Sunday, April 23
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Wake Forest University
34-6, 16-4
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Walter Earns 400th Win at Wake Forest, Wilken Ties Program Home Run Record in Series-Clinching Victory at Pitt
4/23/2023 6:19:00 PM | Baseball
The Deacs head back to Winston-Salem with its seventh ACC series victory over the season after outscoring 40-5 Pitt over its two conference wins.
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The second-ranked Wake Forest baseball team claimed its seventh ACC series of the season with a 17-1 win in the rubber match on Sunday afternoon against Pitt.
The victory also marked the 400th win for head coach Tom Walter at the helm of the Demon Deacon baseball program.
In the top of the eighth inning, Brock Wilken hit the 58th home run of his career to tie Jamie D'Antona (2001-03) for the most career home runs by a Demon Deacon ever.
The Deacs (34-6, 16-4 ACC) are believed to be the only team in program history to win its first seven ACC series to open a season. Additionally, Wake Forest is off to its best start through 40 games since 2002.
After taking two out of three against Duke and Notre Dame, the Deacs posted three-straight perfect weekends against Miami (first time ever), Clemson (first time since 2012) and NC State (second-straight season).
Last weekend, the Deacs posted the program's first ever series win in Louisville and became the first team since 2021 to win a series at Jim Patterson stadium.
Wake Forest has now won its last four series against Pitt and owns a 10-5 all-time record over its conference foe.
Additionally, in its two wins this weekend, the Demon Deacons outscored the Panthers by a margin of 40-5.
Wake Forest is +72 in run differential through the first seven series, outscoring opponents 136-64 in 20 games.
Overall, the Demon Deacons are tied for the most wins in the nation (South Carolina) and lead the ACC in conference wins.
After an offensive eruption in Saturday's 23-4 victory, Wake Forest continued the momentum at the plate in the rubber match on Sunday.
The Deacs posted its 13th inning with at least five or more runs in the second as Bennett Lee launched a grand slam before Lucas Costello tallied an RBI-single with two outs.
A solo homer from Nick Kurtz, his second of the weekend, increased the Demon Deacon advantage to 6-0 in the top of third.
After Pitt found the score in the bottom half of the inning, consecutive RBI-singles from Pierce Bennett and Justin Johnson followed by a sacrifice fly by Adam Cecere pushed the Wake Forest lead to 9-1.
The Demon Deacon offense wasn't done, pushing across eight runs over the final two frames.
After Wilken's record-tying long fly in the eighth scored three runs, Wake Forest pushed across five more runs in the ninth with three walks, a passed ball and an RBI-single from Pierce Bennett with the bases loaded.
Josh Hartle earned his career-high tying seventh win of his career on Sunday as the left hander tossed 5.1 innings with eight strikeouts. The King, N.C. native allowed just three hits and one run.
Wake Forest's bullpen arms of Cole Roland, Derek Crum, Michael Massey and Camden Minacci blanked the Panthers over the final 11 outs.
Roland notched the final two outs of the fifth before inducing the first two outs of the sixth. Crum fanned the only batter he faced for the final out of the seventh.
Massey and Minacci retired the final six batters of the game with perfect eighth and ninth frames.
Overall, Wake Forest's pitching staff held an ACC opponent to three runs or less for the 13th time this season.
Seven Demon Deacon batters combined for 13 hits, with Wilken, Lee, Kurtz, Bennett and Johnson all tallying multiple base knocks.
How It Happened
Words from Walter
"Great series win on the road. It's never easy to win on the road. For us, with three weekends to go in conference play, we've put ourselves in a position where we have a few game lead to win the league. First things first, we want to keep playing well, but certainly one of our goals is to win the regular season conference championship and go into the tournament as the number one seed. A win like this moves us a little bit closer to that.
"A big day for Brock Wilken. I'm just really proud of Brock. Tying the school home run record with 15 games to go in the regular season in your junior year is beyond impressive. It's just a testament to all his hard work and the type of player he is. Josh Hartle battled today. He ran into some adversity. Some pitches didn't go his way. We had an error here and there and Josh just kept coming. He got us a big double play ball there in the fifth inning. He gave us 5.1 innings and we handed it over to a fresh and rested bullpen. Roland, Massey and Minacci. Derek Crum gets us a big out. I'm really happy with how Derek has come along too. It's a big win for us. We have Coastal Carolina on Tuesday so a quick turnaround to get ready for that game."
Standout Stats
The Deacs are believed to be the only team in program history to win its first seven ACC series to open the season. Additionally, Wake Forest is off to its best start through 40 games since 2002.
After taking two out of three against Duke and Notre Dame, the Deacs posted three-straight perfect weekends against Miami (first time ever), Clemson (first time since 2012) and NC State (second-straight season).
In its last ACC series, the Deacs posted the program's first ever series win in Louisville and became the first team since 2021 to win a series at Jim Patterson stadium.
Wake Forest has now won its last four series against Pitt and owns a 10-5 all-time record over its conference foe.
Additionally, in its two wins this weekend, the Demon Deacons outscored the Panthers by a margin of 40-5.
Wake Forest is +72 in run differential through the first seven series, outscoring opponents 136-64 in 20 games.
Wake Forest has outscored opponents by double-digits in eight innings this season.
Wake Forest Scoring Summary by Inning (Wake Forest-Opponent)
Sunday marked the 25th game the Deacs found the scoreboard, posting a 22-3 record in those games. Additionally, the Deacs are 24-3 when they score first.
Much of Wake Forest's success has been fast starts as the Deacs have outscored opponents by a mark of 157-40 in the opening three innings.
Wake Forest posted its fourth game of the season with multiple innings with at least five runs. Overall, the Deacs have registered 14 frames this season with at least five runs.
Sunday's series-clinching victory marked the 400th victory of head coach Tom Walter's Wake Forest career.
Overall, Walter has won 828 games as a head coach at George Washington, New Orelans and Wake Forest.
Earlier this season, Walter claimed the 800th win of his coaching career with Wake Forest's 18-2 win against Mount St. Mary's.
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.
In the top of the eighth inning, Wilken hit the 58th home run of his career to tie Jamie D'Antona (2001-03) for the most career home runs by a Demon Deacon ever.
On Deck
Wake Forest faces four non-conference opponents next week, beginning with a matchup against nationally-ranked Coastal Carolina on Tuesday, April 25 at 6 p.m. at David F. Couch Ballpark on ACC Network.
The Deacs will then take on App State on Wednesday, April 26 at 6 p.m. in Shelby, N.C. inside Keeter Stadium.
Wake Forest closes its week with home games against Wofford and High Point on Saturday, April 29 and Sunday, April 30.
Follow The Deacs:
GoDeacs.com | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
The victory also marked the 400th win for head coach Tom Walter at the helm of the Demon Deacon baseball program.
In the top of the eighth inning, Brock Wilken hit the 58th home run of his career to tie Jamie D'Antona (2001-03) for the most career home runs by a Demon Deacon ever.
The Deacs (34-6, 16-4 ACC) are believed to be the only team in program history to win its first seven ACC series to open a season. Additionally, Wake Forest is off to its best start through 40 games since 2002.
After taking two out of three against Duke and Notre Dame, the Deacs posted three-straight perfect weekends against Miami (first time ever), Clemson (first time since 2012) and NC State (second-straight season).
Last weekend, the Deacs posted the program's first ever series win in Louisville and became the first team since 2021 to win a series at Jim Patterson stadium.
Wake Forest has now won its last four series against Pitt and owns a 10-5 all-time record over its conference foe.
Additionally, in its two wins this weekend, the Demon Deacons outscored the Panthers by a margin of 40-5.
Wake Forest is +72 in run differential through the first seven series, outscoring opponents 136-64 in 20 games.
Overall, the Demon Deacons are tied for the most wins in the nation (South Carolina) and lead the ACC in conference wins.
After an offensive eruption in Saturday's 23-4 victory, Wake Forest continued the momentum at the plate in the rubber match on Sunday.
The Deacs posted its 13th inning with at least five or more runs in the second as Bennett Lee launched a grand slam before Lucas Costello tallied an RBI-single with two outs.
A solo homer from Nick Kurtz, his second of the weekend, increased the Demon Deacon advantage to 6-0 in the top of third.
After Pitt found the score in the bottom half of the inning, consecutive RBI-singles from Pierce Bennett and Justin Johnson followed by a sacrifice fly by Adam Cecere pushed the Wake Forest lead to 9-1.
The Demon Deacon offense wasn't done, pushing across eight runs over the final two frames.
After Wilken's record-tying long fly in the eighth scored three runs, Wake Forest pushed across five more runs in the ninth with three walks, a passed ball and an RBI-single from Pierce Bennett with the bases loaded.
Josh Hartle earned his career-high tying seventh win of his career on Sunday as the left hander tossed 5.1 innings with eight strikeouts. The King, N.C. native allowed just three hits and one run.
Wake Forest's bullpen arms of Cole Roland, Derek Crum, Michael Massey and Camden Minacci blanked the Panthers over the final 11 outs.
Roland notched the final two outs of the fifth before inducing the first two outs of the sixth. Crum fanned the only batter he faced for the final out of the seventh.
Massey and Minacci retired the final six batters of the game with perfect eighth and ninth frames.
Overall, Wake Forest's pitching staff held an ACC opponent to three runs or less for the 13th time this season.
Seven Demon Deacon batters combined for 13 hits, with Wilken, Lee, Kurtz, Bennett and Johnson all tallying multiple base knocks.
How It Happened
- After Wake Forest was retired in order to open the game, Josh Hartle induced a ground out and back-to-back strikeouts for a perfect first frame.
- The Deacs pushed across five runs in the top of the second as Bennett Lee launched a 400-foot grand slam and Lucas Costello fired an RBI-single up the middle.
- Brock Wilken led off the inning with a double to the right center field gap before Pierce Bennett drew a walk. A single from Justin Johnson loaded the bases before Lee hit his fourth long fly of the season.
- After the homer, Marek Houston walked and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Costello drove in the freshman to cap off Wake Forest's 13th inning of at least five runs this season.
- Hartle notched a shutdown inning in the bottom of the second, striking out a trio of Panther batters in the frame.
- A solo home run from Nick Kurtz increased Wake Forest's advantage to 6-0 at the midway point of the third.
- Kurtz's second home run of the series went 431 feet and had an exit velocity of 111 miles-per-hour.
- Pitt got on the scoreboard with an RBI-single in the bottom of the third. Hartle responded by inducing a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.
- Hartle fanned the leadoff batter for his sixth strikeout of the game.
- Wake Forest was retired in order to open the fourth. Hartle responded with a zero of his own, working around a two-out double with his seventh strikeout of the game.
- The Deacs added to its lead (9-1) with consecutive RBI-singles from Bennett and Johnson as well as a sacrifice fly from Adam Cecere.
- Hartle tallied a shutdown inning in the bottom of the fifth, retiring the opening batters with groundouts before working around a throwing error of another inning-ending strikeout.
- In the top of the sixth, Hawke walked, stole second and advanced to third on a fly out to right field. With two outs, Kurtz walked to put runners on the corners. A hard-hit ball right back to the pitcher ended the scoring threat as Wake Forest took its 9-1 lead into the bottom half of the inning.
- Adam Cecere notched an extra-base hit with two outs, but a groundout stranded the redshirt junior as Wake Forest continued to lead 9-1.
- Derek Crum fanned a Pitt batter for the third and final out of the seventh inning.
- Roland returned to the mound and induced the opening outs of the frame, highlighted by a strikeout.
- A three-run home run from Wilken in the top of the eighth extended the Wake Forest lead to 12-1.
- With two outs, Costello walked before Kurtz singled up the middle to place runners on the corners.
- Michael Massey pitched a perfect 1-2-3 eighth inning with a strikeout, pop up and fly out.
- The Deacs notched its second five-run frame of the game in the ninth, increasing its lead to 17-1.
- Wake Forest loaded the bases with a Lee single, a fielding error and walk to Hawke. Consecutive walks to Costello and Kurtz plated a pair of runs before an RBI-single from Bennett pushed across another run.
- The Deacs pushed across its final run of the game with another bases-loaded walk drawn by Johnson.
- Camden Minacci struck out the side in the bottom of the ninth to clinch the Sunday win and Wake Forest's seventh ACC series victory of the season.
Words from Walter
"Great series win on the road. It's never easy to win on the road. For us, with three weekends to go in conference play, we've put ourselves in a position where we have a few game lead to win the league. First things first, we want to keep playing well, but certainly one of our goals is to win the regular season conference championship and go into the tournament as the number one seed. A win like this moves us a little bit closer to that.
"A big day for Brock Wilken. I'm just really proud of Brock. Tying the school home run record with 15 games to go in the regular season in your junior year is beyond impressive. It's just a testament to all his hard work and the type of player he is. Josh Hartle battled today. He ran into some adversity. Some pitches didn't go his way. We had an error here and there and Josh just kept coming. He got us a big double play ball there in the fifth inning. He gave us 5.1 innings and we handed it over to a fresh and rested bullpen. Roland, Massey and Minacci. Derek Crum gets us a big out. I'm really happy with how Derek has come along too. It's a big win for us. We have Coastal Carolina on Tuesday so a quick turnaround to get ready for that game."
Standout Stats
The Deacs are believed to be the only team in program history to win its first seven ACC series to open the season. Additionally, Wake Forest is off to its best start through 40 games since 2002.
After taking two out of three against Duke and Notre Dame, the Deacs posted three-straight perfect weekends against Miami (first time ever), Clemson (first time since 2012) and NC State (second-straight season).
In its last ACC series, the Deacs posted the program's first ever series win in Louisville and became the first team since 2021 to win a series at Jim Patterson stadium.
Wake Forest has now won its last four series against Pitt and owns a 10-5 all-time record over its conference foe.
Additionally, in its two wins this weekend, the Demon Deacons outscored the Panthers by a margin of 40-5.
Wake Forest is +72 in run differential through the first seven series, outscoring opponents 136-64 in 20 games.
- Team Run Diff.
- Duke -3 (14-17)
- Notre Dame +10 (17-7)
- Miami +17 (19-2)
- Clemson +7 (18-11)
- NC State +5 (12-7)
- Louisville +4 (16-12)
- Pitt +32 (40-8)
- Total +72 (136-64)
- Category #
- Strikeouts 222
- ERA 2.66
- Walks Allowed 55
- Hits Allowed 138
- Opp. Batting Average .212
- Category #
- Batting Average .262
- Hits 176
- Walks 102
- Home Runs 28
- On-Base % .374
- Slugging % .454
Wake Forest has outscored opponents by double-digits in eight innings this season.
Wake Forest Scoring Summary by Inning (Wake Forest-Opponent)
- First Inning: 67-13
- Second Inning: 37-16
- Third Inning: 58-13
- Fourth Inning: 51-15
- Fifth Inning: 60-22
- Sixth Inning: 25-10
- Seventh Inning: 31-9
- Eighth Inning: 34-16
- Ninth Inning: 11-11
Sunday marked the 25th game the Deacs found the scoreboard, posting a 22-3 record in those games. Additionally, the Deacs are 24-3 when they score first.
Much of Wake Forest's success has been fast starts as the Deacs have outscored opponents by a mark of 157-40 in the opening three innings.
Wake Forest posted its fourth game of the season with multiple innings with at least five runs. Overall, the Deacs have registered 14 frames this season with at least five runs.
- Youngstown State (Feb. 17): Six runs (second inning)
- Youngstown State (Feb. 19): 12 runs (fourth inning)
- UNCG (Feb. 21): Eight runs (first inning)
- Mount St. Mary's (Feb. 24): Six runs (fifth inning)
- Towson (Feb. 25): Five runs (third inning)
- Towson (Feb. 25: Five runs (eighth inning)
- UNC Wilmington (Feb. 28): Five runs (first inning)
- Elon (March 21): Seven runs (first inning)
- Elon (March 21): Seven runs (fifth inning)
- App State (April 11): Five runs (fifth inning)
- Louisville (April 14): Five runs (third inning)
- Pitt (April 22): Six runs (second inning)
- Pitt (April 23): Five runs (second inning)
- Pitt (April 23): Five runs (ninth inning
Sunday's series-clinching victory marked the 400th victory of head coach Tom Walter's Wake Forest career.
Overall, Walter has won 828 games as a head coach at George Washington, New Orelans and Wake Forest.
Earlier this season, Walter claimed the 800th win of his coaching career with Wake Forest's 18-2 win against Mount St. Mary's.
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.
In the top of the eighth inning, Wilken hit the 58th home run of his career to tie Jamie D'Antona (2001-03) for the most career home runs by a Demon Deacon ever.
On Deck
Wake Forest faces four non-conference opponents next week, beginning with a matchup against nationally-ranked Coastal Carolina on Tuesday, April 25 at 6 p.m. at David F. Couch Ballpark on ACC Network.
The Deacs will then take on App State on Wednesday, April 26 at 6 p.m. in Shelby, N.C. inside Keeter Stadium.
Wake Forest closes its week with home games against Wofford and High Point on Saturday, April 29 and Sunday, April 30.
Follow The Deacs:
GoDeacs.com | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Hartle, Josh (7-2)
L: MOSLEY, Kyle (0-5)
Batting:
2B: Wilken, Brock 1 ; Cecere, Adam 1
HR: Kurtz, Nick 1 ; Wilken, Brock 1 ; Lee, Bennett 1
RBI: Costello, Lucas 2 ; Kurtz, Nick 2 ; Wilken, Brock 3 ; Bennett, Pierce 2 ; Johnson, Justin 2 ; Cecere, Adam 1 ; Lee, Bennett 4
SF: Cecere, Adam 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Hawke, Tommy 1 ; Costello, Lucas 3 ; Kurtz, Nick 4 ; Wilken, Brock 3 ; Bennett, Pierce 1 ; Johnson, Justin 1 ; Lee, Bennett 2 ; Houston, Marek 2
SB: Hawke, Tommy 1
HBP: Costello, Lucas 1
Batting:
2B: FUNK, CJ 1 ; ACAL, Justin 1
RBI: MARTINEZ, Noah 1
Base Running:
RUNS: DUFF, Sky 1
HBP: ACAL, Justin 1
Game Leaders
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H
3
RBI
3
AB
3
R
4
H
2
RBI
2
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
2
AB
5
R
1
H
2
RBI
2
Players Mentioned
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