
Burns Dominance Paces No. 7 Deacs to 9-3 Victory Over No. 17 Virginia
3/16/2024 8:18:00 PM | Baseball
The junior righthander struck out 13 Virginia batters Saturday becoming the first pitcher to do so against the Cavaliers since Stephen Strasburg in 2009.
Burns fanned 13 of the 26 batters he faced Saturday which is tied for the fifth-highest single-game strikeout total in program history. In total, 15 of the 27 outs Wake Forest (13-5, 2-3 ACC) recorded came via the strikeout with the bullpen arms of Will Ray and David Falco combined to strike out two Cavalier (15-4, 2-3 ACC) batters over their combined 2.0 innings of work.
Burns became the first player in program history to have 13 or more strikeouts in back-to-back games as he had a career-high 14 strikeouts in a victory over No. 12 Duke last Saturday.
Additionally, Burns is the first player since Stephen Strasburg in 2009 to strike out 13 or more Virginia batters in a single game. The San Diego State product went on to become the No. 1 overall draft pick by the Washington Nationals that season.
In addition to his 13 strikeouts, Burns allowed just one run on two hits over 7.0 innings. In his first five appearances this season, Burns holds a perfect mark of 4-0 with 56 strikeouts in 30.1 innings of work and a 2.08 ERA. Additionally, Wake Forest is a perfect 5-0 this season when Burns takes the mound.
Offensively, the Demon Deacons were paced by the top four in the order as they went a combined 10-for-21 with all four having multi-hit performances, scoring five combined runs and driving in four runs.
Setting the table for the lineup, sophomore infielder Marek Houston notched a career-high three hits and reached four times total while also tying his career high with three runs scored. Junior infielder Adam Tellier continued to swing a hot bat as he tied Houston with a team-high three hits and drove in a pair.
Sophomore Jack Winnay also had a huge day at the plate, hitting two home runs as he now leads the team with eight big flies on the season. This is the second multi-home run game of the season for Winnay who also had two bombs against Dayton on Feb. 25.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Shortstop Marek Houston started the game with a single and moved over to second as the ball got away from the Virginia left fielder. The sophomore came home on an RBI single from third baseman Adam Tellier through the right side to put the Deacs up 1-0 after a half inning of play.
- Starter Chase Burns struck out the side on just 13 pitches in the bottom half of the first.
- UVA tied the game with a solo shot in their half of the second.
- Tellier recorded his second hit of the game with a single to center but would be stranded at third in the top of the third.
- Burns ran his strikeout total to six through three innings with a pair of punchouts.
- Wake retook the lead on an RBI triple from catcher Cameron Gill, as he found the right center gap to plate sophomore Austin Hawke, who reached on a one-out single.
- A fiery Burns picked up strikeouts seven, eight and nine in an all important shutdown frame in the fourth.
- With two away and a runner on in the top of the fifth, sophomore Jack Winnay demolished his seventh home run of the season into the left field bleachers to push the Wake lead out to 4-1.
- Burns needed just 16 pitches to work his way through the sixth inning, picking up his 12th strikeout along the way.
- For the second time this season, Winnay homered twice, deleting a 2-0 pitch to left center to tack on an insurance run for the Deacs in the seventh.
- Emptying the tank in his final inning, Burns recorded his 13th strikeout and got a groundout to short to close the book on a career-high matching 7.0 IP.
- Houston and freshman Javar Williams got the eighth inning started with back-to-back singles. After an intentional walk to Seaver King to load the bases, designated hitter Jake Reinisch drew an RBI walk to stretch the Wake advantage to 6-1.
- Wake Forest added three insurance runs in the eighth to push their lead to 8-1.
- Williams added his fifth hit of the weekend on an RBI single to right field and Tellier followed suit with a hard-hit ball up the middle.
- King had an RBI groundout to complete a 2-for-4 day with a run scored and a stolen base for the Deacs to cap the scoring.
- Junior Will Ray tossed a scoreless eighth to keep The Hoos at bay.
- Graduate transfer David Falco entered to record the final two outs, as Wake Forest even the series with a 9-3 victory.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
- Sophomore Jack Winnay had another huge day at the plate, hitting two home runs as he now leads the team with eight big flies on the season.
- This is the second multi-home run game of the season for Winnay who also had two bombs against Dayton on Feb. 25.
- As a team, Wake Forest has 32 home runs so far this season and came into the weekend ranked top 25 nationally in home runs hit.
- The Demon Deacons have four players with five or more home runs just 18 games into the season.
- Setting the table for the lineup, sophomore infielder Marek Houston notched a career-high three hits and reached four times total while also tying his career high with three runs scored.
- The sophomore has made a huge improvement at the plate this season as through 16 games is hitting .318 which is nearly 100 points better than his freshman campaign when he hit .220 in 65 games played for the Deacs.
- He already has six extra-base hits this season which is four shy of his total from last season while also having reached the halfway mark in hits with 21 to his credit already this season including seven multi-hit games.
- The sophomore has made a huge improvement at the plate this season as through 16 games is hitting .318 which is nearly 100 points better than his freshman campaign when he hit .220 in 65 games played for the Deacs.
STAGGERING STATISTICS
- In 182.2 career innings pitched, Chase Burns has now struckout 273 career batters. The righty finished last season ranked third nationally with 14.3 K/9 and currently sits at 16.7 K/9 through his first five outings.
- This is the first player since Stephen Strasburg in 2009 to strike out 13 or more Virginia batters in a single game. The San Diego State product went on to become the No. 1 overall draft pick by the Washington Nationals that season.
- For the ninth time in his career and the third consecutive outing, the junior struck out 10 or more with a career-high 14 punchouts on Saturday.
- Additionally, 13 strikeouts tied for the fifth-highest single-game strikeout total in program history and he now had 27 strikeouts in the last two outings after fanning a career-high 14 against No. 12 Duke last weekend:
- Rank Player Strikeout Total Date
- 1. Erik Hanson 18 April 17, 1985
- T2. Chase Burns 14 March 9, 2024
- T2. John Stokoe 14 1957
- T2. Tim Cooney 14 March 6, 2011
- T5. Chase Burns 13 March 16, 2024
- T5. Nine tied 13 Last: June 2, 2023
FROM COACH WALTER
"We say all the time that momentum starts with the next day's starting pitcher. We scored in the top of the first and did a great job with some situational at-bats there to move Marek around. Chase Burns came out and threw 13 pitches and struck out the side to grab hold of the game for us. Chase was electric tonight and I couldn't be more impressed by not only his stuff, but his demeanor, the way he is constantly in attack and the way he competes. It's just fun watching him pitch.
Obviously, Jack Winnay had a good day for us with a couple of home runs. It really was the whole top of the order for us. The top four guys in the order were on base multiple times today and then we got some production from the bottom of the lineup as well.
It's a great team win. We got a couple of really good defensive plays from Cam Nelson, Seaver King and Adam Tellier. We needed it. That's what aces do, they win when the team needs it the most, and Chase Burns got it done today." - head coach Tom Walter
UP NEXT
The Deacs close the four-game road swing with the rubber game against Virginia on ACC Network Extra at 1 p.m.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Burns, Chase (4-0)
L: Evan Blanco (1-1)

Batting:
3B: Gill, Cameron 1
HR: Winnay, Jack 2
RBI: Williams, Javar 1 ; Tellier, Adam 2 ; King, Seaver 1 ; Reinisch, Jake 1 ; Winnay, Jack 3 ; Gill, Cameron 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Houston, Marek 3 ; Williams, Javar 1 ; King, Seaver 1 ; Winnay, Jack 2 ; Hawke, Austin 1 ; Nelson, Cam 1
SB: Tellier, Adam 2 ; King, Seaver 1 ; Nelson, Cam 2
CS: Nelson, Cam 1
HBP: King, Seaver 1

Batting:
2B: Ethan Anderson 1
HR: Henry Godbout 1 ; Antonio Perrota 1
RBI: Henry Godbout 1 ; Antonio Perrota 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Harrison Didawick 1 ; Henry Godbout 1 ; Antonio Perrota 1





