Lowder, Kurtz and Minacci Garner Preseason All-America Honors from D1Baseball
1/30/2023 1:00:00 PM | Baseball
Wake Forest is one of five schools in the nation with two honorees on D1Baseball’s Preseason First Team All-America team. Overall, the Demon Deacon trio is tied for the most selections in the ACC.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Wake Forest righthander Rhett Lowder, first baseman Nick Kurtz and reliever Camden Minacci were named Preseason All-Americans by D1Baseball, as announced by the publication on Monday.
Lowder and Kurtz were selected to the first team as Wake Forest is one of five schools in the nation with multiple first team honorees (LSU, Tennessee, Stanford and Florida).
Lowder has been named a First Team Preseason All-American by all four outlets that have announced its honorees thus far (Perfect Game, Collegiate Baseball, Baseball America and D1Baseball) and was picked by D1Baseball as the ACC's Preseason Pitcher of the Year in its conference preview last week.
A Freshman All-American last year after one of the best first-year campaigns by a Demon Deacon ever, Kurtz has now landed on three Preseason All-American lists ahead of the 2023 season (Perfect Game, Baseball America and D1Baseball).
Minacci rounded out Wake Forest selections with his second Preseason All-America honor of his career after garnering accolades from Perfect Game.
Overall, the Demon Deacon trio helped Wake Forest tie for the most selections in the Atlantic Coast Conference (Miami).
Reigning ACC Pitcher of the Year Rhett Lowder
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After one of the greatest seasons by a Wake Forest pitcher ever, Rhett Lowder returns to Winston-Salem for his third year in the Old Gold and Black in 2023.
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In 2022, Lowder became the first Demon Deacon in program history to be named ACC Pitcher of the Year, the third Unanimous All-American in program history and the first Demon Deacon ever to be named a finalist for the Collegiate Pitcher of the Year Award.
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Lowder finished his sophomore season with a 11-3 record in 99.1 innings, becoming just the fifth pitcher in program history and the first since 2002 to reach 11 victories in a season. Over the course of his career, Lowder has won 15 games and sits just seven victories away from entering the top 10 in Wake Forest history for career wins.
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Additionally, Lowder struck out a career-high 105 batters a year ago, the 10th most in program history. The Albemarle, N.C. native is 52 Ks away from entering the top 10 in Demon Deacon history.
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Lowder ended the regular season as the only pitcher in the ACC to rank in the top three in wins, strikeouts, ERA and innings pitched while also ranking in the top 10 in WHIP (fourth), walks allowed per nine innings (seventh) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (seventh) heading into the NCAA Tournament.
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In conference play, Lowder registered the lowest ERA (2.60) and the most innings (65.2) in addition to the second-most victories (six).
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In Wake Forest's final regular season series, Lowder threw the first complete game by a Demon Deacon since 2017 on just 87 pitches, striking out six batters while allowing just five hits and no walks against NC State (May 19).
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On May 7, 2022, Lowder reached 150 career strikeouts with his first punch out of his start against Louisville (May 7).
Lowder's 2022 Season Breakdown
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Entered the NCAA Tournament as one of four pitchers in the nation with 11 wins, which was also an ACC best.
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Went at least six innings in 11 of his 16 starts
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Allowed three earned runs or less in 15 of his 16 starts
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Walked two batters or less in 13 appearances
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Fanned double-digit batters in three games, matching his career-high of 11 strikeouts against NJIT (Feb. 25), Clemson (April 15) and Louisville (May 6)
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Started the season a perfect 5-0, highlighted by conference wins in the series openers against nationally-ranked Florida State (March 11) and nationally-ranked Georgia Tech (March 18)
Lowder's 2022 Full Season Rankings
| Category | National | ACC |
| Victories | 2 | 1 |
| Complete Games | 65 | 1 |
| ERA | 77 | 3 |
| Games Started | 26 | 4 |
| Strikeouts | 43 | 4 |
| WHIP | 114 | 5 |
| K-BB ratio | 106 | 9 |
Nicky Nukes
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Nick Kurtz returns for year two at Wake Forest following a historic freshman season in 2021 as the Lancaster, Pa. native was named a Freshman All-American by D1Baseball, Perfect Game, Baseball America, the NCBWA and Collegiate Baseball while also garnering Third Team All-ACC and ACC All-Freshman Team honors.
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Kurtz posted one of the best freshman seasons in program history:
Kurtz-Wake Forest Freshman Record Rankings
| Category | Number | Rank |
| Runs Scored | 65 | T-1st |
| Home Runs | 15 | T-2nd |
| Walks | 48 | 2nd |
| RBIs | 56 | T-2nd |
| Hits | 69 | 5th |
| Doubles | 14 | T-9th |
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Overall, Kurtz finished second on the Deacs with 48 walks, a .637 slugging percentage and a .471 on-base percentage while also finishing third in home runs and fourth with a .338 batting average and 130 bases.
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Much like teammate Tommy Hawke, Kurtz dominated against conference opponents, leading the ACC with a .422 batting average and .548 on-base percentage in conference play. Additionally, the first baseman also posted the second-highest OPS (1.254) and fifth-highest slugging percentage (.706) against ACC foes.
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Kurtz registered a historic day at the plate in Wake Forest's 27-7 victory against Georgia Tech, becoming the first Wake Forest batter since 2005 to record six hits in a game. This sits as the second most hits in program history and the most by a Wake Forest freshman ever. Kurtz also posted a career-high six RBIs in the 20-run win as well.
Certified Stopper Camden Minacci
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A staple out of Wake Forest's bullpen the last two seasons, Camden Minacci returns for his third year in 2023 after becoming one of 18 pitchers in the nation to land on the Midseason and Preseason Stopper of the Year Watch Lists.
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Overall, the Tampa, Fla. native made 30 appearances out of the bullpen, which was tied for the most on squad, and tossed a career-high 45.1 innings with a career-high 59 strikeouts, good for third on the team, and an ERA of 2.18, the lowest on the Demon Deacons.
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Additionally, Minacci posted a 11.85 K/9, the ninth-highest mark in program history.
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Minacci earned two wins (NJIT and Clemson) and registered a career-high six saves, the sixth-most saves in the conference. With that, Minacci is two saves away from cracking the top-10 in career saves by a Demon Deacon:
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Most Saves by a Demon Deacon
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1. Dave Bush (1999-02) 38
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2. Michael Dimock (2009-12) 19
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3. Keith Ksansnak (1983-86) 17
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4. Ben Hunter (2006-08) 16
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Bret Wagner (1992-94) 16
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Buddy Jenkins (1987-91) 16
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7. Frank Humber (1986-89) 15
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8. Chuck Irving (1976-77) 12
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Aaron Fossas (2012-16) 12
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10. Will Craig (2014-16) 10
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-- Camden Minacci (2021-pres.) 8
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Minacci was instrumental last season in a series-opening victory at Georgia Tech on March 18, posting a career-high tying five strikeouts in a then-career-high 3.2 innings.
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Minacci threw a career-long 4.1 innings on a career-high 71 pitches in a tie against Louisville (May 8).
Wake Forest Preseason Honors
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D1Baseball First Team Preseason All-America
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Perfect Game Second Team Preseason All-America
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Baseball America Third Team Preseason All-America
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Perfect Game Preseason All-ACC
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Collegiate Baseball First Team Preseason All-America
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D1Baseball First Team Preseason All-America
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Perfect Game First Team Preseason All-America
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Baseball America First Team Preseason All-America
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D1Baseball Preseason ACC Pitcher of the Year
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Perfect Game Preseason ACC Pitcher of the Year
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Perfect Game Preseason All-ACC
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Perfect Game Third Team Preseason All-America
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Prospects Live Third Team Preseason All-America
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Perfect Game Preseason All-ACC
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D1Baseball Third Team Preseason All-America
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Perfect Game Third Team Preseason All-America
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Collegiate Baseball Second Team Preseason All-America
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Perfect Game Second Team Preseason All-America
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Prospects Live Second Team Preseason All-America
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Baseball America Third Team Preseason All-America
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Perfect Game Preseason All-ACC
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2023 Schedule
Wake Forest opens the 2023 campaign with 12 of its first 13 games inside David F. Couch Ballpark, highlighted by opening weekend against Youngstown State and Illinois on Feb. 17-19 .
After traveling to UNC Greensboro on Tuesday, Feb. 21 for its first road game, the Deacs will host eight-straight at The Couch versus Binghamton, Mount St. Mary's, Towson, UNC Wilmington, Purdue Fort Wayne, Ball State and Cornell.
Home ACC play opens on March 17-19 as the Demon Deacons welcome the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to Winston-Salem. Wake Forest will also host Miami (March 24-26), NC State (April 7-9) and Boston College (May 5-7) before finishing off the regular season with a weekend series against Virginia Tech (May 18-20).
The Deacs will hit the road for their first league series against Duke (March 10-12) and will make trips to Clemson (March 31-April 2), Louisville (April 14-16), Pitt (April 21-23) and Florida State (May 12-14) in ACC competition.
In non-conference action, Wake Forest will play a home-and-home with UNC Wilmington, Coastal Carolina, Elon, High Point, App State, Liberty, UNC Greensboro and App State.
The ACC Baseball Championship is set to return to Durham Bulls Athletic Park in Durham on May 23-28. For more information, please visit here.
The complete 2023 baseball schedule can be found here.
2023 Season and Single Game Tickets Now On Sale!
Deacon Nation and college baseball fans across the state of North Carolina will have the opportunity to select from various season and single-game ticketing packages that include general admission options, reserved chairback seating, as well as multiple premium ticket options to catch all 33 home contests inside David F. Couch Ballpark.
Fans can purchase their ticket packages by visiting GoDeacs.com/tickets.
With tickets selling at a record pace, don't miss your opportunity to secure your spot at The Couch for the upcoming season!
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