in Final Home ACC Series

Friday, May 6

Winston-Salem, N.C.

7:00 p.m.

Wake Forest University

Louisville

Wake Forest Hosts No. 5 Louisville in Final Home ACC Series

5/5/2022 4:16:00 PM | Baseball

Prior to game two on Saturday, May 7, Wake Forest will honor its senior and graduate student-athletes for all their contributions to the Demon Deacon baseball program.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The Wake Forest baseball team welcomes nationally-ranked Louisville to David F. Couch Ballpark on Friday, May 6 to Sunday, May 8 for their final home ACC series of the season.

The Demon Deacons have won their last four games and are coming off their 32nd win of the season (22nd non-conference victory) on Tuesday as Wake Forest blanked Liberty over the final six innings, allowing no hits or runs, while scoring the final eight runs of the game.

The series opener on Friday is set for a 6 p.m. start while Saturday's contest will begin at 4 p.m. The series finale on Sunday is slated for a 1 p.m. first pitch. All three games can be streamed on ACC Network Extra.

Fans can tune into an audio streaming broadcast through the Wake Forest Athletics app for all three games.

Stay tuned to the Demon Deacons social media accounts (@WakeBaseball) for all in-game updates and information.

Prior to game two on Saturday, May 7, Wake Forest will honor its senior and graduate student-athletes for all their contributions to the Demon Deacon baseball program.

Tickets and Promotions
With ticket demand at an all-time high this season, avoid the lines and purchase your tickets in advance at GoDeacs.com/tickets.

Admission starts at only $10 for general admission access, while reserved seats are available for as low as $15 for adults and $8 for youth. A limited number of other premium options are also available and can be purchased online. Fans may upgrade their experience by purchasing single-game access to the All-American Club for only $15 per ticket.

Promotions

Friday: The first 200 fans will receive the final shirsey giveaway of the season
Saturday: Senior Day & Military Appreciation Day
- Fans who show a military ID to the ticket window on game day will receive complimentary admission for them and their immediate family.
- Fans are encouraged to arrive early to watch the senior ceremony pregame.
Sunday: The first 100 fans will receive the final trading card pack of the season. The first 100 kids will receive a mini Wake Forest helmet.

Top Notes

Head coach Tom Walter, the second-winningest coach in program history, won his 350th game at the helm of the Wake Forest baseball program with the 16-11 series finale victory against Duke on Sunday.
Wake Forest's 32 wins are tied with Louisville for the most in the ACC's Atlantic division and ranks third overall in the conference.
- At 22-2 in non-conference play, Wake Forest is tied with Tennessee for the best out-of-league winning percentage in the nation.
The Demon Deacon offense has been firing on all cylinders this season, ranking as one of the top offenses in the entire nation. Wake Forest leads the nation in on-base percentage (.434) while tying for the nation's best in runs per game (9.5). In the ACC, the Deacs rank in the top three in the conference in every offensive category, highlighted leading the conference in on-base percentage, scoring, average, walks and home runs.
Sophomore Rhett Lowder heads into the weekend in the top 10 in every category among ACC arms, highlighted with his conference-best 2.32 ERA and his conference-tying best eight wins. Lowder also ranks in the top 10 in games started (11), strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.18) and strikeouts (71).
- Additionally, Lowder is just one of two pitchers in the conference to rank in the top five in ERA, wins and strikeouts.
- The Friday night starter has posted 71 strikeouts compared to just 17 walks this season. After tallying the third-most strikeouts by a freshman (78) in Wake Forest history last season,
- Lowder needs just one more punchout to reach 150 career Ks.
- In seven of his 11 starts this season, Lowder has pitched at least six innings while allowing no more than three earned runs in any appearance.
Pierce Bennett has been productive at the plate over the last five games as the redshirt sophomore leads the team with a .778 batting average, 14 hits, 12 RBIs and three doubles.
- In the opening game of the Demon Deacons' doubleheader against Longwood, Bennett went a perfect 5-for-5 with four RBIs and a home run.
- The five hits marked a new career high as Bennett became the first Demon Deacon to finish with five hits in a game since 2019.
On the mound, Wake Forest's starting pitchers have combined for 196.1 innings with 193 strikeouts and just 104 earned runs allowed. Wake Forest has done a good job eliminating free passes to the opposition as the Deacs have walked their opponents four times or less in the last five games.
12 Deacs have hit a long fly this season, led by Brendan Tinsman with 17.
- Additionally, Wake Forest is just one of four teams in the ACC with four players with at least 10 home runs.
Wake Forest has been patient at the plate as the Deacs have been walked 278 times, the most in the ACC and the third most in the entire nation.
Wake Forest is the only team in the ACC with more than two players in the top-10 for on-base percentage (Tommy Hawke: third, Jake Reinisch: fifth, Nick Kurtz: sixth, Pierce Bennett: 10th).
Jake Reinisch has reached base in 44-straight games and leads Wake Forest with 42 walks.
- Reinisch leads the ACC in walks while ranking fourth in on-base percentage. In the series finale against Notre Dame, Reinisch launched a three-run home run and tallied a career-high four RBIs.
Freshman Nick Kurtz has strung together a stellar freshman campaign, tallying a .340 batting average with 49 hits to go along with a team-high tying 11 doubles and 10 home runs.
- With his pair of home runs against Clemson in the series finale, Kurtz is now tied for eighth for most home runs by a freshman in program history.
- He joins Brock Wilken (17 in 2021) and Brendan Tinsman (10 in 2019) as the only first-year Deacs to reach double-digit home runs since 2010. Additionally, Kurtz already ranks in the top-10 in runs scored (third) and walks (third) by a freshman in program history.
Camden Minacci has been the most relied upon arm coming out of the Wake Forest bullpen. In 32.2 innings, the sophomore has struck out 48 batters while only allowing six earned runs.
- Minacci's career-high strikeout number ranks second on the team, while he sports the lowest ERA (1.65) on the squad.
- Minacci has also tallied five saves, the fifth-most in the ACC, highlighted by slamming the door in three-straight games against Elon (April 6), Duke (April 8) and Duke (April 9).
- Last week, Minacci was one of 62 relief pitchers named to the Stopper of the Year Midseason Watch List.
Brendan Tinsman has posted a career year in his fourth season in the Old Gold and Black, posting career highs in hits (62), doubles (11), home runs (17), RBIs (53) and slugging percentage (.721). Tinsman has homered in eight of Wake Forest's last 15 games as the redshirt junior is fourth in the ACC and 10th in the country in long flies.
- Tinsman leads the Deacs in slugging, home runs, multi-hit games and multi-RBI games. The catcher heads into the weekend on a team-high 15 game hit streak. Over the course of his streak that dates back to April 9, Tinsman is batting .383 with a team-high 21 hits, eight home runs, 25 RBIs and a slugging percentage of .833. Tinsman's next home run will place him on Wake Forest's top-10 single season home list.
Michael Turconi, a career .304 hitter, has put together a career year as the shortstop has posted career bests in hits (57), home runs (12), walks (33), triples (4), RBIs (51), slugging (.618), average (.329), on-base (.398) and stolen bases (5).
Brock Wilken reached a career milestone last Saturday, registering his 100th career hit with his three-run home run to end the second game of the double header. In 90 career contests, Wilken has 100 hits with 22 doubles, 31 home runs and 98 RBIs.