Wake Forest University
12-0
Ball State
6-5
No. 2 Wake Forest Moves to 12-0 for First Time since 1949; Powers Past Ball State, 7-4
3/4/2023 9:31:00 PM | Baseball
For the first time in 74 years, the Wake Forest baseball team won its first 12 games to open a season.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The No. 2 Wake Forest baseball team remained perfect with a 7-4 victory over Ball State on Saturday evening at David F. Couch Ballpark.
Wake Forest has now started 12-0 for just the second time in program history, 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 12 games.
Additionally, Wake Forest is 37-4 against non-ACC competition over the last two seasons, outscoring opponents 409-139 in those games.
The Deacs continued to use all-around team performances to fuel its perfect start, outscoring opponents 148-24 to open the new campaign. Wake Forest is batting .353 as a team and holds a team ERA of just 1.70 with 163 strikeouts and 25 walks in 12 games.
Wake Forest's 124-run differential is the largest through 12 games in Coach Walter's 14-year tenure and is believed to be the largest differential through 12 games in program history.
Coming into weekend competition, the Demon Deacon pitching staff led the nation in strikeout-walk ratio and the ACC in WHIP, ERA, hits per nine and strikeouts per nine.
Wake Forest's offense has been on a tear to open the new season as the Deacs led the nation in walks, hits, on-base percentage, scoring and runs per game prior to the weekend slate. Additionally, Wake Forest was the conference leader in home runs, batting average and slugging percentage.
The Deacs took an early 2-0 lead in the second after a solo home run from Adam Cecere, his seventh of the season, and a sacrifice fly from Bennett Lee. Ball State responded with two runs of their own in the very next half to tie the ballgame.
Undaunted, Wake Forest regained the lead as Nick Kurtz singled and stole second before a pair of wild pitches brought the Preseason All-American home to break the tie. Two batters later, Justin Johnson launched a two-run home run over the left field wall, scoring Cecere (walk) and giving the Deacs a three-run advantage.
After the Cardinals made it a 5-4 in the fourth, Wake Forest once again responded with two more runs in the bottom of the frame to push its lead back to three.
Kurtz tallied a sacrifice fly on a ball that just missed going over the center field wall and Brock Wilken drove in Marek Houston with a RBI-single to left field to cap off the scoring on both sides.
Sean 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.
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.
Cole Roland retired six-straight batters in the sixth and seventh innings in relief of Sullivan to preserve Wake Forest's three-run lead. The righthander fanned one Cardinal batter in his first frame before striking out the opening two hitters in his final inning of work. Overall, Roland has struck out 12 of the 16 batters he has faced this season without allowing a hit.
Seth Keener fanned a pair in a three-up, three-down eighth before Camden Minacci earned his second save of the season with a scoreless top of the ninth, highlighted by one punchout.
The five Demon Deacon arms combined to retire 15-straight Cardinal batters from the fourth inning until one out remained in the contest.
Overall, Wake Forest has fanned double-digit batters in nine games and have averaged 13.6 strikeouts per game this season, while walking just 2.1 batters per game.
How It Happened
-
Sean Sullivan opened his second start of the season with a three-up, three-down first, highlighted by a pair of strikeouts.
-
After the Deacs were retired in order to end the first, Sullivan returned and struck out the side, increasing his game total to five.
-
Wake Forest found the scoreboard in the bottom of the second, taking a 2-0 lead as Adam Cecere fired a solo home run to right field and Bennett Lee notched a sacrifice fly to left.
-
Cecere launched his seventh long fly of the season after the Deacs opened the inning with a strikeout.
-
Johnson, the very next batter, walked and advanced to third after Jake Reinisch singled through the right side. Lee's deep fly ball to left brought home Johnson and marked his ninth RBI of the season.
-
The Deacs loaded the bases as Marek Houston notched a walk and Tommy Hawke beat out a grounder to third base for Wake Forest's third hit of the game. A grounder ended the scoring threat.
-
-
Ball State responded with two runs of their own in the top of the third with a two-run home run to tie the contest at 2-2. Sullivan ended the frame with his seventh strikeout.
-
The Deacs regained the lead (5-2) with three runs on two hits and a pair of wild pitches.
-
Nick Kurtz led off the inning with a bunt single to third base before stealing second. A pair of wild pitches brought the Preseason All-American home and gave Wake Forest the lead back.
-
After Kurtz scored, Cecere walked before Justin Johnson launched a two-run shot to left field, increasing the Demon Deacon lead to 5-2.
-
-
Ball State trimmed Wake Forest's advantage to one (5-4) after an RBI-single with the bases loaded and throwing error by the Deacs.
-
Undaunted, Wake Forest pushed its lead back to three (7-4) in the bottom of the fourth with a sacrifice fly from Kurtz and RBI-single from Brock Wilken.
-
Sullivan notched a shutdown inning in the next half, highlighted by two more punchouts to increase his game total to 10.
-
The Deacs moved a runner into scoring position as Johnson registered a leadoff walk to open the bottom of the fifth and advanced on a flyout in foul territory. A groundout to first ended the inning and the scoring opportunity as Wake Forest held onto its 7-4 advantage.
-
Cole Roland hit the mound in relief of Sullivan to open the sixth and tallied a three-up, three-down frame with a strikeout, lineout and pop out.
-
Roland returned in the seventh after Wake Forest was retired in order at the plate and registered another 1-2-3 inning. Roland fanned the opening pair of Cardinal batters before inducing a deep pop out to Houston at shortstop.
-
Cecere notched his second hit of the game with a one-out single through the right side, but a strikeout and flyout ended the seventh as Wake Forest continued to lead by three (7-4).
-
Seth Keener took over on the mound and continued to deal as the righthander tallied two strikeouts and a flyout as the Deacs took its three-run lead to the bottom of the inning.
-
Lee singled and advanced to third thanks to a sacrifice bunt from Houston and wild pitch, but a groundout ended Wake Forest's final scoring threat.
-
Camden Minacci slammed the door in the ninth, picking up his second save of the season and the 10th of his career with a scoreless final frame to secure the 7-4 win.
Words From Walter
"A really great win. I was really pleased with the way we played. We had a great offensive approach in the first four innings. I was really pleased how we swung the bat in those four innings. That's kind of the offense that I imagine to be our long-term solution. Just grinding at-bats. Staying on off-speed pitches. Being willing to walk and bunt a little bit. I was really pleased with our offense in the first half of the game.
"We saw their best two arms and Ball State is a really good club. They're good positionally, too. I thought Sully threw the ball well. They had only three hits, but had a couple walks in there. Again, we just couldn't get off the field there with two outs. We kind of had the inning right where we wanted it – two outs and one guy on in the fourth. A great play there from Marek Houston to save us a run. We need to be able to get off the field with two outs and we weren't able to do that in the fourth. I was glad it was a tight game. Our bullpen was fantastic. Cole Roland. Seth Keener. Cam Minacci. All three of those guys threw the ball extremely well. I'm really pleased with our club and that's a really good team win."
Standout Stat
Wake Forest has now started 12-0 for just the second time in program history, joining the 1949 Deacs, who hold the program's best start at 20-0, as the only teams in program history to win its first 12 games.
-
Best Starts in Program History:
-
12-0: 2023, 1949
-
13-0: 1949
-
14-0: 1949
-
15-0: 1949
-
16-0: 1949
-
17-0: 1949
-
18-0: 1949
-
19-0: 1949
-
20-0: 1949
-
Additionally, Wake Forest is 37-4 against non-ACC competition over the last two seasons, outscoring opponents 409-139 in those games.
The Deacs continued to use all-around team performances to fuel its perfect start, outscoring opponents 148-24 to open the new campaign. Wake Forest is batting .353 as a team and holds a team ERA of just 1.70 with 163 strikeouts and 25 walks in 12 games.
Wake Forest's 124-run differential is the largest mark through 12 games in Coach Walter's 14-year tenure and is believed to be the largest differential through 12 games in program history.
Wake Forest Run Differential Through 12 Games Since 2010
-
2023: +124 (148-24)
-
2022: +98 (137-39)
-
2021: -7 (59-66)
-
2020: +21 (78-57)
-
2019: +37 (92-55)
-
2018: +6 (60-54)
-
2017: +33 (99-66)
-
2016: +32 (82-50)
-
2015: +12 (79-67)
-
2014: +23 (57-34)
-
2013: +41 (88-47)
-
2012: +28 (93-65)
-
2011: -30 (51-81)
-
2010: -10 (74-84)
Wake Forest has outscored opponents by double-digits in six innings this season. The Deacs have only had an offensive opportunity in the ninth against UNC Greensboro on Tuesday, Feb. 21.
-
Wake Forest Scoring Summary by Inning (Wake Forest-Opponent)
-
First Inning: 29-4
-
Second Inning: 16-1
-
Third Inning: 20-3
-
Fourth Inning: 27-3
-
Fifth Inning: 23-5
-
Sixth Inning: 9-1
-
Seventh Inning: 8-1
-
Eighth Inning: 15-3
-
Ninth Inning: 1-2
-
In The Spotlight
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 12 games, Hawke leads the Deacs with a .500 batting average and a team-best 23 hits.
Dating back to last season, Hawke has a 42-game reached base streak and 10-game hit streak after going 1-4 with a single and one walk today against the Cardinals.
A staple out of Wake Forest's bullpen the last two seasons, Camden Minacci earned the second save of his junior season after tossing a scoreless ninth inning with one strikeout to secure the win.
Over the course of his career, Minacci has registered 10 saves as the Tampa, Fla. native moved into the top 10 in Wake Forest history for career saves, tying current student assistant coach and 2016 first round pick Will Craig.
Most Saves by a Demon Deacon
1. Dave Bush 1999-02 38
2. Michael Dimock 2009-12 19
3. Keith Ksansnak 1983-86 17
4. Ben Hunter 2006-08 16
Bret Wagner 1992-94 16
Buddy Jenkins 1987-91 16
7. Frank Humber 1986-89 15
8. Chuck Irving 1976-77 12
Aaron Fossas 2012-16 12
10. Camden Minacci 2021-pres. 10
Will Craig 2014-16 10
Sean 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.
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.
In three appearances, Sullivan has registered a 1.80 ERA in 15 innings to go along with 31 strikeouts, three earned runs and four walks allowed. Additionally, opponents are batting just .098 against the lefthander.
On Deck
Wake Forest concludes its eight-game home stand on Sunday, March 5 at 1 p.m. against Cornell. ACC Network Extra will broadcast the game.
Deacon Nation and college baseball fans across the state of North Carolina will have the opportunity to select from various season-ticket packages that include general admission options, reserved chairback seating, as well as multiple premium season ticket options to catch all 33 home contests inside David F. Couch Ballpark. Click here for all the exciting season ticket opportunities.
Single-game offerings include general admission, reserved chairback, premium reserve chairback premium high tops and premium third base loge box ticketing options. Click here for all the exciting single-game ticket opportunities.
Follow The Deacs:
GoDeacs.com | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Sullivan, Sean (2-0)
L: Ryan Brown (3-1)
S: Minacci, Camden (2)
Batting:
HR: Ryan Peltier 1
RBI: Ryan Peltier 2 ; Logan Flood 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Ryan Peltier 1 ; CJ Horn 1 ; Zach Lane 1 ; Nick Gregory 1
Batting:
HR: Cecere, Adam 1 ; Johnson, Justin 1
RBI: Kurtz, Nick 1 ; Wilken, Brock 1 ; Cecere, Adam 1 ; Johnson, Justin 2 ; Lee, Bennett 1
SH: Houston, Marek 1
SF: Kurtz, Nick 1 ; Lee, Bennett 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Hawke, Tommy 1 ; Kurtz, Nick 1 ; Cecere, Adam 2 ; Johnson, Justin 2 ; Houston, Marek 1
SB: Kurtz, Nick 1 ; Reinisch, Jake 1
