Kurtz, Lowder Named to Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List
2/10/2023 3:06:00 PM | Baseball
Ten Demon Deacons have now landed on the prestigious list since the award’s inception in 2008. Additionally, Wake Forest has now been represented on the list for four-straight years.
CARY, N.C. - Sophomore first baseman Nick Kurtz and reigning ACC Pitcher of the Year Rhett Lowder were named to USA Baseball's Preseason Watch List for the 2023 Golden Spikes Award, an annual honor given to the top amateur baseball player in the country.
With Kurtz and Lowder's honor, 10 Demon Deacons have now landed on the prestigious list since the award's inception in 2008, nine coming during head coach Tom Walter's tenure.
Additionally, this marks the fourth-straight year Wake Forest has been represented on the preseason watch list and just the third time multiple Deacs have earned the recognition in the same year.
Wake Forest is one of nine schools in the country to have multiple representatives on this year's Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List.
Demon Deacons on the Golden Spikes Preseason Watch List
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Allan Dykstra (2008)
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Will Craig (2016)
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Stuart Fairchild (2017)
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Johnny Aiello (2018)
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Bobby Seymour (2020)
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Chris Lanzilli (2020)
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Ryan Cusick (2021)
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Bobby Seymour (2021)
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Brock Wilken (2022)
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Rhett Lowder (2023)
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Nick Kurtz (2023)
This summer, Kurtz and Lowder, along with teammates Brock Wilken and Teddy McGraw, received an invite to the 2022 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team Training Camp. This was the first time ever multiple Demon Deacons have earned invitations in the same year as Wake Forest has increased its all-time USA Baseball Collegiate National Team Training Camp invitees to 10.
After taking part in the CNT training camp, Lowder and McGraw were selected to Team USA's 26-man Collegiate National Team roster that earned a bronze medal at the Honkbalweek Haarlem in the Netherlands.
Lowder started against Japan and Curacao, throwing 6.1 innings (second-most on team) to go along with five strikeouts.
In Team USA's first game of the tournament, Lowder fired three shutout innings with a team-high four strikeouts. Against Curacao, the reigning ACC Pitcher of the Year worked 3.1 strong innings, allowing just one run on three hits and a walk.
The Golden Spikes Award
The 2023 preseason list includes 55 athletes from the ranks of high school and college baseball. Moving forward, the Golden Spikes Award Advisory Board will maintain the award's watchlist on a rolling basis, allowing athletes to play themselves into consideration for the award based on their performances throughout the season.
The 2023 Golden Spikes Award timeline is as follows:
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April 5: Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List announced
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May 22: Golden Spikes Award semifinalists announced and fan voting begins
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June 5: Golden Spikes Award semifinalists fan voting ends
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June 7: Golden Spikes Award finalists announced and fan voting begins
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June 21: Golden Spikes Award finalists' fan voting ends
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June 25: Golden Spikes Award winner announced
Fan voting will again play a part in the Golden Spikes Award in 2023. Amateur baseball fans can vote for their favorite players on GoldenSpikesAward.com, beginning on May 22 with the naming of the semifinalists. USA Baseball will announce the finalists for the award on June 7, and fan voting will once again open at GoldenSpikesAward.com before closing on June 21.
To stay up to date on the 2023 Golden Spikes Award, visit GoldenSpikesAward.com and follow @USAGoldenSpikes on Instagram and Twitter.
Wake Forest Preseason Honors
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Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List
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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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Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List
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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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NCBWA 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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NCBWA 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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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 |
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.
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 |
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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