Deacs Start Season at No. 1 in D1 Baseball Preseason Rankings
1/16/2024 11:00:00 AM | Baseball
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Wake Forest baseball continues to make history as the Demon Deacons will open the season at No. 1 in the D1 Baseball Preseason Top 25 Poll.
Advancing to the national semifinals and returning to Omaha for the first time since 1955, Wake Forest closed the 2023 season ranked No. 3 by D1 Baseball in June. The Deacs started the 2023 campaign at No. 6 by the publication.
D1 is the second of the five major preseason polls to be released, with Baseball America, NCBWA and USA Today Coaches set to be announced prior to Opening Day. The Demon Deacons were also ranked No. 1 by Perfect Game last week.
Head Coach Tom Walter enters his 15th season as the Demon Deacons skipper in 2024 having compiled a 420-342-1 (.551) record to this point and sits two wins away from the 850th victory of his career.
At the plate, Wake Forest returns 563 at-bats, led by Preseason Player of the Year Nick Kurtz, who slashed an astounding .353/.527/.784, while welcoming D1's 2023 Summer Breakout Prospect Award Winner Seaver King to the lineup.
On the mound, the Deacs are led by Preseason All-Americans Josh Hartle and Chase Burns. As a sophomore, Hartle fanned the second-most batters in program history (140) which ranked fifth in the nation. The Golden Spikes Award Semifinalist will look to better his fourth-lowest ERA in the ACC (2.81) in 2024. Burns joins the Demon Deacons ahead of the 2024 season from the University of Tennessee were he compiled a 13-5 record over the course of two seasons with the Volunteers. Burns was named the National Freshman of the Year following the 2022 season by D1 Baseball, NCBWA and Collegiate Baseball.
The ACC placed six teams in the poll with Wake (No. 1), Clemson (No. 10), Duke (No.12), NC State (No. 13), Virginia (No. 14) and North Carolina (No. 15). The Deacs will welcome the Tigers, Blue Devils and Tar Heels to David F. Couch Ballpark, while hitting the road at NC State and Virginia.
In nonconference action, Wake Forest faces off against No. 18 Coastal Carolina with a home-and-home set, traveling to Conway on Tuesday, Mar. 12 before the Chanticleers make the trip to Winston-Salem on Tuesday, Apr. 9 for a 6 p.m. first pitch.
2024 Season Tickets
Claim your spot at David F. Couch Ballpark for what is shaping up to be another exciting season on the diamond. Season tickets start at $150 for general admission and $175 for reserved chairback seating! Season tickets for the 2024 Wake Forest baseball season tickets are on sale now by calling the Wake Forest Ticket Office at 336-758-3322 or by clicking here. Single game tickets are set to go on sale this afternoon at 2 p.m.
Follow The Deacs:
GoDeacs.com | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Advancing to the national semifinals and returning to Omaha for the first time since 1955, Wake Forest closed the 2023 season ranked No. 3 by D1 Baseball in June. The Deacs started the 2023 campaign at No. 6 by the publication.
D1 is the second of the five major preseason polls to be released, with Baseball America, NCBWA and USA Today Coaches set to be announced prior to Opening Day. The Demon Deacons were also ranked No. 1 by Perfect Game last week.
Head Coach Tom Walter enters his 15th season as the Demon Deacons skipper in 2024 having compiled a 420-342-1 (.551) record to this point and sits two wins away from the 850th victory of his career.
At the plate, Wake Forest returns 563 at-bats, led by Preseason Player of the Year Nick Kurtz, who slashed an astounding .353/.527/.784, while welcoming D1's 2023 Summer Breakout Prospect Award Winner Seaver King to the lineup.
On the mound, the Deacs are led by Preseason All-Americans Josh Hartle and Chase Burns. As a sophomore, Hartle fanned the second-most batters in program history (140) which ranked fifth in the nation. The Golden Spikes Award Semifinalist will look to better his fourth-lowest ERA in the ACC (2.81) in 2024. Burns joins the Demon Deacons ahead of the 2024 season from the University of Tennessee were he compiled a 13-5 record over the course of two seasons with the Volunteers. Burns was named the National Freshman of the Year following the 2022 season by D1 Baseball, NCBWA and Collegiate Baseball.
The ACC placed six teams in the poll with Wake (No. 1), Clemson (No. 10), Duke (No.12), NC State (No. 13), Virginia (No. 14) and North Carolina (No. 15). The Deacs will welcome the Tigers, Blue Devils and Tar Heels to David F. Couch Ballpark, while hitting the road at NC State and Virginia.
In nonconference action, Wake Forest faces off against No. 18 Coastal Carolina with a home-and-home set, traveling to Conway on Tuesday, Mar. 12 before the Chanticleers make the trip to Winston-Salem on Tuesday, Apr. 9 for a 6 p.m. first pitch.
2024 Season Tickets
Claim your spot at David F. Couch Ballpark for what is shaping up to be another exciting season on the diamond. Season tickets start at $150 for general admission and $175 for reserved chairback seating! Season tickets for the 2024 Wake Forest baseball season tickets are on sale now by calling the Wake Forest Ticket Office at 336-758-3322 or by clicking here. Single game tickets are set to go on sale this afternoon at 2 p.m.
Follow The Deacs:
GoDeacs.com | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
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