Wake Forest University
43-8
UNC Wilmington
28-21
No. 1 Wake Forest Sets Program Record with 4-0 Victory at UNC Wilmington
5/16/2023 8:43:00 PM | Baseball
The shutout victory marked the Demon Deacons’ 43rd win this season, the most by any Wake Forest team in regular season play ever.
WILMINGTON, N.C. – The top-ranked Wake Forest baseball team shutout UNC Wilmington, 4-0, in its final non-conference game of the regular season on Tuesday evening inside Brooks Field.
With the shutout victory, the Demon Deacons (43-8, 20-6 ACC) set a new program record with 43 regular season wins. The previous record was held by the 2002 team with 42 regular season victories.
With three regular season games remaining, Wake Forest's 43 wins are tied for fourth in overall victories in program history.
Additionally, the Demon Deacons finished the regular season with a 23-2 mark in non-conference play. In addition to its winning record in conference play, Wake Forest is 47-4 against non-ACC competition over the last two years.
Wake Forest clinched the program's first Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title since 1963, its ninth ACC series win and set a new program record for ACC victories thanks to its 7-3 win on Saturday over the Seminoles.
The Deacs held a 1-0 lead through five full innings thanks to an RBI-single from Bennett Lee in the second and a strong start from Reed Mascolo on the mound.
Brock Wilken tied Wake Forest's single season home run record and extended the Demon Deacon advantage to three runs with a two-run home run in the sixth. This marked Wilken's 24th home run of the season, a new career high.
Nick Kurtz tacked on another run with an RBI-single in the top of the ninth to increase Wake Forest's lead to 4-0.
Mascolo allowed just four hits while striking out five in his scoreless effort as the redshirt junior moved to 7-1 on the season.
Derek Crum and William Ray combined for a scoreless sixth before Roland retired three-straight Seahawk batters to strand a base runner at second to end the seventh.
Michael Massey tossed a perfect 1-2-3 eighth, highlighted by two strikeouts, before Camden Minacci slammed the door in the ninth to clinch the win.
Overall, the six arms combined to register Wake Forest's ninth shutout of the season.
How It Happened
- Lucas Costello laid down a bunt single and moved into scoring position after a four-pitch walk to Nick Kurtz. A fly out and pop up in foul territory ended the inning.
- Reed Mascolo notched a zero in the bottom half of the inning, working around a pair of baserunners with two outs with an inning-ending groundout.
- Wake Forest took a 1-0 lead after a leadoff single from Danny Corona and an RBI-base knock from Bennett Lee in the top of the second.
- Corona stole second after a fly out to get into scoring position.
- Mascolo stranded a runner at third with a groundout in the bottom of the second for a shutdown inning.
- The righthander forced a lineout to the leadoff hitter before UNC Wilmington doubled down the left field line. A wild pitch with two outs moved the base runner to third before Mascolo preserved the Demon Deacon one-run advantage.
- Kurtz reached base for the second time of the game due to a throwing error with two outs, but a deep fly out to the warning track in right field ended the inning.
- A 4-6-3 double play ended the bottom of the third inning as Wake Forest took its one-run lead to the fourth.
- Mascolo induced a groundout to the leadoff hitter for the opening out of the inning.
- Justin Johnson ledoff the top of the fourth with a walk and advanced to second thanks to a groundout. The Glen Gardner, N.J. native was stranded after an inning-ending groundout.
- Mascolo retired the Seahawks in order to end the fourth with a strikeout and back-to-back fly outs.
- Mascolo punched out three Seahawk batters in the bottom of the fifth as the righthander stranded a pair in the process.
- After a double and hit batters, UNC Wilmington placed a pair of runners on base. Undaunted, Mascolo caught a Seahawk batter looking on a full count to end the frame.
- A two-run home run from Wilken in the top of the sixth extended Wake Forest's lead to 3-0.
- Kurtz reached base for the third time of the game as he was hit by a pitch to open the inning.
- Johnson and Lee also tallied base hits in the inning and moved into scoring position with two outs, but a strikeout ended the frame.
- Derek Crum and Wiliam Ray combined to toss a scoreless bottom of the sixth. Crum fanned the leadoff hitter before working around a walk with a flyout to center field. Ray induced a groundout to the only batter he faced.
- After Wake Forest was held off the scoreboard at the plate, Cole Roland continued the momentum on the mound to end the seventh.
- After a leadoff double, Roland retired the next three batters to strand the UNC Wilmington baserunner in scoring position.
- Justin Johnson made it into scoring position in the top of the eighth with a walk, stolen base and throwing error, but a strikeout and deep fly out ended the scoring opportunity.
- The Deacs put two runners on with two outs in the top of the ninth after Hawke singled and Costello was hit by a pitch. After a pitching change, Kurtz fired an RBI-single up the middle to increase Wake Forest's lead to four (4-0).
- Camden Minacci slammed the door in the ninth, working around a leadoff single with a groundout, strikeout and fly out to secure the shutout victory.
"That was a great win on the road for us. Reed Mascolo set the tone on the mound. He gave us five really strong innings. Derek Crum comes behind him and gets two really big outs. Will Ray closes that inning. That was our plan. In the seventh, eighth and ninth, we wanted Roland, Massey and Minacci. We felt like if we got there, to the seventh, with a lead, we'd have a great chance to win this game. That's what we were able to do.
"Reedo made a really great pitch there in the fifth inning to strike the guy out on the 3-2 slider. Brock comes in and hits the homer. Bennett Lee before that gets us on the board. Nick Kurtz with a two-out RBI. We didn't do a great job with runners in scoring position today. We had a situational at-bat we didn't cash in on. We have to clean that stuff up before the weekend. A really good team win. It's really tough to win here and we got it done."
Standout Stats
With the shutout victory, the Demon Deacons set a new program record with 43 regular season wins. The previous record was held by the 2002 team with 42 regular season victories.
Wake Forest's 43 wins are already tied for fourth in overall victories in program history.
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)
- 2023- 43 overall wins (43 regular season)
- 2017 - 43 overall wins (38 regular season wins, five postseason)
- 1998- 43 overall wins (36 regular season, seven postseason)
- 2000 - 42 overall wins, (38 regular season, three postseason)
- 2022 - 41 overall wins (39 regular season, two postseason)
ACC Regular Season Championships
- 2023
- 1963
- 1962
- 1955
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
Additionally, the Demon Deacons finished the regular season with a 23-2 mark in non-conference play. In addition to its winning record in conference play, Wake Forest is 47-4 against non-ACC competition over the last two years.
In The Spotlight
After breaking Wake Forest's career home run record on April 25th with his 60th long fly of his career, Brock Wilken is now chasing the ACC career home run record. With the Valrico, Fla. native's solo shot in the sixth against the Seahawks, Wilken is now five home runs away from tying the conference record for career homers.
ACC Career Home Run Leaders
1. Anthony Maisano, GaT/WF* (1986-90)- 69
J.D. Drew, Florida State (1995-97)- 69
3. Brock Wilken, Wake Forest (2021-Pres)- 64
4. Pat Clougherty, NC State (1991-94)- 61
Additionally, Wilken tied Wake Forest's single season home run record with his 24th blast of the season, a new career high.
Wake Forest Single Season Home Runs
1. Brock Wilken 2023 24
Brendan Tinsman 2022 24
Billy Masse 1988 24
3. Brock Wilken 2022 23
On Deck
The Deacs head back to Winston-Salem to take on Virginia Tech in its final ACC series of the season on Thursday, May 18-Saturday, May 20 at David F. Couch Ballpark.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Mascolo, Reed (7-1)
L: Matt Gaither (3-2)
Batting:
HR: Wilken, Brock 1
RBI: Kurtz, Nick 1 ; Wilken, Brock 2 ; Lee, Bennett 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Hawke, Tommy 1 ; Kurtz, Nick 1 ; Wilken, Brock 1 ; Corona, Danny 1
SB: Kurtz, Nick 1 ; Johnson, Justin 2 ; Corona, Danny 1 ; Lee, Bennett 1
HBP: Costello, Lucas 1 ; Kurtz, Nick 1
Batting:
2B: Trevor Marsh 2 ; Taber Mongero 1
Base Running:
HBP: Brock Wills 1
