Wake Forest University
42-7, 20-5
Florida State
19-30, 6-20
No. 1 Wake Forest Clinches ACC Regular-Season Championship with 7-3 Win over Florida State
5/13/2023 3:25:00 PM | Baseball
The Demon Deacons clinched its first ACC regular-season title since 1963 with its program-record 20th conference win of the season.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.– The top-ranked Wake Forest baseball team clinched the 2023 Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season championship title with a 7-3 win over Florida State on Saturday afternoon at Dick Howser Stadium.
This marks Wake Forest's (42-7, 20-5 ACC) fourth ACC regular-season title in program history, with the last coming in 1963 (1955, 1962, 1963).
Additionally, the Demon Deacons broke a program record for ACC wins in a single season and tied a program record for regular season wins with the 2002 ballclub.
Overall, Wake Forest leads the nation in wins and winning percentage while leading the ACC in conference wins.
After scoreless baseball over the first five and a half frames, Florida State found the scoreboard in the bottom of the sixth with an RBI-single. The Deacs quickly responded as Justin Johnson blasted his 13th home run of the season to lead off the top of the seventh.
The Seminoles regained one-run lead thanks to an unearned run in the bottom of the inning.
Undaunted, Nick Kurtz launched a two-run home run to center field to give Wake Forest its first lead of the day in the top of the eighth.
The game was once again tied after a solo shot by the Seminoles in the bottom of the eighth.
A four-run ninth inning ultimately clinched Wake Forest's ninth ACC series victory of the season.
Josh Hartle tossed 6.1 innings in his 13th start of the season. The King, N.C. native struck out a trio of batters when allowing just one earned run and one walk.
Michael Massey moved to 3-0 on the season, registering the final eight outs on the mound. The righthander fanned five batters and walked no hitters.
Massey retired the last six batters he faced to clinch the victory.
Overall, the duo's performance marked the 18th time this season Wake Forest has held an ACC opponent to three runs or less.
How It Happened
- Josh Hartle retired the Seminoles in order in the bottom of the first with a strikeout, fly out and ground out.
- Brock Wilken continued his hot start to the series at the plate, tallying a single to left field and advancing to third thanks to a groundout and wild pitch. A fly out stranded the third baseman.
- Hartle worked around a two-out double with a groundout to notch another scoreless frame on just eight pitches in the bottom of the second.
- Hartle stranded runners on the corners with his second punchout of the game as the teams remained scoreless after three full innings.
- Bennett Lee caught a Florida State base runner trying to advance to third base to end the bottom of the fourth.
- Hartle retired the opening batters of the inning with a fly out and groundout before the Seminoles strung together back-to-back singles.
- Hartle notched his second perfect frame in the bottom of the fifth, retiring the Seminoles with a fly out, strikeout and groundout.
- Florida State pushed across the game's first run in the bottom of the sixth with an RBI-single down the left field line following a leadoff triple.
- Wake Forest quickly responded and tied the game at one as Johnson launched a solo home run to left field to lead off the top of the seventh.
- Florida State regained a one-run lead (2-1) with an RBI-single with two outs in the bottom of the frame.
- Michael Massey stranded two Seminole base runners with a strikeout for the third and final out.
- Wake Forest answered right back as Nick Kurtz launched a two-run home run to straight-away center field to give the Demon Deacons a 3-2 lead after the top of the eighth.
- Lucas Costello started the two-out rally with a single up the middle and was scored on Kurtz's 20th home run of the season.
- Florida State tied the game at three with a solo home run in the next half.
- Massey retired the next three batters with back-to-back strikeouts and a groundout.
- The Demon Deacons responded once again, pushing across four runs after loading the bases with no one out to take a 7-3 lead into the bottom of the ninth.
- Back-to-back singles from Johnson and Danny Corona as well as a four-pitch walk to Bennett Lee filled the bases with no one out. Adam Cecere and Marek Houston were hit by a pitch in back-to-back at-bats to push across the first pair of runs in the inning.
- An RBI-single from Costello, his third base knock of the game, extended the Wake Forest advantage to three before Kurtz picked up his third RBI of the game on a fielder's choice.
- Massey retired Florida State in order to clinch Wake Forest's ninth ACC series victory of the season and its first ACC regular season championship since 1963.
"A really great win. Give credit to Whittaker. He blanked us for six innings. We didn't have much of anything going offensively but we found ways. JJ got us started with a solo homer and then Lucas Costello singles with two outs and then Kurtzy – what a great at-bat that was. Lays off a pitch that was definitely a ball away and then homers to straight-away center field, which on a day like this, is not easy to do. That's a big-time swing in a big-time situation.
"We turn around and give up another home run and then we answer again. JJ singles. Danny Corona singles. Bennett Lee walks. Two hit batters after that and we find a way to punch across four and save Minacci for tomorrow. Massey finished it out. We have Keener ready for tomorrow. We have Minacci ready. We have a rested bullpen. We have good pieces available for tomorrow. I'm really proud of this club. First ACC regular season championship since 1963 so I just can't say enough about our club, the culture these guys have built and how much they care about one another."
Standout Stats
This marks Wake Forest's fourth ACC regular season title in program history, with the last coming in 1963.
ACC Regular Season Championships
- 2023
- 1963
- 1962
- 1955
The Demon Deacons will head into the 2023 ACC Championships as the No. 1 overall seed and look to claim the program's first conference crown since 2001 and eighth ACC title in program history.
The four-run win helped the Demon Deacons break a program record for ACC wins in a single season with its 20th conference victory of the year.
Best ACC seasons in Program History
- 2023: 20-5 (.800)
- 1963: 11-3 (.786)
- 1955: 11-3 (.786)
- 1979: 9-3 (.750)
- 2002: 17-6 (.739)
- 1999: 16-7 (.696)
- 1964: 16-7 (.696)
- 2001: 16-8 (.667)
- 1962: 10-5 (.667)
- 1959: 9-6 (.667)
- 1961: 9-5 (.643)
- 1957: 9-5 (.643)
- 2017: 19-11 (.633)
- 2000: 14-10 (.588)
Wake Forest Baseball 40-Win Seasons
- 2002 - 47 overall wins (42 regular season, five postseason)
- 1999 - 47 overall wins (39 regular season, eight postseason)
- 2001- 44 overall wins (37 regular season, seven postseason)
- 2017 - 43 overall wins (38 regular season wins, five postseason)
- 1998- 43 overall wins (36 regular season, seven postseason)
- 2023- 42 overall wins (42 regular season)
- 2000 - 42 overall wins, (38 regular season, three postseason)
- 2022 - 41 overall wins (39 regular season, two postseason)
Wake Forest Fastest to 40 Wins
- 2023: 47 games
- 2002: 49 games
- 1999: 53 games
- 2001: 55 games
- 2022: 58 games
- 2017: 58 games
- 2000: 59 games
- 1998: 61 games
Wake Forest Scoring Summary by Inning (Wake Forest-Opponent)
- First Inning: 80-14
- Second Inning: 43-18
- Third Inning: 60-14
- Fourth Inning: 66-19
- Fifth Inning: 72-24
- Sixth Inning: 40-11
- Seventh Inning: 41-15
- Eighth Inning: 46-18
- Ninth Inning: 15-16
- Extra Innings: 0-2
Overall, the Deacs are outscoring opponents by a 463-151 mark.
Wake Forest's +6.3 run differential per game leads the nation.
On Deck
Wake Forest looks to sweep its fourth ACC series of the season on Sunday, May 14 against Florida State at Dick Howser Stadium.
The game is slated for a 1 p.m. first pitch and can be streamed on ACC Network Extra.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Massey, Michael (3-0)
L: Doug Kirkland (2-2)
Batting:
HR: Kurtz, Nick 1 ; Johnson, Justin 1
RBI: Costello, Lucas 1 ; Kurtz, Nick 3 ; Johnson, Justin 1 ; Cecere, Adam 1 ; Houston, Marek 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Costello, Lucas 1 ; Kurtz, Nick 1 ; Johnson, Justin 2 ; Corona, Danny 1 ; Lee, Bennett 1 ; Cecere, Adam 1
HBP: Cecere, Adam 1 ; Houston, Marek 1
Batting:
2B: Titan Kamaka 1
3B: Jaime Ferrer 1
HR: James Tibbs III 1
RBI: DeAmez Ross 1 ; James Tibbs III 1 ; Cam Smith 1
SH: Nander De Sedas 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Jaime Ferrer 1 ; James Tibbs III 1 ; Colton Vincent 1
