Thursday, May 18
Winston-Salem, N.C.
6:00 p.m.
Wake Forest University
44-8, 21-6
6
vs
3
Virginia Tech
29-20, 11-16
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9
R
H
E
Virginia Tech
0
1
0
1
1
0
0
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0
3
7
2
Wake Forest
0
0
0
0
4
1
0
1
X
6
14
0
No. 1 Wake Forest Powers Past Virginia Tech in Series Opener
5/18/2023 10:30:00 PM | Baseball
Rhett Lowder, Michael Massey and Camden Minacci combined to strike out a season-high tying 20 batters in the series-opening win.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – In front of the largest regular-season crowd in program history, the top-ranked Wake Forest baseball team powered past Virginia Tech, 6-3, in the series opener of its final ACC series of the season on Thursday night at David F. Couch Ballpark.
Rhett Lowder, Michael Massey and Camden Minacci struck out a combined 20 batters while walking just one. The trio posted the Demon Deacons' (44-8, 21-6 ACC) second game this season with 20 strikeouts as well its 11th game with one walk or less.
Rhett Lowder put together a remarkable performance, striking out a career-high 12 batters for his career-best and nation-leading 12th win of the season.
The first seven outs of Lowder's 14th start came via the strikeout. The righthander struck out the side in the first and tallied multiple strikeouts in four of his six frames.
Lowder continues to climb Wake Forest's record book as he is now third in career strikeouts, tied for fourth in single-season wins and fifth in career wins.
Additionally, Lowder is now tied for the most career wins among active pitchers in Division I baseball.
Massey and Minacci continued the momentum on the mound out of the bullpen, retiring nine batters in a row to end the game.
Massey tossed perfect seventh and eighth innings, facing the minimum with five strikeouts and a pop up.
Minacci earned his conference-leading 11th save of the season after striking out the side in the ninth to clinch the series-opening win.
Wake Forest scored the final six runs of the game as the Deacs pushed across four runs in the fifth and a run in the sixth and eighth innings.
Trailing 3-0, RBI-singles from Brock Wilken and Pierce Bennett as well as sacrifice flies from Justin Johnson and Danny Corona gave Wake Forest its first lead of the game.
A two-out RBI-single from Nick Kurtz increased Wake Forest's lead to 5-3 after six full innings before Kurtz drove in another run with an RBI-double in the bottom of the eighth.
Kurtz went a perfect 2-2 at the plate with his run-scoring knocks. Tommy Hawke, Lucas Costello, Danny Corona and Marek Houston joined Kurtz with multiple hits on Thursday night.
How It Happened
"A really well-pitched game. 20 strikeouts is hard to believe against a really good offensive team like that. Rhett Lowder was sharp early and battled hard for us. A couple things went against him. The hitter batter that came around to score and the solo home run. We left a truck load on-base early. We left nine on-base through the first four innings. We had some situational at-bats that we didn't convert with the bases loaded and one out.
"Again, we talked about this before. Give credit to our guys. They don't panic. They keep grinding. They keep pushing. We load the bases there in the fifth inning and put together some really great at-bats in a row to take the lead. Rhett gets us a big shutdown inning. Michael Massey was fantastic. Camden Minacci was fantastic. Those last three innings were lights out for both those guys. Great win. I'm really excited for our club going into the next day to have the chance to go 10-for-10 on series wins."
Standout Stats
The series-opening victory marked Wake Forest's 44th win of the year, which is tied for the third most victory in program history.
The Deacs set a new program record for regular season wins in its shutout victory over UNC Wilmington on Tuesday.
Wake Forest Baseball 40-Win Seasons
ACC Regular Season Championships
Wake Forest Fastest to 40 Wins
Wake Forest Baseball Conference Records
Reigning ACC Pitcher of the Year Rhett Lowder earned his 12th win of 2023, a career high, and the 27th victory of his career after striking out a career-high 12 batters in six innings.
Lowder is the only pitcher in the nation with a perfect 12-0 record this season.
Additionally, Lowder is now tied for fourth in single-season wins by a Wake Forest pitcher. The righthander is now tied for the most victories in a two-year period ever by a Demon Deacon hurler (Scott Siemon).
Last week, Lowder became just the second pitcher in Wake Forest history to post back-to-back seasons with at least 11 wins. (Scott Siemon: 1999-2000).
Wake Forest Single Season Wins
1. Kyle Sleeth 2002 14
2. Mike MacDougal1999 13
John Hendricks 1998 13
4. Rhett Lowder 2023 12
Scott Siemon 1999 12
5. Rhett Lowder 2022 11
Scott Siemon 2000 11
Moe Bauer 1950 11
Lowder ranks fifth in career wins by a Wake Forest pitcher. Additionally, the righthander's 27 wins are tied for the most victories among active pitchers in Division I baseball.
Wake Forest Career Wins
1. John Hendricks (1996-99)- 34
2. Kyle Sleeth (2001-03)- 31
3. Frank Humber (1986-89)- 29
4. Parker Dunshee (2014-17)- 28
5. Rhett Lowder (2021-Pres.)- 27
6. Scott Siemon (1998-01)- 25
Mike MacDougal (1997-99)- 25
Additionally, with a career-high 12 strikeouts tonight, Lowder (291 career strikeouts) moved into third for the most career strikeouts by a Demon Deacon ever. This mark is good for third among active pitchers in Division I baseball.
Wake Forest Career Strikeouts
1. Parker Dunshee 2014-17 330
2. John Hendricks1996-99 312
3. Rhett Lowder 2021-Pres. 291
4. Mike MacDougal1997-99 288
5. Buddy Jenkins 1987-91 277
6. Kyle Sleeth 2001-03 271
7. Frank Humber 1986-89 266
8. Ross Atkins 1992-95 250
9. Dave Bush 1999-02 249
10. Tim Cooney 2010-12 235
Mike Buddie 1990-92 235
This season, the reigning ACC Pitcher of the Year has accumulated a 1.73 ERA in 88.2 innings to go along with a career-high 108 strikeouts.
In conference competition, Lowder is the ACC leader in ERA (1.98) and wins (8) while throwing the most innings (63.2).
Lowder and teammate Josh Hartle are the only pitchers in the ACC to rank in the top three in wins, strikeouts and ERA this year.
Dating back to last season, Lowder has allowed three earned runs or less in 28 of his last 30 starts and has gone at least six innings in 27 starts.
A staple out of Wake Forest's bullpen the last two seasons, Camden Minacci earned the 11th save of his junior season after retiring the side in the top of the ninth on Thursday. The career-best mark leads the ACC and is tied for sixth in the nation. Additionally, Minacci is now tied for the seventh-most saves in a single season by a Demon Deacon.
Single Season Saves
1. Dave Bush 2001 16
2. Ben Hunter 2006 14
Buddy Jenkins 1991 14
4. Dave Bush 2002 13
5. Michael Dimock 2012 12
Frank Humber 1989 12
7. Camden Minacci 2023 11
Over the course of his career, Minacci has registered 19 saves as the Tampa, Fla. native is now tied for the second-most saves by a Demon Deacon ever. Currently, Minacci is ninth among active players in Division I baseball in career saves.
Most Saves by a Demon Deacon
1. Dave Bush 1999-02 38
2. Camden Minacci 2021-pres. 19
Michael Dimock 2009-12 19
On Deck
Wake Forest and Virginia Tech return to the diamond on Friday, May 19 at 6 p.m. at The Couch.
The game will be available on ACC Network Extra.
Follow The Deacs:
GoDeacs.com | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Rhett Lowder, Michael Massey and Camden Minacci struck out a combined 20 batters while walking just one. The trio posted the Demon Deacons' (44-8, 21-6 ACC) second game this season with 20 strikeouts as well its 11th game with one walk or less.
Rhett Lowder put together a remarkable performance, striking out a career-high 12 batters for his career-best and nation-leading 12th win of the season.
The first seven outs of Lowder's 14th start came via the strikeout. The righthander struck out the side in the first and tallied multiple strikeouts in four of his six frames.
Lowder continues to climb Wake Forest's record book as he is now third in career strikeouts, tied for fourth in single-season wins and fifth in career wins.
Additionally, Lowder is now tied for the most career wins among active pitchers in Division I baseball.
Massey and Minacci continued the momentum on the mound out of the bullpen, retiring nine batters in a row to end the game.
Massey tossed perfect seventh and eighth innings, facing the minimum with five strikeouts and a pop up.
Minacci earned his conference-leading 11th save of the season after striking out the side in the ninth to clinch the series-opening win.
Wake Forest scored the final six runs of the game as the Deacs pushed across four runs in the fifth and a run in the sixth and eighth innings.
Trailing 3-0, RBI-singles from Brock Wilken and Pierce Bennett as well as sacrifice flies from Justin Johnson and Danny Corona gave Wake Forest its first lead of the game.
A two-out RBI-single from Nick Kurtz increased Wake Forest's lead to 5-3 after six full innings before Kurtz drove in another run with an RBI-double in the bottom of the eighth.
Kurtz went a perfect 2-2 at the plate with his run-scoring knocks. Tommy Hawke, Lucas Costello, Danny Corona and Marek Houston joined Kurtz with multiple hits on Thursday night.
How It Happened
- Rhett Lowder opened his 14th start of the season by striking out the side in the opening frame of the game.
- Wake Forest loaded the bases in the bottom of the first, but a double play ended the scoring threat.
- Lucas Costello doubled to left field before Nick Kurtz and Brock Wilken walked.
- Virginia Tech got on the scoreboard in the top of the second with a sacrifice bunt.
- Lowder punched out three more batters in the inning, increasing his game total to six.
- Danny Corona notched a one-out single to center field in the bottom of the frame, but a double play once again ended the inning.
- Lowder induced an inning-ending double play, fielding a liner back to the mound and firing it to Marek Houston to start the twin killing.
- Lowder struckout his seventh batter of the game to open the inning.
- Houston led off the bottom of the third with a single up the middle before Costello moved him into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. An intentional walk to Kurtz with two outs placed two Deacs on base, but a lineout ended the frame.
- A solo homer by the Hokies increased its lead to 2-0 after the top of the fourth.
- Lowder punched out the opening batters of the frame, his third multi-strikeout inning of the game.
- Virginia Tech pushed its lead to 3-0 with an RBI-single in the top of the fifth.
- Lowder ended the frame with his 10th strikeout, tying his season high. Additionally, this marked his 106th punch out of the year, a new career high for a single season.
- Wake Forest took a 4-3 lead thanks to RBI-singles from Wilken and Pierce Bennett as well as sacrifice flies from Justin Johnson and Danny Corona.
- The Deacs loaded the bases with no one out as Hawke and Costello singled and Kurtz walked to open the inning.
- Lowder fanned a pair of Hokie batters in the sixth for his second-straight scoreless inning, setting a new career high with 12 punchouts.
- After a leadoff single, Lowder fanned a batter. A double put two runners in scoring position. Undaunted, Lowder struck out another batter before forcing an inning-ending fly out.
- A Kurtz RBI-single with two outs increased Wake Forest's lead to 5-3 after six full frames.
- Michael Massey took over on the mound and put up a zero thanks to a pair of strikeouts and a pop up.
- Massey returned and struck out the side in the top of the eighth as Wake Forest continued to hold onto its two-run lead (5-3).
- Kurtz once again came up big in the eighth, notching an RBI-double to score Hawke (single) from second base and extending Wake Forest's lead to three (6-3).
- Camden Minacci slammed the door in the ninth. Minacci struck out the side to clinch the series-opening victory.
"A really well-pitched game. 20 strikeouts is hard to believe against a really good offensive team like that. Rhett Lowder was sharp early and battled hard for us. A couple things went against him. The hitter batter that came around to score and the solo home run. We left a truck load on-base early. We left nine on-base through the first four innings. We had some situational at-bats that we didn't convert with the bases loaded and one out.
"Again, we talked about this before. Give credit to our guys. They don't panic. They keep grinding. They keep pushing. We load the bases there in the fifth inning and put together some really great at-bats in a row to take the lead. Rhett gets us a big shutdown inning. Michael Massey was fantastic. Camden Minacci was fantastic. Those last three innings were lights out for both those guys. Great win. I'm really excited for our club going into the next day to have the chance to go 10-for-10 on series wins."
Standout Stats
The series-opening victory marked Wake Forest's 44th win of the year, which is tied for the third most victory in program history.
The Deacs set a new program record for regular season wins in its shutout victory over UNC Wilmington on Tuesday.
Wake Forest Baseball 40-Win Seasons
- 2002 - 47 overall wins (42 regular season, five postseason)
- 1999 - 47 overall wins (39 regular season, eight postseason)
- 2023- 44 overall wins (44 regular season)
- 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)
- 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
Wake Forest Baseball Conference Records
- 1963: 11-3 (.786)
- 1955: 11-3 (.786)
- 2023: 21-6 (.778)
- 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)
Reigning ACC Pitcher of the Year Rhett Lowder earned his 12th win of 2023, a career high, and the 27th victory of his career after striking out a career-high 12 batters in six innings.
Lowder is the only pitcher in the nation with a perfect 12-0 record this season.
Additionally, Lowder is now tied for fourth in single-season wins by a Wake Forest pitcher. The righthander is now tied for the most victories in a two-year period ever by a Demon Deacon hurler (Scott Siemon).
Last week, Lowder became just the second pitcher in Wake Forest history to post back-to-back seasons with at least 11 wins. (Scott Siemon: 1999-2000).
Wake Forest Single Season Wins
1. Kyle Sleeth 2002 14
2. Mike MacDougal1999 13
John Hendricks 1998 13
4. Rhett Lowder 2023 12
Scott Siemon 1999 12
5. Rhett Lowder 2022 11
Scott Siemon 2000 11
Moe Bauer 1950 11
Lowder ranks fifth in career wins by a Wake Forest pitcher. Additionally, the righthander's 27 wins are tied for the most victories among active pitchers in Division I baseball.
Wake Forest Career Wins
1. John Hendricks (1996-99)- 34
2. Kyle Sleeth (2001-03)- 31
3. Frank Humber (1986-89)- 29
4. Parker Dunshee (2014-17)- 28
5. Rhett Lowder (2021-Pres.)- 27
6. Scott Siemon (1998-01)- 25
Mike MacDougal (1997-99)- 25
Additionally, with a career-high 12 strikeouts tonight, Lowder (291 career strikeouts) moved into third for the most career strikeouts by a Demon Deacon ever. This mark is good for third among active pitchers in Division I baseball.
Wake Forest Career Strikeouts
1. Parker Dunshee 2014-17 330
2. John Hendricks1996-99 312
3. Rhett Lowder 2021-Pres. 291
4. Mike MacDougal1997-99 288
5. Buddy Jenkins 1987-91 277
6. Kyle Sleeth 2001-03 271
7. Frank Humber 1986-89 266
8. Ross Atkins 1992-95 250
9. Dave Bush 1999-02 249
10. Tim Cooney 2010-12 235
Mike Buddie 1990-92 235
This season, the reigning ACC Pitcher of the Year has accumulated a 1.73 ERA in 88.2 innings to go along with a career-high 108 strikeouts.
In conference competition, Lowder is the ACC leader in ERA (1.98) and wins (8) while throwing the most innings (63.2).
Lowder and teammate Josh Hartle are the only pitchers in the ACC to rank in the top three in wins, strikeouts and ERA this year.
Dating back to last season, Lowder has allowed three earned runs or less in 28 of his last 30 starts and has gone at least six innings in 27 starts.
A staple out of Wake Forest's bullpen the last two seasons, Camden Minacci earned the 11th save of his junior season after retiring the side in the top of the ninth on Thursday. The career-best mark leads the ACC and is tied for sixth in the nation. Additionally, Minacci is now tied for the seventh-most saves in a single season by a Demon Deacon.
Single Season Saves
1. Dave Bush 2001 16
2. Ben Hunter 2006 14
Buddy Jenkins 1991 14
4. Dave Bush 2002 13
5. Michael Dimock 2012 12
Frank Humber 1989 12
7. Camden Minacci 2023 11
Over the course of his career, Minacci has registered 19 saves as the Tampa, Fla. native is now tied for the second-most saves by a Demon Deacon ever. Currently, Minacci is ninth among active players in Division I baseball in career saves.
Most Saves by a Demon Deacon
1. Dave Bush 1999-02 38
2. Camden Minacci 2021-pres. 19
Michael Dimock 2009-12 19
On Deck
Wake Forest and Virginia Tech return to the diamond on Friday, May 19 at 6 p.m. at The Couch.
The game will be available on ACC Network Extra.
Follow The Deacs:
GoDeacs.com | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Lowder, Rhett (12-0)
L: Drue Hackenberg (5-7)
S: Minacci, Camden (11)
Batting:
2B: Garrett Michel 1 ; Chris Cannizzaro 1
HR: Chris Cannizzaro 1
RBI: Jack Hurley 1 ; Chris Cannizzaro 2
SH: Chris Cannizzaro 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Garrett Michel 1 ; Brody Donay 1 ; Chris Cannizzaro 1
CS: Jack Hurley 1
HBP: Brody Donay 1 ; David Bryant 1
Batting:
2B: Costello, Lucas 1 ; Kurtz, Nick 1
RBI: Kurtz, Nick 2 ; Wilken, Brock 1 ; Bennett, Pierce 1 ; Johnson, Justin 1 ; Corona, Danny 1
SH: Costello, Lucas 1
SF: Johnson, Justin 1 ; Corona, Danny 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Hawke, Tommy 2 ; Costello, Lucas 1 ; Kurtz, Nick 1 ; Wilken, Brock 1 ; Houston, Marek 1
HBP: Costello, Lucas 1
Game Leaders
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5
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2
RBI
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3
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1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
2
R
1
H
2
RBI
2
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
OF/INF
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LHP
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INF
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INF
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RHP
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RHP
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