Saturday, May 20
Winston-Salem, N.C.
1:00 p.m.
Wake Forest University
45-9, 22-7
6
vs
14
Virginia Tech
30-21, 12-17
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Virginia Tech
0
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14
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Wake Forest
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No. 1 Wake Forest Falls in Regular Season Finale Against Virginia Tech
5/20/2023 6:37:00 PM | Baseball
The Demon Deacons end the regular season with program records in wins (45) and conference wins (22).
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The top-ranked Wake Forest baseball team's historic regular season came to a close Saturday afternoon as the Deacs fell in its regular season finale, 14-6, to Virginia Tech inside David F. Couch Ballpark.
Prior to the game, Wake Forest honored 14 members of the program for all their contributions to the Demon Deacon baseball program.
Deacon Nation showed tremendous support at David F. Couch Ballpark in 2023 as this year's season attendance of 44,650 fans set a new program record.
For the third time this season, Wake Forest set a regular-season weekend attendance record as 8,096 fans packed The Couch during the final regular season series.
Saturday's attendance of 2,568 ranks as the second-most attended regular season game ever behind Friday's crowd of 3,023, which is the highest attended baseball game at The Couch ever.
Despite the loss, Wake Forest (45-9, 22-7 ACC) became the first team since North Carolina in 2017 to run the table and win all 10 ACC series in a season after defeating the Hokies on Friday night. The Demon Deacons finished the regular season with program records in wins (45), conference wins (22) and conference series victories (10).
Wake Forest heads into postseason play already ranking third in program history in wins:
Nick Kurtz got Wake Forest on the scoreboard with a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth before capping off a two-run fifth with an RBI-single. Pierce Bennett notched an RBI-double off the left center field wall for the opening run of the frame.
Brock Wilken broke the Wake Forest single-season home run record in the bottom of the seventh with his 25th blast of the season. Wilken now owns the Wake Forest career home run record, Wake Forest single-season home run record and is tied for the most home runs by a Demon Deacon freshman ever.
Virginia Tech scored multiple runs in four innings to claim the series finale. Once Wake Forest trimmed its lead to three after five innings, the Hokies responded with his highest-scoring frame of the series to push its lead to 11-3.
How It Happened
"Not the way we wanted the regular season to end by any stretch, but I'm really proud of what we accomplished. Going 22-7 in the league. Winning 10-straight league series. We weren't going to throw our leverage bullpen pieces today. We wanted to rest them for the tournament. There just wasn't a lot of value in throwing them.
"We just walked too many people today. It's disappointing how many free passes we had. Eight plus the hit batters. Just too many free passes. We didn't do quite enough offensively. We didn't stack enough consistent at-bats. A really great crowd again. I was really happy to see that. I'm really proud of what this team has accomplished. We'll have an off day tomorrow and a couple good days of practice and get ready for tournament play."
Standout Stats
Wake Forest became the first team since North Carolina in 2017 to run the table and win all 10 ACC series in a season after defeating the Hokies on Friday night in front of the largest crowd in program history.
The Demon Deacons finished the regular season with program records in wins (45), conference wins (22) and conference series victories (10).
After taking two out of three against Duke and Notre Dame, Wake Forest posted three-straight perfect weekends against Miami (first time ever), Clemson (first time since 2012) and NC State (second-straight season). The Deacs earned its first ever series win in Louisville and became the first team since 2021 to win a series at Jim Patterson Stadium.
Wake Forest won its fourth-straight series against Pitt, outscoring the Panthers, 40-5, in its two wins.
Two weekends ago, the Deacs claimed its third series over a top-25 opponent, taking two out of three from Boston College before claiming its second-straight series in Tallahassee this last weekend.
This weekend, Wake Forest earned its first series win over the Hokies since 2019.
Wake Forest ACC Series Breakdown
Additionally, Wake Forest posted its best conference record in program history with a program-best 22 victories. Its .759 winning percentage in conference play ranks third.
Wake Forest Baseball Conference Records
Wake Forest Baseball 40-Win Seasons
ACC Regular Season Championships
Wake Forest Fastest to 40 Wins
Brock Wilken broke the single-season program record for home runs in the bottom of the seventh with his 25th long fly of the season.
Wilken now owns the Wake Forest career home run record, Wake Forest single-season home run record and is tied for the most home runs by a Wake Forest freshman ever.
Wake Forest Single Season Home Runs
1. Brock Wilken 2023 25
2. Brendan Tinsman 2022 24
Billy Masse 1988 24
3. Brock Wilken 2022 23
Wilken is now chasing the ACC career home run record. With the Valrico, Fla. native's solo shot in the seventh against the Hokies, Wilken is now four 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)- 65
4. Pat Clougherty, NC State (1991-94)- 61
On Deck
Wake Forest heads to the 2023 Atlantic Coast Conference Championships as the No. 1 overall seed after winning its first conference regular season title since 1963.
The conference tournament is set to take place on Tuesday, May 23-Sunday, May 28 at Durham Bulls Athletic Park in Durham.
The Demon Deacons are paired with No. 8 seed Notre Dame and No. 12 seed Pitt in pool play. The league office will announce the full tournament schedule on Sunday.
For more information on the 2023 ACC Tournament, click here. For tickets, click here.
Follow The Deacs:
GoDeacs.com | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Prior to the game, Wake Forest honored 14 members of the program for all their contributions to the Demon Deacon baseball program.
Deacon Nation showed tremendous support at David F. Couch Ballpark in 2023 as this year's season attendance of 44,650 fans set a new program record.
For the third time this season, Wake Forest set a regular-season weekend attendance record as 8,096 fans packed The Couch during the final regular season series.
Saturday's attendance of 2,568 ranks as the second-most attended regular season game ever behind Friday's crowd of 3,023, which is the highest attended baseball game at The Couch ever.
Despite the loss, Wake Forest (45-9, 22-7 ACC) became the first team since North Carolina in 2017 to run the table and win all 10 ACC series in a season after defeating the Hokies on Friday night. The Demon Deacons finished the regular season with program records in wins (45), conference wins (22) and conference series victories (10).
Wake Forest heads into postseason play already ranking third in program history in wins:
- 2002 - 47 overall wins (42 regular season, five postseason)
- 1999 - 47 overall wins (39 regular season, eight postseason)
- 2023- 45 overall wins (45 regular season)
Nick Kurtz got Wake Forest on the scoreboard with a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth before capping off a two-run fifth with an RBI-single. Pierce Bennett notched an RBI-double off the left center field wall for the opening run of the frame.
Brock Wilken broke the Wake Forest single-season home run record in the bottom of the seventh with his 25th blast of the season. Wilken now owns the Wake Forest career home run record, Wake Forest single-season home run record and is tied for the most home runs by a Demon Deacon freshman ever.
Virginia Tech scored multiple runs in four innings to claim the series finale. Once Wake Forest trimmed its lead to three after five innings, the Hokies responded with his highest-scoring frame of the series to push its lead to 11-3.
How It Happened
- Seth Keener retired the side in order in the top of the first with back-to-back fly outs and an inning-ending strikeout.
- Four runs came across from Virginia Tech in the top of the second as the Hokies took an early lead.
- Keener fanned two batters in the inning.
- Brock Wilken tallied a leadoff single and advanced to second on a wild pitch before Justin Johnson walked. A double play moved Wilken over to third, but a strikeout ended the inning.
- An RBI-single and a double steal with runners on the corners extended Virginia Tech's lead to 6-0 after the top of the third.
- After Crum retired the side in the top of the fourth, Nick Kurtz launched his 21st home run of the season on the seventh pitch of his at-bat and trimmed Virginia Tech's lead to 6-1.
- The Deacs loaded the bases after the long fly after walks to Wilken, Johnson and Joye. A strikeout stranded the pair.
- Three-straight base hits from Hawke, Bennett (RBI-double) and Kurtz (RBI-single) in the bottom of the fifth trimmed the deficit to three (6-3).
- The Deacs loaded the bases with two outs in the inning but a groundout ended the frame.
- Virginia Tech added five runs with a solo home run and a grand slam in the top of the sixth, increasing its lead to 11-3.
- A two-run home run from Wilken in the bottom of the seventh made it a 11-5 game.
- With the homer, Wilken broke Wake Forest's single season home run record with his 25th long fly of the season.
- Virginia Tech responded with three runs in the top of the eighth, extending its lead to 14-5.
- Ben Shenosky, Zach Johnston and Will Andrews each struck out a batter in the frame.
- Will Andrews picked up the final four outs on the mound, highlighted by his inning-ending strikeout in the top of the eighth.
- The Deacs loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth and tacked on another run thanks to a fielding error with two outs. A groundout ended the game as Virginia Tech claimed the contest by a final score of 14-6.
"Not the way we wanted the regular season to end by any stretch, but I'm really proud of what we accomplished. Going 22-7 in the league. Winning 10-straight league series. We weren't going to throw our leverage bullpen pieces today. We wanted to rest them for the tournament. There just wasn't a lot of value in throwing them.
"We just walked too many people today. It's disappointing how many free passes we had. Eight plus the hit batters. Just too many free passes. We didn't do quite enough offensively. We didn't stack enough consistent at-bats. A really great crowd again. I was really happy to see that. I'm really proud of what this team has accomplished. We'll have an off day tomorrow and a couple good days of practice and get ready for tournament play."
Standout Stats
Wake Forest became the first team since North Carolina in 2017 to run the table and win all 10 ACC series in a season after defeating the Hokies on Friday night in front of the largest crowd in program history.
The Demon Deacons finished the regular season with program records in wins (45), conference wins (22) and conference series victories (10).
After taking two out of three against Duke and Notre Dame, Wake Forest posted three-straight perfect weekends against Miami (first time ever), Clemson (first time since 2012) and NC State (second-straight season). The Deacs earned its first ever series win in Louisville and became the first team since 2021 to win a series at Jim Patterson Stadium.
Wake Forest won its fourth-straight series against Pitt, outscoring the Panthers, 40-5, in its two wins.
Two weekends ago, the Deacs claimed its third series over a top-25 opponent, taking two out of three from Boston College before claiming its second-straight series in Tallahassee this last weekend.
This weekend, Wake Forest earned its first series win over the Hokies since 2019.
Wake Forest ACC Series Breakdown
- Duke- 2-1 (March 10-11)
- Notre Dame- 2-1 (March 18-19)
- Miami- 3-0 (March 24-26)
- Clemson- 3-0 (March 30-April 1)
- NC State- 2-0 (April 9)
- Louisville- 2-1 (April 14-16)
- Pitt- 2-1 (April 21-23)
- Boston College- 2-1 (May 5-7)
- Florida State- 2-1 (May 12-14)
- Virginia Tech- 2-1 (May 18-20)
| Team | Run Differential |
| 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) |
| BC | +6 (19-13) |
| Florida State | +13 (20-7) |
| Virginia Tech | -3 (19-22) |
| Overall | +88 (194-106) |
Additionally, Wake Forest posted its best conference record in program history with a program-best 22 victories. Its .759 winning percentage in conference play ranks third.
Wake Forest Baseball Conference Records
- 1963: 11-3 (.786)
- 1955: 11-3 (.786)
- 2023: 22-7 (.759)
- 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)
- 2023- 45 overall wins (45 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
Brock Wilken broke the single-season program record for home runs in the bottom of the seventh with his 25th long fly of the season.
Wilken now owns the Wake Forest career home run record, Wake Forest single-season home run record and is tied for the most home runs by a Wake Forest freshman ever.
Wake Forest Single Season Home Runs
1. Brock Wilken 2023 25
2. Brendan Tinsman 2022 24
Billy Masse 1988 24
3. Brock Wilken 2022 23
Wilken is now chasing the ACC career home run record. With the Valrico, Fla. native's solo shot in the seventh against the Hokies, Wilken is now four 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)- 65
4. Pat Clougherty, NC State (1991-94)- 61
On Deck
Wake Forest heads to the 2023 Atlantic Coast Conference Championships as the No. 1 overall seed after winning its first conference regular season title since 1963.
The conference tournament is set to take place on Tuesday, May 23-Sunday, May 28 at Durham Bulls Athletic Park in Durham.
The Demon Deacons are paired with No. 8 seed Notre Dame and No. 12 seed Pitt in pool play. The league office will announce the full tournament schedule on Sunday.
For more information on the 2023 ACC Tournament, click here. For tickets, click here.
Follow The Deacs:
GoDeacs.com | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Griffin Stieg (1-0)
L: Keener, Seth (6-1)
Batting:
2B: Chris Cannizzaro 1
HR: Carson Jones 1 ; Christian Martin 1
RBI: Garrett Michel 2 ; Carson Jones 4 ; Christian Martin 3 ; Chris Cannizzaro 3 ; Lucas Donlon 1
SH: David Bryant 1
SF: Lucas Donlon 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Garrett Michel 1 ; Carson Jones 2 ; Jack Hurley 1 ; Carson DeMartini 3 ; Brody Donay 2 ; Christian Martin 2 ; Chris Cannizzaro 2 ; Lucas Donlon 1
SB: Brody Donay 1 ; Christian Martin 1
HBP: Garrett Michel 1 ; Jack Hurley 1 ; Carson DeMartini 1 ; Brody Donay 1 ; Christian Martin 1
Batting:
2B: Bennett, Pierce 1
HR: Kurtz, Nick 1 ; Wilken, Brock 1
RBI: Bennett, Pierce 1 ; Kurtz, Nick 2 ; Wilken, Brock 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Hawke, Tommy 1 ; Bennett, Pierce 2 ; Kurtz, Nick 2 ; Wilken, Brock 1
HBP: Cecere, Adam 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
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2
RBI
2
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
2
AB
4
R
2
H
1
RBI
1
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
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INF
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