
No. 4 Wake Forest Ends Road Trip with Wednesday Matchup at Liberty
3/14/2023 8:00:00 AM | Baseball
The Demon Deacons, fresh off an ACC series victory over the weekend, hit the diamond against non-conference foe Liberty to end its five-game trip away from Winston-Salem.
LYNCHBURG, Va. – The No. 4 Wake Forest baseball team concludes its five-game road trip with a midweek matchup at Liberty inside Liberty Baseball Stadium on Wednesday, March 15.
The Demon Deacons (15-2, 2-1 ACC) are fresh off an ACC series victory, posting wins in its conference opener as well as the series finale against Big Four rival Duke in Durham.
Wake Forest has won 15 of its first 17 games for the first time since 2002 and just the fifth time in program history. Currently, the Deacs are one of five teams in the nation with at least 15 wins this year.
In addition to its winning record in conference play over the last two seasons, Wake Forest has found success in non-conference competition.
Dating back to last year, the Deacs hold a 38-5 record against non-ACC teams. Wake Forest has outscored opponents 430-155 in those games.
To open the 2023 season, Wake Forest has scored over 10 runs in nine of its first 14 non-ACC matchups, while holding opponents to three runs or less in 11 contests thus far in 2023.
The first of the home-and-home set between the teams, originally scheduled for Tuesday, March 14, is slated for a 4 p.m. first pitch.
The game can be streamed on ESPN+ with a paid subscription. Additionally, 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.
Opponent/Series History
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The Demon Deacons lead the all-time series against the Flames by a 23-9-2 mark.
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Last season, Wake Forest swept the home-and-home set with Liberty, outscoring the non-conference foe, 23-11.
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With a 13-6 win last season at Liberty, the Deacs earned their fourth victory of the 2022 season against a top-15 opponent. Nick Kurtz tallied two home runs while Pierce Bennett notched four hits.
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On May 3, 2022, the Deacs posted a decisive 10-5 victory at The Couch, blanking the Flames over the last six innings while scoring the game's last eight runs.
Deacs in the Polls
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No. 4 - D1Baseball
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No. 4 - USA Today's Coaches Poll
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No. 5 - Perfect Game
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No. 5 - Baseball America
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No. 5 - Collegiate Baseball
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No. 5 - NCBWA
Wake Forest Honors
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ACC Player of the Week (Feb. 27)
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Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week (March 6)
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ACC Player of the Week (Feb. 20)
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D1 Baseball Player of the Week (Feb. 20)
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Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week (Feb. 20)
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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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ACC Player of the Week (Feb. 27)
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Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week (Feb. 27)
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ACC Pitcher of the Week (Feb. 20)
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Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week (Feb. 20)
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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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Best Start in 20 Years
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Wake Forest has won 15 of its first 17 games for the first time since 2002 and just the fifth time in program history. Currently, the Deacs are one of five teams in the nation with at least 15 wins this year.
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Best Starts in Program History through 17 Games:
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- 17-0: 1949
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- 16-1: N/A
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- 15-1-1: 1913
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- 15-2: 2023, 2002 and 1950
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Wake Forest started the year 13-0, joining the 1949 Deacs, who hold the program's best open to a campaign at 20-0, as the only teams in school history to win its first 13 games.
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Best Starts in Program History:
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- 13-0: 2023, 1949
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- 14-0: 1949
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- 15-0: 1949
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- 16-0: 1949
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- 17-0: 1949
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- 18-0: 1949
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-19-0: 1949
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- 20-0: 1949
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Wake Forest's 13-straight wins this season was the longest winning streak overall since the Deacs won 15 in a row during the 2012 season.
Non-Conference Success
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In addition to its winning record in conference play over the last two seasons, Wake Forest has found success in non-conference competition.
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Dating back to last year, the Deacs hold a 38-5 record against non-ACC teams. Wake Forest has outscored teams 430-155 in those games.
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To open the 2023 season, Wake Forest has scored over 10 runs in nine of its first 14 non-ACC matchups, while holding opponents to three runs or less in 11 contests thus far in 2023.
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The Demon Deacons finished the 2022 season 24-2 in non-conference play, tying for the best non-league winning percentage in the nation (Tennessee).
Pitching Thriving Early
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Wake Forest's pitching staff has impressed in its first 17 games as 16 arms hit the mound throughout the opening slate.
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The Demon Deacon pitching staff leads the nation in strikeouts-per-nine innings, while ranking first in the ACC in ERA, strikeout-walk ratio, WHIP and walks-per-nine innings.
Category National ACC Ks Per Nine (13.7) 1 1 ERA (2.42) 3 1 K-BB Ratio (5.40) 3 1 WHIP (.95) 5 1 BB-Per-Nine (2.54) 5 1 Hits-Per-Nine (6.04) 5 2 -
Wake Forest has fanned double-digit batters in 14 of its first 17 games this season and have held opponents to three runs or less in 12 games. Overall as a staff, the Deacs have averaged 13.4 strikeouts per game this season while averaging just over two walks per game.
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Every pitcher who has tossed at least five innings this season has held opponents to a .250 batting average or lower.
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Cole Roland (9.1 IP): .065
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Seth Keener (16 IP): .186
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Reed Mascolo (13.2 IP): .192
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Sean Sullivan (19.2 IP): .114
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Josh Hartle (23.2 IP): .212
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Rhett Lowder (24 IP): .213
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Camden Minacci (7.1 IP): .214
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Michael Massey (11.1 IP): .214
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Rake Forest
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Wake Forest's offense has been on a tear to open the new season as the Deacs lead the nation and the conference in multiple categories.
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The Deacs lead the nation in walks with 133, seven more than the next closest team. Additionally, Wake Forest is the ACC leader in runs, on-base percentage, home runs, scoring and sacrifice flies.
Category National ACC Walks (133) 1 1 Runs (183) 3 1 On-Base % (.455) 5 1 Home Runs (36) 7 1 Scoring (10.8) 7 1 Sac Flies (9) 40 1 Slugging % (.568) 16 3 Hits (185) 11 4 Doubles (38) 20 6 -
Nine Deacs have launched a long fly, headlined by Brock Wilken with 12 (second in the nation), Adam Cecere with eight (10th in the nation), Nick Kurtz with six, Justin Johnson with three and Pierce Bennett and Danny Corona with two.
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Tommy Hawke capped off Wake Forest's eight-run first inning in Wake Forest's first midweek game of the season with the Demon Deacons' first inside-the-park home run since 2016.
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Wake Forest's comeback victory against Youngstown State was fueled by 12 runs in the bottom of the fourth inning, the most runs in an inning since the top of the fifth in last year's 18-5 victory at Georgia Tech on March 19. Additionally, this is tied for the ninth-highest scoring mark in an inning in the nation.
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Overall, Wake Forest has eight players sporting an on-base percentage higher than .400 while seven Deacs have notched at double-digit hits.
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Wake Forest has reached double-digit hits in nine of its first 17 games while scoring at least 10 runs in nine contests.
Point Differential Driving Deacs Success
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Wake Forest has outscored opponents by double-digits in six innings this season.
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Wake Forest Scoring Summary by Inning (Wake Forest-Opponent)
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First Inning: 36-7
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Second Inning: 19-9
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Third Inning: 25-7
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Fourth Inning: 30-5
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Fifth Inning: 27-10
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Sixth Inning: 12-1
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Seventh Inning: 15-6
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Eighth Inning: 17-9
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Ninth Inning: 2-3
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Overall, the Deacs are outscoring opponents by a 183-57 mark.
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Wake Forest's +7.4 run differential per game is tied for the third-highest in the nation.
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Wake Forest's 126-point differential through 17 games is the largest mark in Coach Walter's 14-year tenure and is believed to be the largest differential through 17 games in program history.
Weekend Rotation Shoving
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Wake Forest's starting weekend rotation of Rhett Lowder, Sean Sullivan and Josh Hartle has been lights out to open the 2023 season.
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Through the first four weekends, the trio has posted nine wins with a combined ERA of 1.74 in 67.1 innings. Lowder, Sullivan and Hartle have combined to strike out 111 batters while allowing just 13 earned runs and walking just 12 batters.
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All three rank in top 10 among ACC in foes in almost every pitching category:
Lowder Sullivan Hartle ERA 10th (1.88) 8th (1.83) 6th (1.52) K-BB Ratio 3rd (8.00) 4th (7.80) 2nd (13.33) Strikeouts 5th (32) 2nd (39) 1st (40) Ks-Per-9 13th (12.00) 2nd (17.85) 3rd (15.21) WHIP 11th (.96) 1st (.66) 4th (.89) BBs-Per-9 4th (1.50) N/A 3rd (1.14) Wins 4th (3) 13th (2) 1st (4)
Patience at the Plate Paying Dividends
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Wake Forest has been patient at the plate as the Deacs have been walked 133 times, the most in the nation by seven.
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The Deacs have been walked at least 10 times in three games this season. In all of those contests, Wake Forest has scored double-digit runs, while notching double-digit hits twice.
Opponent Hits Walks Runs Youngstown State 12 14 8 Cornell 8 11 10 Coastal Carolina 11 10 11 -
Wake Forest is the only school in the ACC with three players in the top-10 for on-base percentage:
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Tommy Hawke: 2nd
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Nick Kurtz: 3rd
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Adam Cecere: 4th
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Six Deacs have already reached the double-digit walk mark this season:
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Tommy Hawke: 16
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Adam Cecere: 14
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Brock Wilken: 13
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Nick Kurtz: 11
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Marek Houston: 11
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Justin Johnson: 10
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Overall this season, the Demon Deacons are +91 in walks compared to their opponents.
Hawke 'Em
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After leading the team with the fourth-highest batting average by a freshman in program history (.380) last year, Tommy Hawke has continued to be impactful at the top of Wake Forest's lineup. Through 17 games, Hawke leads the Deacs with a .470 batting average and 31 hits, which ranks second in the ACC.
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Hawke also ranks in the top five among conference competitors in runs (first), on-base percentage (first) and walks (third).
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Hawke had the second-longest reached base streak (45 games) in the nation snapped in Wake Forest's Saturday doubleheader. • Overall, Hawke has reached base safely in 68 of his career 75 appearances and is currently the Division I career leader in on-base percentage (.524) while ranking second in career average (.403).
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Hawke's third base knock in the seventh inning against Coastal Carolina marked the 100th hit of his career.
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In Wake Forest's 18-1 victory against Towson on Feb. 25 Hawke notched a career-high five hits.
Lowder Day
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Unanimous Preseason All-American and 2022 ACC Pitcher of the Year Rhett Lowder has totaled a 1.88 ERA through 24 innings to go along with 32 strikeouts, 19 hits, four walks and five earned runs conceded this season.
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Heading into his fifth start this weekend, Lowder ranks in the top 10 of the ACC in ERA, strikeout-to-walk ratio, strikeouts, victories and WHIP.
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Over the course of his career, Lowder has won 18 games and sits just four victories away from entering the top 10 in Wake Forest history for career wins.
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The Albemarle, N.C. native is currently 20 Ks away from entering the top 10 in Demon Deacon history after striking out a career-high 105 batters in 2022, the 10th most in program history.
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Lowder earned his third win of his junior season as the Reigning ACC Pitcher of the Year tossed seven scoreless frames while striking out eight Mastodon batters in Wake Forest's last home Friday contest. This marked the fifth career scoreless outing from the Wake Forest righthander.
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Lowder earned win number two of the season after retiring the 16-straight batters, including a series of three-up, three-down innings against Binghamton on Friday, Feb. 24 . In the top of the fifth inning, Lowder tallied his seventh strikeout of the contest which marked the 200th strikeout of his Demon Deacon career. The strikeout completed an immaculate inning by the right hander.
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In his first appearance of 2023, Lowder struck out 10 batters in five innings, the fifth double-digit strikeout performance of his career (NJIT-Feb. 25, 2022, Clemson-April 15, 2022, Louisville-May 6, 2022 and Coastal Carolina-Feb. 23, 2021).
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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.
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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)
Wilken Looks to Climb Charts
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After setting career highs in hits (69). home runs (23), RBIs (77) and doubles (13) in 2022, Brock Wilken looks to cement himself as one of the best hitters in Wake Forest history this season.
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With his 12th home run of the season on Friday night in Durham, Wilken ranks second in the nation in HRs and has hit the most career long flies among active players in Division I baseball.
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After hitting the most home runs by a Demon Deacon in their first two seasons ever, Wilken has hit 52 home runs in his career, which is the third-most by a Demon Deacon ever as the Valrico, Fla. native is just seven home runs away from breaking the program record.
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Wake Forest Career Home Runs
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1. Jamie D'Antona 2001-03 58
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2. Jake Austin 1989-92 55
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3. Brock Wilken 2021-Pres. 52
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4. Allan Dykstra 2006-08 49
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5. Chris Kowilcik 1989-92 47
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Kevin Bunn 1981-84 47
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Brick Smith 1978-81 47
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8. Bill Merrifield 1981-83 45
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9. Dave Lardieri 1994-97 42
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Wilken has been off to a scorching start at the plate, posting a .364 average with a team best with 12 home runs, 31 RBIs, 62 total bases and a .939 slugging percentage.
Category National ACC Home Runs (12) 2 1 RBIs (31) 3 1 Total Bases (62) 3 1 Runs (26) 11 2 Slugging % (.939) 11 2 Walks (14) 78 9 Hits (24) 74 10 -
The junior has reached base in 16 games this season and tallied a career-high 12 game hit streak this season. Additionally, Wilken has posted a team-high 11 multi-RBI games.
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Wilken needs 56 more base knocks to join the 200-hit club.
Nicky Nukes
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After one of the greatest seasons by a Wake Forest freshman in school history, Nick Kurtz has impressed during the opening slate of games.
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Kurtz is currently second on the team in average (.395) and on-base percentage (.550). In 13 games, the Lancaster, Pa. native has tallied six multi-hit games and four multi-RBI games. Kurtz heads into midweek action on a 13-game reached base streak.
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Currently, Kurtz ranks in the top 10 among Division 1 players in career on-base percentage (sixth) and slugging percentage (eighth).
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Kurtz earned the first ACC Player of the Week honors of his career after leading Wake Forest at the plate in its perfect 4-0 opening weekend with a team-high tying .500 batting average to go along with a team-high tying six hits, team-high tying four home runs, team-best 10 RBIs and team-best eight runs scored. Additionally, Kurtz led the team with a 1.500 slugging percentage, seven walks and .684 on-base percentage.
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In Wake Forest's season opener, Kurtz broke the game open with a grand slam in the second inning before pushing Wake Forest's advantage to 8-0 after another long fly to right field in the bottom of the fourth to tie his career high of two home runs while adding five RBIs total.
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In Wake Forest's 8-1 win versus Illinois on Saturday, Kurtz hit another home run while going 2-for-4 with three runs scored and one walk. Kurtz was a catalyst in the Deacs' Sunday Sweep.
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In game one against Youngstown State, Kurtz was walked three times and scored one run.
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In the second game of the twin bill, Kurtz went 2-for-3 with a home run (fourth of the season), three RBIs, two walks and two runs scored.
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Kurtz's historic freshman season in 2022 included being 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.
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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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 needs just 14 more base knocks to tally 100 career hits.
Sully Making An Immediate Impact
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Sean Sullivan has made an immediate impact in the Old Gold and Black, registering a 1.83 ERA in 19.2 innings to go along with 39 strikeouts, four earned runs and five walks allowed. Additionally, opponents are batting just .114 against the lefthander. For his efforts to open the season, Sullivan received back-to-back ACC Pitcher and Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week honors to open the season.
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The lefthander leads the conference in hits per nine (3.00), strikeouts (31), strikeouts per nine (18.60) and WHIP (.60). Additionally, Sullivan ranks seventh in strikeout-to-walk ratio.
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Sullivan earned his second win of the 2023 season, tossing five innings while striking out 10, his third-straight double-digit strikeout performance to open the season.
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Sullivan began his outing by retiring the side in back-to-back innings, fanning five of the first six batters he faced. The reigning two-time ACC Pitcher of the Week ended his performance with a pair of strikeouts to reach the double-digit mark and secure his third perfect frame.
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Behind another electric outing from Sullivan, Wake Forest defeated Mount St. Mary's 18-2 in the opening game of the second weekend.
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Sullivan retired the first 16 batters of the game and had a perfect game through 5.1 innings. Overall, Sullivan punched out 11 and allowed just one baserunner in his six hitless innings of work.
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Sullivan impressed in his Demon Deacon debut in Wake Forest's 8-1 victory against Illinois on Saturday as the Andover, Mass. native struck out 10 batters while allowing just two hits and one walk in four scoreless innings to earn the save.
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Sullivan tallied at least two strikeouts in all four innings, highlighted by his trio of punchouts in the seventh and ninth. Additionally, Sullivan didn't allow more than one base runner in all four relief frames.
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Sullivan and Rhett Lowder combined for 20 strikeouts in the game, the most strikeouts by a Wake Forest Saturday in almost two years (Coastal Carolina-Feb. 23, 2021).
Hartle Continues to Deal in Year Two
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Josh Hartle has accumulated a 1.52 ERA through 23.2 innings to go along with 40 strikeouts, just 15 away from recording a new career best. The lefthander has allowed just four earned runs and has only walked three batters. Hartle is just one of three ACC pitchers with four victories this season.
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Currently, Hartle is the ACC leader in strikeouts (40) and ranks in the top five in strikeout-to-walk ratio (second), strikeouts-per-nine (third), walks-per-nine (third) and WHIP (fourth).
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In his career, Hartle has allowed two runs or less in 11 of his 15 starts.
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Hartle has struck out at least 10 batters in three of his four starts this season and has walked more than one batter in just one of his outings. In each of his first three appearances, Hartle either set or tied his previous career-high strikeout mark.
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Against Cornell on Sunday, March 5, Hartle posted the best outing of his career, fanning a career-high 12 batters in a career-high tying seven innings.
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The Sunday prior, Hartle fanned a then-career high 11 batters in six innings while allowing no earned runs and no walks for his second victory of 2023. Hartle struckout multiple batters in his last four innings, highlighted by a trio of punchouts in the fourth and sixth.
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Hartle became just the second pitcher in Wake Forest history to make 14 starts as a freshman in 2022 as well as the sixth Deac in program history to earn seven victories of the season (second most on the 2022 squad).
Certified Stopper Camden Minacci
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A staple out of Wake Forest's bullpen the last two seasons, Camden Minacci earned saves in each of Wake Forest's wins in its ACC-opening series, increasing his season total to four. Minacci is just two saves away from tying his career high in saves in a single season.
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Over the course of his career, Minacci has registered 12 saves as the Tampa, Fla. native moved into a tie for the eighth-most saves in program history.
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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. Camden Minacci 2021-pres. 12
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Chuck Irving 1976-77 12
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Aaron Fossas 2012-16 12
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In 2022, 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.
Cec Bombs
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Adam Cecere is off to a hot start at the plate, ranking in the top 10 in the ACC in eight offensive categories.
Category ACC HRs (8) 2 RBIs (26) 3 Slugging % (.930) 3 Bases (53) 3 On-base % (.539) 4 Doubles (7) 4 Runs (25) 4 Walks (17) 6 Hits (22) 17 -
Cecere received the first ACC Player of the Week honor of his career after batting .579 over Wake Forest's perfect 5-0 week, recording 11 hits, a team-high 12 RBIs, a team-high tying 11 runs scored, a team-high four doubles, two home runs and four walks. Cecere tallied a team-best 1.105 slugging percentage and .652 on-base percentage.
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Cecere tallied multi-hits in half of Wake Forest's games, highlighted by a trio of base knocks in back-to-back contests against Binghamton and Towson. Additionally, Cecere has driven in multiple runs in nine games, highlighted by a season-high four RBIs against UNC Greensboro last Tuesday.
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Overall, the 2022 team captain is the only Demon Deacon to reach safely in all 17 games, while scoring a run in 13 contests.
Up Next
For the first time since March 5, Wake Forest returns to The Couch for its ACC home-opening series against Notre Dame on March 17-19.
Friday's series opener is slated for a 6 p.m. first pitch, while the two teams will hit the diamond at 4 p.m. on Saturday. The series finale is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Sunday.
Saturday's contest will be Wake Forest's first national television broadcast as ACC Network will televise the conference showdown. Friday and Sunday's games can be streamed on ACCNX.
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