Top-Seeded Wake Forest Faces Pitt and Notre Dame in Pool Play of ACC Baseball Championship

DURHAM, N.C. – The top-seeded Wake Forest baseball opens its postseason in 2023 Atlantic Coast Conference Championship with pool play competition against 12th-seeded Pitt and 8th-seeded Notre Dame.

The Deacs (45-9, 22-7 ACC) will open postseason play on Thursday, May 25 at 11 a.m. against Pitt (23-29, 10-17 ACC) inside Durham Bulls Athletic Park before concluding pool competition on Friday, May 26 at 7 p.m. against Notre Dame (30-22, 15-15 ACC).

Both games will be live on ACC Network. Additionally, fans can also tune into an audio streaming broadcast presented by Harris Teeter through the Wake Forest Athletics app .

Stay tuned to the Demon Deacons social media accounts (@WakeBaseball) for all in-game updates and information.

Wake Forest earned the top seed in the conference tournament after claiming its first ACC regular season title thanks to a program-record 45 wins, 22 conference wins and 10 conference series wins.

The Deacs clinched the 2023 Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season championship title with a 7-3 win over Florida State in Tallahassee on May 13.

This marked Wake Forest's fourth ACC regular-season title in program history, with the last coming in 1963 (1955, 1962, 1963).

Thanks to its 7-5 win on Friday night against Virginia Tech, the Demon Deacons became the first ACC team to run the table and go a perfect 10-for-10 in conference series since 2017 (North Carolina).

Wake Forest head coach Tom Walter was named the 2023 ACC Coach of the Year, becoming just the third Wake Forest skipper in program history to receive the honor for his effort in leading the Deacs to a historical regular season.

Wake Forest baseball placed a league high and tied a program best with nine selections to the 2023 All-Atlantic Coast Conference teams.

Josh Hartle (first team), Rhett Lowder (first team), Sean Sullivan (first team), Nick Kurtz (first team), Justin Johnson (first team), Tommy Hawke (second team), Brock Wilken (second team), Seth Keener (third team) and Camden Minacci (third team) earned recognition for their efforts in helping Wake Forest post its greatest regular season in program history.

Wake Forest's nine honorees led the league and tied the 2017 team for the most all-conference honorees in program history. Hartle, Lowder, Sullivan, Kurtz and Johnson's selections marked the most first team honors in Wake Forest history.

ACC CHAMPIONSHIP INFORMATION
The team with the best record in each pool will advance to the semifinals, which are scheduled for Saturday, May 27 at 1 and 5 p.m. on ACC Network. If teams are tied at the end of pool competition, the team with the highest seed in the respective pool will advance.

The 2023 ACC Championship Game is set for Sunday, May 28 at noon on ESPN2.

For more information on the 2023 ACC Championship, click here. For tickets, click here.

2023 ACC Championship Schedule

Tuesday, May 23 (Pool Play)
- 11 am (ACC Network)
- 3 pm (ACC Network)
- 7 pm (ACC Network)
Wednesday May 24 (Pool Play)
- 11 am (ACC Network)
- 3 pm (ACC Network)
- 7 pm (ACC Network)
Thursday May 25 (Pool Play)
- 11 am (ACC Network)
- 3 pm (ACC Network)
- 7 pm (ACC Network)
Friday May 26 (Pool Play)
- 11 am (ACC Network)
- 3 pm (ACC Network)
- 7 pm (ACC Network)
Saturday May 27 (Semifinals)
- 1 pm (ACC Network)
- 5 pm (ACC Network)
Sunday May 28 (Championship)
- Noon (ESPN2)

DEACTOWN Durham
Join us at Bull City Ciderworks | Fan Headquarters! Wake Forest giveaways and other DEACTOWN items will be available to fans at Bull City Ciderworks starting 90 minutes prior to first pitch. Events will end 30 minutes before the beginning of Wake Forest's games.

DEACS IN THE POLLS

No. 1- D1Baseball
No. 1- USA Today Coaches Poll
No. 1- NCBWA
No. 1- Collegiate Baseball
No. 1- Perfect Game
No. 1- Baseball America

WAKE FOREST HONORS

Adam Cecere
- ACC Player of the Week (Feb. 27)
Josh Hartle
- Golden Spikes Award Semifinalist
- 2023 First Team All-ACC
- Golden Spikes Midseason Watch List
- Perfect Game Midseason All-American
- D1Baseball Midseason All-American
- Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week (March 6)
Tommy Hawke
- 2023 Second Team All-ACC
- Perfect Game Midseason All-American
Justin Johnson
- 2023 First Team All-ACC
Seth Keener
- Third Team All-ACC
Nick Kurtz
- Golden Spikes Award Semifinalist
- 2023 First Team All-ACC
- ACC Player of the Week (April 24)
- Perfect Game Midseason All-American
- D1Baseball Midseason All-American
- ACC Player of the Week (Feb. 20)
- D1 Baseball Player of the Week (Feb. 20)
- Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week (Feb. 20)
- Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List
- D1Baseball First Team Preseason All-America
- Perfect Game Second Team Preseason All-America
- Baseball America Third Team Preseason All-America
- Perfect Game Preseason All-ACC
Rhett Lowder
- 2023 ACC Pitcher of the Year
- Golden Spikes Award Semifinalist
- 2023 First Team All-ACC
- 2023 ACC Pitcher of the Week (May 9)
- 2023 ACC Pitcher of the Week (April 17)
- Golden Spikes Midseason Watch List
- D1Baseball Midseason All-American
- Perfect Game Midseason All-American
- 2023 ACC Pitcher of the Week (March 27)
- 2023 Perfect Game Pitcher of the Week (March 27)
- Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List
- Collegiate Baseball First Team Preseason All-America
- D1Baseball First Team Preseason All-America
- NCBWA First Team Preseason All-America
- Perfect Game First Team Preseason All-America
- Baseball America First Team Preseason All-America
- D1Baseball Preseason ACC Pitcher of the Year
- Perfect Game Preseason ACC Pitcher of the Year
- Perfect Game Preseason All-ACC
Teddy McGraw
- Perfect Game Third Team Preseason All-America
- Prospects Live Third Team Preseason All-America
- Perfect Game Preseason All-ACC
Camden Minacci
- Third Team All-ACC
- D1Baseball Third Team Preseason All-America
- Perfect Game Third Team Preseason All-America
Sean Sullivan
- First Team All-ACC
- Golden Spikes Midseason Watch List
- Perfect Game Midseason All-American
- D1Baseball Midseason All-American
- ACC Player of the Week (Feb. 27)
- Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week (Feb. 27)
- ACC Pitcher of the Week (Feb. 20)
- Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week (Feb. 20)
Brock Wilken
- Second Team All-ACC
- Perfect Game Midseason All-American
- Collegiate Baseball Second Team Preseason All-America
- NCBWA Second Team Preseason All-America
- Perfect Game Second Team Preseason All-America
- Prospects Live Second Team Preseason All-America
- Baseball America Third Team Preseason All-America
- Perfect Game Preseason All-ACC

OPPONENT/SERIES HISTORY

The Demon Deacons went a combined 4-2 against its pool play opponents during the 2023 regular season.
In its first home conference series of the season, Wake Forest swept a Saturday doubleheader to win its second ACC set of the year.
Wake Forest claimed the ACC series over Pitt with Saturday and Sunday wins in Pittsburgh. The Deacs outscored the Panthers, 40-5, in its two wins.

DEACS RANKED NO. 1 FOR FIRST TIME EVER

Wake Forest heads into the postseason as the unanimous No. 1 ranked team in the nation for the first time in program history.
The Deacs finished the regular season No. 1 in the RPI.
The Demon Deacons' .833 winning percentage is the highest in the nation.
Wake Forest started the year 13-0, joining the 1949 Deacs, who hold the program's best open to a campaign at 20-0, as the only teams in school history to win its first 13 games.

ACC REGULAR SEASON CHAMPS

Wake Forest clinched the 2023 Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season championship title with a 7-3 win over Florida State on May 13.
This marks Wake Forest's fourth ACC regular-season title in program history, with the last coming in 1963 (1955, 1962, 1963).
- ACC Regular Season Championships
  - 2023
  - 1963
  - 1962
  - 1955
Additionally, the victory helped Wake Forest win its first ever ACC Atlantic Division Championship since the league started divisions in 2006.
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.

MOST REGULAR SEASON WINS EVER

Wake Forest set a program record for regular season wins with its 4-0 shutout victory on Tuesday, May 16 against UNC Wilmington. Overall its 45 regular season wins already rank third in total victories in a single season.
- 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)
This marks the eighth 40-win season in program history. The 2023 Deacs are just the second team in program history to reach the mark in the regular season (2002).
After its 14-4 midweek win against UNC Greensboro, this year's squad became the fastest team in program history and the first team in the nation this year to reach the 40-win mark.
- 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 has not lost back-to-back games this season and posted win streaks of at least five games three times this season.

PITCHING STAFF AMONG BEST IN THE COUNTRY

Wake Forest's pitching staff continues to rank as one of the premier groups in the entire nation.
The Demon Deacon pitching staff leads the nation in hits-per-nine innings, strikeouts, strikeouts-per-nine innings, WHIP, strikeout-to-walk ratio and ERA, while ranking second nationally in walks-per-nine.

Category	National	ACC
ERA (2.72)	1	1
WHIP (1.03)	1	1
K-to-BB Ratio (4.41)	1	1
Hits-Per-Nine (6.57)	1	1
Ks-Per-Nine (12.0)	1	1
Strikeouts (631)	1	1
BBs-Per-Nine (2.72)	2	1

Wake Forest has fanned double-digit batters in 36 games this season (including its last five games) and have held opponents to three runs or less in 40 games.
Wake Forest has held an ACC opponent to three runs or less in 18 of its 26 conference games this season.

RAKE FOREST

The Deacs lead the ACC in walks (second nationally), while ranking in the top six of every offensive category in the conference.

Category	National	ACC
Walks (351)	2	1
Runs (489)	7	2
Scoring (9.1)	8	2
On-Base % (.428)	8	2
HRs (104)	12	2
Slugging % (.539)	15	3
Average (.303)	35	4
Hits (559)	39	5
Doubles (113)	50	6

Wake Forest's entire offensive lineup holds an on-base percentage over .340. Additionally, the first eight batters in the Demon Deacon lineup have tallied an on-base percentage of at least .380, led by Nick Kurtz (.534).
The Demon Deacons are one of three teams in the nation with two players with at least 20 home runs (Maryland and Nebraska) as Brock Wilken has hit 25 and Nick Kurtz has hit 21, the most by a duo in the nation.

DEACS IN ACC PLAY

Wake Forest finished the regular season with a 22-7 mark in conference play, going a perfect 10-for-10 in conference series. This marked the first time an ACC team won all of its conference series since 2017 (North Carolina).
Wake Forest's 22 ACC wins are the most in program history and its .758 winning percentage ranked third.
The Demon Deacons finished +88 in run differential through the regular season, outscoring opponents 194-106.
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.
Wake Forest claimed its second-straight series in Tallahassee this past weekend before ending the regular season with its first series win over Virginia Tech since 20179.

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)

DEACS FLOOD ACC AWARD LISTS

Wake Forest head coach Tom Walter was named the 2023 ACC Coach of the Year, becoming just the third Wake Forest skipper in program history to receive the honors.
Wake Forest baseball placed a league high and tied a program best with nine selections to the 2023 All-Atlantic Coast Conference teams, as announced on Monday afternoon.
Josh Hartle (first team), Rhett Lowder (first team), Sean Sullivan (first team), Nick Kurtz (first team), Justin Johnson (first team), Tommy Hawke (second team), Brock Wilken (second team), Seth Keener (third team) and Camden Minacci (third team) earned recognition for their efforts in helping Wake Forest post its greatest regular season in program history.
Wake Forest's nine honorees led the league and tied the 2017 team for the most all-conference honorees in program history. Hartle, Lowder, Sullivan, Kurtz and Johnson's selections marked the most first team honors in Wake Forest history.

PROGRAM RECORD THREE DEACS NAMED SEMIFINALIST FOR GOLDEN SPIKES AWARD

A program-record three Deacs were named semifinalists for the 2023 Golden Spikes Award, as announced by USA Baseball on Monday afternoon.
Josh Hartle, Nick Kurtz and Rhett Lowder were selected to the 25-player semifinalist list for the annual award given to the nation's top amateur players from the high school and college ranks, tying for the most representatives in the nation with LSU.
The trio became the fourth, fifth and sixth Deac since 2007 to be named as a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award.
- Wake Forest's Golden Spikes Award Semifinalists
  - Allan Dykstra 2007
  - Allan Dysktra 2008
  - Will Craig 2016
  - Stuart Fairchild 2017
  - Josh Hartle 2023
  - Nick Kurtz 2023
  - Rhett Lowder 2023

WEEKEND ROTATION SHOVING

Wake Forest's starting weekend rotation of Rhett Lowder, Sean Sullivan and Josh Hartle has been lights out during the 2023 season.
The trio has posted 26 wins with a combined ERA of 2.15 in 226.1 innings.Lowder, Sullivan and Hartle have combined to strike out 305 batters while allowing just 54 earned runs and walking just 48 batters.

	Lowder	Sullivan	Hartle
ERA	1st	3rd	2nd
K-BB Ratio	2nd	3rd	1st
Strikeouts	1st	4th	2nd
Ks-Per-Nine	9th	1st	4th
WHIP	2nd	1st	3rd
BBs-Per-Nine	3rd	N/A	1st
Wins	1st	N/A	3rd

In Wake Forest's ACC series win over BC, the trio combined to allow just 15 hits and three earned runs in 20 innings while striking out 24 of 78 batters faced.
All three landed in the nation's top 10 starting pitchers according to D1Baseball as Wake Forest is the only school in the nation with three arms in the top 10:
- - Rhett Lowder: No. 2
- - Sean Sullivan: No. 4
- - Josh Hartle: No. 7

RUN DIFFERENTIAL DRIVING DEACS SUCCESS

Wake Forest has outscored opponents by double-digits in eight innings this season.
- Wake Forest Scoring Summary by Inning (Wake Forest-Opponent)
  - First Inning: 82-14
  - Second Inning: 44-23
  - Third Inning: 62-16
  - Fourth Inning: 67-23
  - Fifth Inning: 81-27
  - Sixth Inning: 44-16
  - Seventh Inning: 43-18
  - Eighth Inning: 49-21
  - Ninth Inning: 17-17
  - Extra Innings: 0-2
Overall, the Deacs are outscoring opponents by a 489-177 mark.
Wake Forest has scored in the first inning in 30 games this season, posting a 26-4 record in those games. Additionally, the Deacs are 33-4 when they score first.
Wake Forest's +5.8 run differential per game leads the nation.
Much of Wake Forest's success has been fast starts as the Deacs have outscored opponents by a mark of 188-53 in the opening three innings.
Wake Forest has notched 19 innings with at least five runs this season.

DEACONS & THE ACC WEEKLY HONORS

Throughout the regular season, four Demon Deacons have received eight ACC Player or Pitcher of the Week honors from the conference for performances:
- Feb. 20 (Week 1): Nick Kurtz and Sean Sullivan
- Feb. 27 (Week 2): Adam Cecere and Sean Sullivan
- March 27 (Week 6): Rhett Lowder
- April 17 (Week 9): Rhett Lowder
- April 24 (Week 10): Nick Kurtz
- May 8 (Week 12): Rhett Lowder

RHETT LOWDER... BACK-TO-BACK ACC PITCHER OF THE YEAR

For the second year in a row, Wake Forest baseball righthander Rhett Lowder was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Pitcher of the Year, as announced by the league on Monday afternoon.
After becoming the first Demon Deacon ever to receive the award last season, Lowder is just the second pitcher in conference history to garner back-to-back Pitcher of the Year honors (Danny Hultzen, 2010-11).
Lowder finished the regular season as the conference's leader in ERA (1.73), wins (12), innings pitched (88.2) and strikeouts (108). In ACC play, Lowder also leads the conference in those same categories.
The Albemarle, N.C. native is the only pitcher in the nation with 12 wins and ranks in the top 15 nationally in WHIP and strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Lowder has blanked a conference opponent four times this season (Miami, Louisville, BC and Florida State). The Albemarle, N.C. native has been awarded ACC Pitcher of the Week three times after such performances.
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.
Lowder's 12 victories this season rank tied for fourth in program history. Additionally, the righthander is now tied for the most victories in a two-year period ever by a Demon Deacon hurler and became just the second pitcher in Wake Forest history to post back-to-back seasons with at least 11 wins.
- 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 2023 11
  - Rhett Lowder 2022 11
  - Scott Siemon 2000 11
  - Moe Bauer 1950 11
Over the course of his career, Lowder has won 27 games, which is the fifth most in program history and tied for the among active players 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, Lowder (291 career strikeouts) is in sole possession of the third-most strikeouts by a Demon Deacon ever. This mark is good for fourth 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
In his final start of the 2023 regular season, 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.
In 2022, Lowder became the first Demon Deacon in program history to be named ACC Pitcher of the Year, the third Unanimous All-American in program history and the first Demon Deacon ever to be named a finalist for the Collegiate Pitcher of the Year Award.

WILKEN BECOMES WAKE FOREST HOME RUN KING

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 and ACC history this season.
Wilken made history against Coastal Carolina as the Valrico, Fla. native broke Wake Forest's career home run record with his 59th collegiate long fly in the third inning. Wilken broke a 20-year record set by Jamie D'Antona in 2003.
Wilken broke the single-season program record for home runs in the bottom of the seventh in Wake Forest's regular season finale on Sunday with his 25th long fly of the season. Wilken is currently third in the nation (first in the ACC) in long flies. Additionally, Wilken has hit the most career long flies among active players in Division I baseball.
- Wake Forest Single Season Home Runs
  - 1. Brock Wilken 2023 25
  - 2. Brendan Tinsman 2022 24
  - Billy Masse 1988 24
  - 4. Brock Wilken 2022 23
Wilken is now chasing the ACC career home run record. The Valrico, Fla. native is now four HRs away from tying the conference's top mark:
- 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
Wilken has posted a .346 batting average with 66 hits, 13 doubles, 72 RBIs, 56 walks, 70 runs scored (the most in the ACC) and a .817 slugging percentage.
Wilken needs 14 more base knocks to join the 200-hit club.

SULLY MAKING IMMEDIATE IMPACT

Sean Sullivan has made an immediate impact in the Old Gold and Black, registering a 2.56 ERA in 56.1 innings to go along with 91 strikeouts, 16 earned runs and 16 walks allowed. Additionally, opponents are batting just .170 against the lefthander.
For his efforts to open the season, Sullivan received back-to-back ACC Pitcher and Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week honors to open the season.
Sullivan earned his fourth win of the season against Miami, tossing five innings with eight strikeouts while allowing just three hits and two walks. The sophomore struck out five of the first nine batters he faced and continued to get stronger as the game went on. With the game knotted at 1-1, Sullivan stranded two baserunners in the fourth and fifth frames with an inning-ending strikeout closing his start and helping keep the momentum in the Demon Deacons' favor.
Sullivan earned his third win of the 2023 season, tossing seven innings while striking out a career-high tying 11 strikeouts, his fourth double-digit strikeout performance of the season.
Behind another electric outing from Sullivan, Wake Forest defeated Mount St. Mary's 18-2 in the opening game of the second weekend. Sullivan retired the first 16 batters of the game and had a perfect game through 5.1 innings. Overall, Sullivan punched out 11 and allowed just one baserunner in his six hitless innings of work.
Sullivan impressed in his Demon Deacon debut in Wake Forest's 8-1 victory against Illinois on Saturday as the Andover, Mass. native struck out 10 batters while allowing just two hits and one walk in four scoreless innings to earn the save.
Sullivan tallied at least two strikeouts in all four innings, highlighted by his trio of punchouts in the seventh and ninth. Additionally, Sullivan didn't allow more than one base runner in all four relief frames.
Sullivan and Rhett Lowder combined for 20 strikeouts in the game, the most strikeouts by a Wake Forest Saturday in almost two years (Coastal Carolina-Feb. 23, 2021).

HAWKE 'EM

After leading the team with the fourth-highest batting average by a freshman in program history (.380) last year, Tommy Hawke has continued to be impactful at the top of Wake Forest's lineup.
Hawke ranks in the top 11 among conference competitors in runs (sixth), hits (9th), walks (11th) and on-base percentage (11th).
Hawke held the second-longest reached base streak (45 games) in the nation snapped in Wake Forest's Saturday doubleheader at Duke.
Overall, Hawke has reached base safely in 100 of his career 112 appearances and is currently 14th among active Division I players in on-base percentage (.487).

HARTLE CONTINUES TO DEAL IN YEAR TWO

Josh Hartle has accumulated a 2.32 ERA through 88.1 innings to go along with 106 strikeouts, a new career high. The lefthander has allowed just 21 earned runs and has only walked 15 batters.
Currently, Hartle is the ACC leader in walks-per-nine innings and strikeout-to-walk ratio while ranking in the top 10 in every other category.
Hartle has allowed two earned runs or less in 12 of his 14 starts this year.
Hartle has struck out at least 10 batters in three starts this season and has walked more than one batter in just two of his outings. In each of his first three appearances, Hartle either set or tied his previous career-high strikeout mark.
Hartle is currently just one strikeout away from entering the top 10 in single season strikeouts in program history.
Against Clemson, Hartle earned the sixth win of his sophomore season on Saturday, tossing a season-high tying seven innings of one run baseball. Hartle punched out eight batters while conceding just five hits and one walk. Hartle notched four-straight scoreless frames on the mound to end his start and keep Clemson's offense at bay. Hartle stranded a pair in scoring position with a strikeout and groundout in the fourth before tossing back-to-back 1-2-3 frames in the fifth and sixth innings as the lefthander retired eight-straight batters.
Against Miami, Hartle tallied nine strikeouts over 6.0 innings to earn his fifth win of the year. The sophomore from King, N.C. allowed six baserunners (four hits and two walks) in the contest, holding the Miami offense to just one run. In his final inning of work, Hartle recorded his eighth strikeout of the contest which set his career high in strikeouts for a season (55) before punching out the final batter of his outing.
Against Cornell, Hartle posted the best outing of his career, fanning a career-high 12 batters in a career-high tying seven innings.
The Sunday prior, Hartle fanned a then-career high 11 batters in six innings while allowing no earned runs and no walks for his second victory of 2023. Hartle struckout multiple batters in his last four innings, highlighted by a trio of punchouts in the fourth and sixth.
Hartle became just the second pitcher in Wake Forest history to make 14 starts as a freshman in 2022 as well as the sixth Deac in program history to earn seven victories of the season (second most on the 2022 squad).

NICKY NUKES

After one of the greatest seasons by a Wake Forest freshman in school history, Nick Kurtz has impressed during his sophomore season.
Kurtz leads the ACC in home runs per game, runs per game, walks per game, slugging percentage and on-base percentage.
Currently, Kurtz ranks in the top 15 among Division 1 players in career slugging percentage (sixth) and on-base percentage (sixth).
Since returning to Wake Forest's lineup on April 16, Kurtz has tallied 26 hits, 11 HRs, 31 RBIs, 24 walks, 26 runs scored, a slugging percentage of .953 and on-base percentage of .578 in 19 games.
With his 21th home run of the season in Saturday's regular season finale, Kurtz is tied for the fourth-most home runs by a Demon Deacon in a single season ever.
Kurtz received his second ACC Player of the Week honor on April 24 for his performance during Wake Forest's 3-1 week, leading Wake Forest at the plate in with team highs in batting average (.583), home runs (three), RBIs (13), walks (nine), runs scored (eight), slugging percentage (1.417) and on-base percentage (.762).
In Wake Forest's run-rule win over No. 5 Coastal Carolina, Kurtz launched a grand slam to extend the Demon Deacon lead to 9-1.
The sophomore was vital in Wake Forest's seventh ACC series win of the season against Pitt, leading the team with a .600 average, two home runs, 11 RBIs, a 1.300 slugging percentage and a .750 on-base percentage.
On Saturday, April 22, Kurtz tallied nine RBIs with a three-run home run, two-RBI double and a pair of two-RBI singles.
Kurtz's nine RBIs are tied for the second-most runs driven in by a Wake Forest batter ever, joining Chris Lanzilli (2019), Gavin Sheets (2017), Warren Sawkiw (1990) and Paul Reinisch (1989) as the only Deacs to drive in nine or more runs in a game.
Kurtz earned the first ACC Player of the Week honors of his career after leading Wake Forest at the plate in its perfect 4-0 opening weekend with a team-high tying .500 batting average to go along with a team-high tying six hits, team-high tying four home runs, team-best 10 RBIs and team-best eight runs scored. Additionally, Kurtz led the team with a 1.500 slugging percentage, seven walks and .684 on-base percentage.
In Wake Forest's season opener, Kurtz broke the game open with a grand slam in the second inning before pushing Wake Forest's advantage to 8-0 after another long fly to right field in the bottom of the fourth to tie his career high of two home runs while adding five RBIs total.
Kurtz registered the 100th hit of his career in the series finale at Louisville on Sunday.

CERTIFIED STOPPER CAMDEN MINACCI

A staple out of Wake Forest's bullpen the last two seasons, Camden Minacci earned the 11th and 12th saves of his junior season after inducing the final three outs of Wake Forest's weekend victories against Virginia Tech. The career-best mark leads the ACC and is fifth in the nation. Additionally, Minacci is now tied for the fifth-most saves in a single season by a Demon Deacon.
Over the course of his career, Minacci has registered 20 saves as the Tampa, Fla. native is in sole possession of the second-most saves by a Demon Deacon ever. Currently, Minacci is fifth 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. 20
  - 3. Michael Dimock 2009-12 19

ON DECK
The team with the best record in each pool will advance to the semifinals, which are scheduled for Saturday, May 27 at 1 and 5 p.m. on ACC Network. If teams are tied at the end of pool competition, the team with the highest seed in the respective pool will advance.

The 2023 ACC Championship Game is set for Sunday, May 28 at noon on ESPN2.

For more information on the 2023 ACC Tournament, click here. For tickets, click here.

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Top-Seeded Wake Forest Faces Pitt and Notre Dame in Pool Play of ACC Baseball Championship

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Players Mentioned

Adam Cecere

Josh Hartle

Tommy Hawke

Justin Johnson

Seth Keener

Nick Kurtz

Rhett Lowder

Teddy McGraw

Camden Minacci

Sean Sullivan

Brendan Tinsman

Brock Wilken

Wake Forest Athletics

Top-Seeded Wake Forest Faces Pitt and Notre Dame in Pool Play of ACC Baseball Championship

Related News

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Adam Cecere

Josh Hartle

Tommy Hawke

Justin Johnson

Seth Keener

Nick Kurtz

Rhett Lowder

Teddy McGraw

Camden Minacci

Sean Sullivan

Brendan Tinsman

Brock Wilken

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