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Wake Forest University
19-10, 5-8
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Burns Career-High 15 Strikeouts Pushes Deacs Pass No. 11 Virginia Tech, 8-5
4/6/2024 12:43:00 AM | Baseball
The junior takes over as the D-1 active career strikeout leader with 314 and leads the country with 97 strikeouts this season.
BLACKSBURG, Va. – Behind the most strikeouts by a Wake Forest pitcher in nearly 40 years, the No. 21 Wake Forest baseball team picked up a huge 8-5 ACC series-opening win over No. 11 Virginia Tech on Friday night at English Field at Atlantic Union Bank Park.
Junior righthander Chase Burns continued his double-digit strikeout streak, extending it to six consecutive outings while picking up his 300th career strikeout in the top of the first.
Burns fanned 15 of the 28 batters he faced Friday which is the second-highest single-game strikeout total in Wake Forest (19-10, 5-8 ACC) history.
Burns became the first player in program history to have 12 or more strikeouts in five-straight games as he had 14 strikeouts in a victory over No. 12 Duke five weeks ago, 13 strikeouts in a win over No. 17 Virginia four weeks ago, 12 strikeouts in a win over Louisville two Fridays ago and matched a career-best with 14 against North Carolina last week.
With the 15 strikeouts, Burns now has a nation-leading 97 punchouts in 50.2 innings of work this season while holding a 3.37 ERA.
In total, 18 of the 27 outs Wake Forest recorded came via the strikeout with bullpen arm David Falco picking up one in the eighth inning and freshman Josh Gunther striking out a pair in the ninth to slam the door.
Offensively, senior Jake Reinisch led Wake Forest at the plate going 2-for-4 with a home run, double, two RBI and a run scored.
Junior Nick Kurtz homered for the third-straight game and his fourth during that span to give him seven on the year.
Right fielder Jack Winnay hammered a ball down the left field line, driving in a pair of runners to give the Deacs the lead for good.
HOW IT HAPPENED
T3. Chase Burns 14 March 29, 2024
T3. Chase Burns 14 March 9, 2024
T3. John Stokoe 14 1957
T3. Tim Cooney 14 March 6, 2011
T7. Chase Burns 13 March 16, 2024
T7. Nine other tied 13 Last: June 2, 2023
FROM COACH WALTER
"Clearly, Chase Burns was the story tonight. Things went a little sideways in the inning where he let up a lead-off walk and a grand slam, but after that he kept throwing up zeros. To get to him through seven innings was huge for our ball club to set up the weekend. I'm really proud of Chase Burns and his effort.
The defense made a couple of really good defensive plays behind him. Seaver King made a great play to lead off the inning, Kurtz had a good stretch and Marek Houston to lead off the game. That was an underrated play that happened tonight.
Our bullpen was great as well. David Falco came in and got it done then Josh Gunther in the ninth. Offensively, we did just enough. Winnay and Reinisch's back-to-back two-out RBIs were the keys of the game. We didn't have a great offensive day but anytime you score eight runs with Chase Burns on the mound, you feel good about your chances." - head coach Tom Walter
UP NEXT
The Deacs continue the three-game set against the Hokies tomorrow on ACC Network Extra at 7 p.m.
Follow The Deacs:
GoDeacs.com | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Junior righthander Chase Burns continued his double-digit strikeout streak, extending it to six consecutive outings while picking up his 300th career strikeout in the top of the first.
Burns fanned 15 of the 28 batters he faced Friday which is the second-highest single-game strikeout total in Wake Forest (19-10, 5-8 ACC) history.
Burns became the first player in program history to have 12 or more strikeouts in five-straight games as he had 14 strikeouts in a victory over No. 12 Duke five weeks ago, 13 strikeouts in a win over No. 17 Virginia four weeks ago, 12 strikeouts in a win over Louisville two Fridays ago and matched a career-best with 14 against North Carolina last week.
With the 15 strikeouts, Burns now has a nation-leading 97 punchouts in 50.2 innings of work this season while holding a 3.37 ERA.
In total, 18 of the 27 outs Wake Forest recorded came via the strikeout with bullpen arm David Falco picking up one in the eighth inning and freshman Josh Gunther striking out a pair in the ninth to slam the door.
Offensively, senior Jake Reinisch led Wake Forest at the plate going 2-for-4 with a home run, double, two RBI and a run scored.
Junior Nick Kurtz homered for the third-straight game and his fourth during that span to give him seven on the year.
Right fielder Jack Winnay hammered a ball down the left field line, driving in a pair of runners to give the Deacs the lead for good.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Graduate transfer Adam Tellier reached on a single and stole his team-leading 11th bag of the year but was left stranded in the top of the first.
- Starter Chase Burns fanned his first batter of the night but allowed one run on a ball lost in the lights to give the Hokies a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first.
- After three-straight walks to load the bases, freshman Cam Nelson drove in the first run of the game for the Deacs to make it 1-1 in the top of the second.
- Burns picked up strikeouts two and three on the night in a 1-2-3 bottom of the second inning.
- First baseman Nick Kurtz and senior Jake Reinisch both hammered solo home runs to give the Deacs a 3-1 lead in the top of the third inning.
- For Kurtz it marked the third-straight game with a home run and his fourth during that span to give him seven on the year.
- Reinisch also launched his seventh of the year, taking a 2-0 pitch deep over the right center wall.
- The Hokies took a 5-3 lead in the bottom of the third inning.
- Wake Forest immediately answered back, tallying five runs in an explosive top of the fourth to take an 8-5 lead over the Hokies.
- Catcher Cameron Gill was hit by a pitch then advanced to second after Nelson was walked.
- That set up an RBI-single by sophomore Marek Houston that scored Gill and advanced Nelson to third on a throwing error by the Virginia Tech center fielder.
- A sac fly from Tellier plated Nelson to tie the game at 5-5.
- With a pair of runners on, right fielder Jack Winnay hammered a ball down the left field line, driving in both baserunners to make it 7-5 in favor of the Deacs.
- Reinisch traded places with Winnay on another RBI double down the left field line to push the lead out to three.
- Burns tallied his sixth and seventh strikeouts of the night in a scoreless bottom of the fourth.
- In the bottom of the fifth, Burns struck out the side and reached 10 strikeouts for his sixth consecutive outing.
- Burns fanned two more batters and posted a scoreless frame in the bottom of the sixth.
- For the second time in three innings, Burns sat down three batters to set a new career-high with 15 strikeouts against the Hokies.
- David Falco entered the game in the bottom of the eighth and put up a scoreless frame with one strikeout.
- Freshman Josh Gunther fanned two batters to put the bow on the Friday night victory.
- The Demon Deacons defeated the Hokies, 8-5.
- Junior Nick Kurtz homered for the third-straight game and fourth time over that span.
- Kurtz ranks fifth among active Division-I players with 46 home runs and moves into sole possession for eighth all-time in Wake Forest history.
- Additionally, Kurtz is one of only two players in Division-I to play more than 100 career games and have a career OBP of .490 or better.
- This season he has a team-best .494 on-base percentage, following up his sophomore campaign where Kurtz had an eye-popping .525 on-base percentage.
- Entering the weekend, only one current Division-I baseball player has more walks over the course of their career, Charlotte's Shane Taylor (143 career walks).
- Kurtz has now walked 141 times in 133 career games played (1.1 walks per game) and ranks third in program history for his career.
- In 203.0 career innings pitched, Chase Burns has now struckout 314 career batters. The righty finished last season ranked third nationally with 14.3 K/9 and currently sits at 17.2 K/9 through his first eight outings.
- For the 13th time in his career and the sixth consecutive outing, the junior struck out 10 or more as he fanned a career-best 15 Hokies on Friday afternoon.
- Burns became the first player in program history to have 12 or more strikeouts in five-straight games as he had a career-high 14 strikeouts in a victory over No. 12 Duke three weeks ago, 13 strikeouts in a win over No. 17 Virginia two weeks ago and 12 against Louisville last Friday.
- For the 13th time in his career and the sixth consecutive outing, the junior struck out 10 or more as he fanned a career-best 15 Hokies on Friday afternoon.
- Burns (314 career strikeouts) surpassed South Carolina's Ty Good (303 career strikeouts) on Friday as the active Division-I baseball strikeout leaders.
- The righty also ranks inside the top-five in strikeout-per-nine among active career players, sitting at 13.73 prior to Friday's start.
- Additionally, 15 strikeouts is the second-highest single-game strikeout total in program history.
Rank Player Strikeout Total Date
1. Erik Hanson 18 April 17, 1985
T3. Chase Burns 14 March 29, 2024
T3. Chase Burns 14 March 9, 2024
T3. John Stokoe 14 1957
T3. Tim Cooney 14 March 6, 2011
T7. Chase Burns 13 March 16, 2024
T7. Nine other tied 13 Last: June 2, 2023
FROM COACH WALTER
"Clearly, Chase Burns was the story tonight. Things went a little sideways in the inning where he let up a lead-off walk and a grand slam, but after that he kept throwing up zeros. To get to him through seven innings was huge for our ball club to set up the weekend. I'm really proud of Chase Burns and his effort.
The defense made a couple of really good defensive plays behind him. Seaver King made a great play to lead off the inning, Kurtz had a good stretch and Marek Houston to lead off the game. That was an underrated play that happened tonight.
Our bullpen was great as well. David Falco came in and got it done then Josh Gunther in the ninth. Offensively, we did just enough. Winnay and Reinisch's back-to-back two-out RBIs were the keys of the game. We didn't have a great offensive day but anytime you score eight runs with Chase Burns on the mound, you feel good about your chances." - head coach Tom Walter
UP NEXT
The Deacs continue the three-game set against the Hokies tomorrow on ACC Network Extra at 7 p.m.
Follow The Deacs:
GoDeacs.com | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Burns, Chase (6-1)
L: David Shoemaker (2-1)
S: Gunther, Josh (1)
Batting:
2B: Winnay, Jack 1 ; Reinisch, Jake 1
HR: Kurtz, Nick 1 ; Reinisch, Jake 1
RBI: Houston, Marek 1 ; Tellier, Adam 1 ; Kurtz, Nick 1 ; Winnay, Jack 2 ; Reinisch, Jake 2 ; Nelson, Cam 1
SF: Tellier, Adam 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Houston, Marek 1 ; Kurtz, Nick 2 ; Winnay, Jack 1 ; Reinisch, Jake 1 ; King, Seaver 1 ; Gill, Cameron 1 ; Nelson, Cam 1
SB: Houston, Marek 1 ; Tellier, Adam 1
CS: Nelson, Cam 1
HBP: Reinisch, Jake 1 ; Gill, Cameron 1
Batting:
3B: Carson DeMartini 1
HR: Eddie Micheletti Jr. 1
RBI: Eddie Micheletti Jr. 4
Base Running:
RUNS: Carson DeMartini 2 ; Eddie Micheletti Jr. 1 ; Henry Cooke 1 ; Clay Grady 1
HBP: David McCann 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
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AB
5
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
AB
3
R
2
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
RHP
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RHP
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UTL
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OF/LHP
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INF
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