Program Record 10 from Wake Forest Baseball Selected in 2023 MLB Draft
7/11/2023 5:39:00 PM | Baseball
Pierce Bennett was the latest Deac selected in this year’s MLB Draft, selected by the Philadelphia Phillies.
SEATTLE – Highlighted by two first-round picks for the first time in school history, a program-record 10 members of Wake Forest baseball were selected in the 2023 MLB Draft.
Wake Forest also had the most players selected out of all the ACC programs and the second-most in the nation. Additionally, the Deacs were the only team to have four pitchers taken within the top 100 picks and tied for the most overall during that span at five.
In the first round, Rhett Lowder (seventh to the Cincinnati Reds) and Brock Wilken (18th to the Milwaukee Brewers) were among the first 20 players taken in the 614-player event before Sean Sullivan (46th to the Colorado Rockies) was picked in the second round.
On Day 2, Seth Keener (84th to the Chicago White Sox), Teddy McGraw (92nd to the Seattle Mariners), Bennett Lee (170th to the Detroit Tigers), Camden Minacci (174th to the Los Angeles Angels), Tommy Hawke (188th to the Cleveland Guardians) and Justin Johnson (289th to the Kansas City Royals) were selected.
The draft concluded on Tuesday with Pierce Bennett being selected by the Philadelphia Phillies with the 613th overall pick.
DEMON DEACONS SELECTED IN THE 2023 MLB DRAFT
|
Name |
Round (Pick) |
Team |
|
1 (7) |
Cincinnati Reds |
|
|
1 (18) |
Milwaukee Brewers |
|
|
2 (46) |
Colorado Rockies |
|
|
3 (84) |
Chicago White Sox |
|
|
3 (92) |
Seattle Mariners |
|
|
6 (170) |
Detroit Tigers |
|
|
6 (174) |
Los Angeles Angels |
|
|
6 (188) |
Cleveland Guardians |
|
|
10 (289) |
Kansas City Royals |
|
|
20 (613) |
Philadelphia Phillies |
DEMON DEACONS SELECTED ON DAY 3 OF THE 2023 MLB DRAFT
Pierce Bennett | OF/INF | Baltimore, Md. | 20th Round, 613th Overall | Philadelphia Phillies
The utility man for the Deacs is just the second player in program history drafted by the Philadelphia organization.
In 2023, the Baltimore native led the team in batting average (.353), doubles (19) and was the toughest to strike out in the ACC (11.2 AB/K). He also finished fourth on the team in runs scored (61) and RBIs (65) while playing and starting in 60 games.
In his four-year Wake Forest career, he tallied 160 games played, 189 hits, 128 RBIs, 15 home runs and a .325 batting average.
In summer ball, he appeared in 25 games for the Charlottesville Tom Sox in the Valley Baseball League and posted a .322 batting average with 28 hits, eight doubles, one triple, one home run, 11 RBIs and 18 walks.
DEMON DEACONS SELECTED ON DAYS 1 & 2 IN THE 2023 MLB DRAFT
Rhett Lowder | RHP | Albemarle, N.C. | 1st Round, Seventh Overall | Cincinnati Reds
The right-hander is the second-highest selected Demon Deacon in program history and highest since Kyle Sleeth (3rd overall in 2003). He is also the fifth Deac selected by the Reds all-time. He will join fellow Demon Deacon and 2017 second-rounder Stuart Fairchild in the organization.
He finished his historic 2023 setting new single-season program records for wins (15), strikeouts (143), win-loss percentage (15-0) and led the Deacs to a program record in wins (54) and a spot in the Men's College World Series.
His 15 victories led the nation while ranking fourth nationally in ERA (1.87) and strikeouts (143) and eighth in WHIP (.95). He completed the regular season as the conference's leader in ERA (1.73), wins (12), innings pitched (88.2) and strikeouts (108).
Brock Wilken | INF | Valrico, Fla. | 1st Round, 18th Overall | Milwaukee Brewers
The third baseman joins Rhett Lowder as the only duo in program history to be selected in the first round of the draft and is the 11th Demon Deacon all-time selected in round one.
Wilken finished his collegiate career with the most career home runs in ACC history and Wake Forest history (71) as he helped lead the Deacs to Omaha. Other program records include single-season home runs (31), single-season runs scored (90), single-season walks (69) and being tied for the freshman home run record (17).
During the 2023 campaign, Wilken led the ACC in walks (69), home runs (31), runs scored (90), slugging percentage (.807) and total bases (192). Additionally, he was second in RBIs (82) and third in on-base percentage (.506).
His 2023 awards included Baseball America Second Team All-American, ABCA First Team All-American, NCBWA Second Team All-American, Collegiate Baseball Third Team All-American and Second Team All-ACC.
FIRST ROUND DEACS
|
Name (Year) |
Pick |
Team |
|
Brock Wilken (2023) |
18 |
Milwaukee Brewers |
|
Rhett Lowder (2023) |
7 |
Cincinnati Reds |
|
Ryan Cusick (2021) |
24 |
Atlanta Braves |
|
Jared Shuster (2020) |
25 |
Atlanta Braves |
|
Griffin Roberts (2018) |
43 |
St. Louis Cardinals |
|
Will Craig (2016) |
22 |
Pittsburgh Pirates |
|
Allan Dykstra (2008) |
23 |
San Diego Padres |
|
Matt Antonelli (2006) |
17 |
San Diego Padres |
|
Kyle Sleeth (2003) |
3 |
Detroit Tigers |
|
Mike MacDougal (1999) |
25 |
Kansas City Royals |
|
Bret Wagner (1994) |
19 |
St. Louis Cardinals |
Sean Sullivan | LHP | Andover, Mass. | 2nd Round, 46th Overall | Colorado Rockies
The Andover, Mass., native is the sixth Demon Deacon selected by Rockies all-time and second since 2018 (Rayne Supple).
Sullivan made an immediate impact in the Wake Forest rotation after transferring from Northwestern following the 2022 season, as he recorded 10-plus strikeouts in four of his first five appearances for the Deacs, including six innings of scoreless, hitless ball against Mount St. Mary's on Feb. 24.
During his 2023 season with the Demon Deacons, the southpaw broke the program record in single-season strikeouts-per-nine (14.34), posted the second-lowest ERA in the conference (2.45) and logged five wins across 17 appearances (10 starts).
The 2023 First Team All-ACC honoree also finished top five in the ACC in Hits/9 (5.56), K/BB ratio (5.29), strikeouts (111) and WHIP (0.92).
Seth Keener | RHP | Pilot Mountain, N.C. | 3rd Round, 84th Overall | White Sox
Keener is the sixth Demon Deacon drafted by the White Sox and second in the last two years (Eric Alder). He will join Alder (High-A), Gavin Sheets (MLB) and Nate Mondou (AAA) in the organization.
In 2023, the North Carolina native posted the lowest opponent batting average (.169) among qualified pitchers on the team. His 2.69 ERA was not only third on the team, but also third in the entire ACC.
Additionally, he recorded the second-lowest WHIP (0.87) and fourth-lowest hits/9 (5.25) in the nation.
In the postseason, he logged a 13-strikeout performance in seven innings of shutout baseball in the Winston-Salem Regional against George Mason. He also picked up the win against Stanford in the Men's College World Series after throwing 1.1 innings in relief with four punchouts.
Over the course of his three-year career at Wake Forest, Keener has recorded a 13-3 record across 54 appearances and 19 starts.
Teddy McGraw | RHP | Oneonta, N.Y. | 3rd Round, 92nd Overall | Seattle Mariners
McGraw joins Patrick Frick (AA) in the Mariners organization and is the fifth Demon Deacon selected by the club all-time.
In 2022, the New York native posted the lowest opponent batting average on the team at .203 in 15 appearances, as he inserted himself as one of the best Saturday starters in the conference.
McGraw's top performance of the season came on the road against rival NC State, as he threw 7.1 innings of scoreless ball while allowing just one hit in the season finale on May 21.
Additionally, he finished his sophomore campaign second on the team in strikeouts (67) and third on the team in wins (five).
He won the Cape Cod Baseball League Championship with the Brewster Whitecaps, allowing just 11 runs in seven appearances in addition to 27 strikeouts.
Bennett Lee | C | Tampa, Fla. | 6th Round, 170th Overall | Detroit Tigers
After selecting Lee in the sixth round, the Tigers are now tied for the second-most Demon Deacons selected all-time with seven.
Transferring to Wake Forest ahead of the 2023 season, the Tampa, Fla., native was a standout behind the dish for Wake Forest's potent pitching staff.
Lee appeared in 46 games with 43 starts for the Deacs, posting a .303 batting average with 43 hits, 34 RBIs and seven home runs.
Camden Minacci | RHP | Tampa, Fla. | 6th Round, 174th Overall | Los Angeles Angels
This is the second-consecutive season a Wake Forest player has been selected by the Angels and fifth overall.
In 2023, Minacci led the ACC with 13 saves, which also ranked sixth in the nation. He logged a 2.78 ERA and 46 strikeouts across 32.1 innings pitched while walking just 10 batters.
He posted 24 scoreless outings (30 appearances) in 2023, including a nine-game stretch which spanned over a month from May 16 to June 22. He allowed just four hits and two walks throughout that span while racking up 12 strikeouts.
The NCBWA Second Team All-American has been a productive pitcher for the Demon Deacons over the last three seasons with 21 saves, 136 strikeouts, a 3.12 ERA in 104 innings pitched.
Tommy Hawke | OF | Oak Island, N.C. | 6th Round, 188th Overall | Cleveland Guardians
At 188th overall, Hawke is the highest Demon Deacon selected by the Guardians all-time and sixth Deacon taken by the club.
As the leadoff batter for the Deacs in 2023, the North Carolina native finished sixth in the ACC in hits (95) and fourth in runs scored (73) and walks (51) while batting .351 and playing stellar defense in center. He is one of just two players (Wilken) to play and start in all 66 games throughout the record-setting season.
In 2022, he had the fourth-highest batting average for a freshman in program history (.380) and led the team in on-base percentage (.502) and stolen bases (8).
His career accolades include 2023 Second Team All-ACC, 2023 Winston-Salem Regional All-Tournament Team, 2022 Baseball America Second Team Freshman All-American and 2022 ACC All-Freshman Team.
Justin Johnson | INF | Glen Gardner, N.J. | 10th Round, 289th Overall | Kansas City Royals
Johnson joins William Fleming (High-A) in the Royals organization and is the first Deac drafted by the club since 1999.
The middle infielder finished 2023 third in the ACC in RBIs (76) and 10th in total bases (147) while spending most of his time at second base. He played in all but one of Wake Forest's 66 games, starting 63 of them, while batting .324 with 16 home runs.
He played a major role in helping the Deacs win the Winston-Salem Regional, going a combined 7-for-15, including a four-hit game against Maryland. He finished the weekend with 13 RBIs, eight runs scored and a pair of home runs.
In his one season with the Deacs, Johnson notched awards such as First Team All-ACC, All-ACC Academic Team and Winston-Salem Regional Most Outstanding Player.
DEMON DEACONS SELECTED BY EACH MLB TEAM
|
Number of Wake Forest Draftees |
MLB Organization |
|
8 |
Yankees |
|
7 |
Braves, Tigers |
|
6 |
Nationals, Orioles, Giants, Rockies, White Sox, Guardians |
|
5 |
Rays, Pirates, Athletics, Cardinals, Reds, Mariners, Angels |
|
4 |
Astros, Padres, Diamondbacks, Blue Jays |
|
3 |
Cubs, Mets, Royals |
|
2 |
Red Sox, Twins, Rangers, Brewers, Phillies |
|
1 |
Dodgers, Marlins |
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