Demon Deacons Turn Attention to NCAA Regionals

DURHAM, N.C. – The Wake Forest baseball team trimmed a trio of six-run deficits down to two, ultimately falling, 14-12, to California on Wednesday at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.

With their four homers on Wednesday against the Bears (24-30), the Demon Deacons (36-20) brought their ACC-leading home run total to 100, becoming the 10th team in the country this season to reach the mark. Additionally, Wake Forest and Tennessee are the only two teams to have 100 or more home runs each of the last two seasons.

Freshman Dalton Wentz provided a spark offensively for the Demon Deacons, recording his first multi-home run game of his career to drive in three runs. Wentz became the fifth Wake hitter to reach double-digit homers this season, as the Deacs have had five hitters reach 10 or more homers in each of the last four seasons.

Catcher Jimmy Keenan hit his second home run in as many games, launching his sixth of the year during his fourth at-bat of the contest.

Junior Austin Hawke added his third long ball in his last four games, hitting a solo shot into right-center field during the eighth inning to bring his season total to nine.

Shortstop Marek Houston drove in three runs with two outs, bringing his two-out RBI total to 26 on the year.

Every Demon Deacon finished the game with at least one hit. The Demon Deacons have seen productivity up and down the lineup, with all nine hitters in the starting lineup recording a hit in the same game on six occasions, doing so against Elon (2/25), Notre Dame (3/7), Coastal Carolina (3/11), Virginia Tech (3/29), Pitt (5/9) and most recently Cal (5/21). Wake Forest has tripled the 2024 squad, which achieved the feat just two times in 60 contests.

Junior Josh Gunther kept Wake Forest in the contest with 1.1 innings of scoreless relief. Over his last five appearances, the righty hasn't allowed a run with 11 strikeouts in 6.2 innings.

HOW IT HAPPENED

With righthander Logan Lunceford on the mound, the Demon Deacons worked a 1-2-3 top of the first on just 16 pitches.
After sophomore Kade Lewis extended his on-base streak to 26 games in the bottom of the first, the game remained scoreless going into the second.
California took a 6-0 lead in the top of the second.
The Demon Deacons got on the board in the bottom of the second with three runs to cut the deficit in half.
- Freshman Dalton Wentz launched a solo shot to right field.
  - The homer marked his ninth of the season and he is one of seven Deacs to have eight or more home runs on the season.
- Junior Austin Hawke reached on a walk and sophomore Javar Williams via a hit by pitch to put two runners on with two outs.
- After a Cal pitching change, graduate student Matt Scannell walked on five pitches to load the bases.
- Junior Marek Houston drove home a pair on a single to right field to make it a 6-3 game.
- Lewis reached for the second time in the game, loading the bases again with two outs on a hit by pitch.
With the game now at 6-3, the Deacs had a quick frame highlighted by a great running play along the left field wall from freshman Lucas Costello.
- Sophomore Josh Gunther came in to record the final out of the inning, keeping the deficit at just three.
Wentz reached for the second time in the game, coaxing a one-out walk to set the table.
- One pitch later, Hawke continued his hot hitting, lining a double into the left center gap to put two Deacs in scoring position.
- Junior Jimmy Keenan loaded the bases on a four-pitch walk, but the Deacs were unable to push a run in.
Gunther worked a scoreless third to keep the game at 6-3.
First baseman Jack Winnay extended his hit streak to eight games with a single in the fourth.
- The junior has hit safely in 15 of the last 16 contests for the Demon Deacons.
Righthander Luke Schmolke came in for the fifth, tossing a scoreless inning while facing just four batters.
Hawke and Keenan worked their way on to put two Deacs on with one out.
- Scannell loaded the bases on an infield single with two outs.
- After a Cal pitching change, Houston forced home a run on a walk to draw Wake Forest within two runs.
Cal tacked on three runs to their lead in the sixth.
After Winnay worked a leadoff walk, Wentz unloaded on his second home run of the game to put the Deacs within three.
- With his 10th of the season, he became the fifth Demon Deacon to reach double-digit homers. It also marked the ACC leading 98th home run for the team this season.
- Two batters later, Keenan homered to left, making it a 9-7 game.
  - It was his second home run in as many games and the Deacs' 99th for the season.
Cal added four runs in the seventh to make it a 13-7 game.
Houston got his second hit of the game to lead off the seventh, advancing into scoring position before the inning ended.
After a Cal run in the eighth, they took a 14-7 lead into the bottom half.
With Hawke's ninth home run of the season in the bottom of the eighth, it marked the Deacs' 100th home run of the season.
- Wake Forest and Tennessee are the only two teams to reach the 100 home run mark in each of the last four seasons.
Freshman Rhys Bowie tossed a scoreless top of the ninth.
Houston reached on a walk and then Lewis collected his first hit of the game to put two on with no outs.
- Houston came home to score on a Costello single.
- The next two batters reached base to load the bases with two outs.
- Keenan walked to force home a run, making it 14-10.
- A single through the right side from Williams scored a pair of runs to pull the Deacs within two.
Getting the tying run to first and the winning run to the plate with two outs in the ninth, the Demon Deacons fell 14-12.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Since the start of the 2022 season, Wake Forest has totaled 465 home runs, which leads the ACC and ranks third nationally during that time.
- The Deacs are one of just four teams nationally to have 100 or more home runs from 2022-24, joined by Tennessee, Florida, and Campbell.
  - With four home runs on Wednesday, Wake Forest and Tennessee are the only schools to reach the 100 home run total in each of four seasons.
- Wake Forest has belted 100 home runs over 56 games to lead the ACC and 10th in the nation pending the rest of Wednesday's results.

The Demon Deacons are one of just 22 teams over the 90-homer mark to this point of the season, led by Winnay and Houston with 12 homers.

Wake Forest has left the yard at least once in all but 10 games to this point in the 2025 campaign.

The Deacs are 32-13 when hitting a home run and 21-6 when hitting multiple homers.

FROM COACH WALTER
"I was disappointed with how we threw the ball today. We've got to be better than that. We had the right guys on the mound in the right situations, but we just couldn't get shutdown innings. We had Luke Schmolke out there with a chance for a shutdown inning and he walked two batters. Zach Johnston came out there with a chance to shut it down and he walked the leadoff guy, made a bad pitch on an 0-2 count, and gave up a three-run homer. We just have to do a better job on the mound. We gave up 13 free passes, as well as hanging a couple of 0-2 pitches. Offensively, we had an okay day. We were a little overly aggressive, especially in the middle of the game against their low-slot lefty. If we were a little more patient with him, we probably could have had better results. Give California credit though. They battled and they played well. Their middle of the order killed us today and we also walked one of their guys five times. We have got to play better baseball as we head into the NCAA Tournament." - Head Coach Tom Walter

UP NEXT
Wake Forest awaits its NCAA Regional designation on Monday with the selection show taking place at Noon ET on ESPN2.

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Team Stats

Marek Houston

Dalton Wentz

Austin Hawke

Matt Scannell

Players Mentioned

Rhys Bowie

Josh Gunther

Austin Hawke

Marek Houston

Zach Johnston

Jimmy Keenan

Kade Lewis

Logan Lunceford

Matt Scannell

Luke Schmolke

Dalton Wentz

Javar Williams

Jack Winnay

Wake Forest Athletics