Saturday, May 31
Knoxville, TN
12 p.m.
Wake Forest University
37-21
14
vs
13
Miami (OH)
35-23
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Wake Forest
0
4
1
3
2
3
0
1
0
14
16
3
Miami (OH)
0
4
0
2
1
0
2
0
4
13
15
0
Deacs Power Past Miami (OH) to Advance in Knoxville Regional
5/31/2025 5:39:00 PM | Baseball
The Demon Deacons have launched nine home runs so far in the Knoxville Regional and are set to face the loser of the Tennessee/Cincinnati game in an elimination game Sunday at Noon ET on ESPN+.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Wake Forest baseball team slugged five more home runs in a 14-13 victory over Miami (OH) Saturday afternoon at Lindsey Nelson Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., bringing their NCAA Regional total to nine in the first two games.
After defeating the RedHawks (35-23), the Demon Deacons (37-21) are set to face the loser of the Tennessee/Cincinnati game in an elimination game Sunday at Noon ET on ESPN+.
Freshman Lucas Costello left the yard in the third inning and sixth inning, marking his third multi-home run game of the season with the other coming in wins over Coastal Carolina on April 15 and Pitt on May 10. He is one of six Demon Deacons to have 10 or more home runs this season.
Fellow freshman Dalton Wentz continued his power surge in the postseason, hitting his fifth home run in the last three games. This postseason, Wentz is batting .667 (8-of-12) with six RBI, eight runs scored and five home runs.
His 13th of the season ties him for second on the team and is the eighth highest total by a freshman in program history:
Later in the second inning, sophomore Javar Williams launched his third of the season to give Wake Forest the early 4-0 lead. Matt Conte became the third freshman to homer in the game, hitting his fourth of the season in the fifth.
Overall this season, the Deacs have slugged 109 home runs which is the fourth-highest total in program history and marks the fourth-straight season Wake Forest has had 100 or more home runs:
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 seven occasions doing so against Elon (2/25), Notre Dame (3/7), Coastal Carolina (3/11), Virginia Tech (3/29), Pitt (5/9), Cal (5/21) and today against the RedHawks (5/31). Wake Forest has more than tripled the 2024 squad, which achieved the feat just two times in 60 contests.
HOW IT HAPPENED
"Obviously not how we drew it up. I didn't want to use seven pitchers to win this game. I'm certainly glad we came out with the win. It was a gritty, tough win. I give a lot of credit to our young guys. Luke here to my left, Dalton (Wentz), Matt Conte, Javar Williams, all have big hits for us today and Kade Lewis even too, so our freshman and sophomores really got it done today, offensively. So, proud of them. On the mound, we were certainly hoping to get more length out of Chris Levonas. He was so good in the first. It just came undone there in the second and it seemed like everybody threw a little less than I wanted them to. We just had too many free 90s. We walked 10, hit three, had a couple of defensive plays that we probably should make. Anyway, found a way to win and Logan (Lunceford) came in at the end and threw nothing but really good fastball strikes. So, I'm really happy with the way Lo threw at the end. We have got to find a way tomorrow to put together nine good innings against the loser of this next game and find a way to stay alive." - Head Coach Tom Walter
UP NEXT
Wake Forest takes on the loser of Tennessee and Cincinnati tomorrow, Sunday, June 1 at 12 p.m. on ESPN+ in an elimination game.
FOLLOW THE DEACS
GoDeacs.com | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
After defeating the RedHawks (35-23), the Demon Deacons (37-21) are set to face the loser of the Tennessee/Cincinnati game in an elimination game Sunday at Noon ET on ESPN+.
Freshman Lucas Costello left the yard in the third inning and sixth inning, marking his third multi-home run game of the season with the other coming in wins over Coastal Carolina on April 15 and Pitt on May 10. He is one of six Demon Deacons to have 10 or more home runs this season.
Fellow freshman Dalton Wentz continued his power surge in the postseason, hitting his fifth home run in the last three games. This postseason, Wentz is batting .667 (8-of-12) with six RBI, eight runs scored and five home runs.
His 13th of the season ties him for second on the team and is the eighth highest total by a freshman in program history:
| Rank | Home Runs | Player |
| T1. | 17 | Brock Wilken (2021) |
| T1. | 17 | Jamie D'Antona (2001) |
| T3. | 15 | Nick Kurtz (2022) |
| T3. | 15 | Allan Dykstra (2006) |
| T3. | 15 | Anthony Maisano (1986) |
| T6. | 14 | Pat Malloy (1996) |
| T6. | 14 | Kevin Bunn (1981) |
| 8. | 13 | Dalton Wentz (2025) |
| 9. | 12 | Carlos Lopez (2009) |
| 10. | 11 | Jake Austin (1989) |
| T11. | 10 | Lucas Costello (2025) |
| T11. | 10 | Brendan Tinsman (2019) |
Later in the second inning, sophomore Javar Williams launched his third of the season to give Wake Forest the early 4-0 lead. Matt Conte became the third freshman to homer in the game, hitting his fourth of the season in the fifth.
Overall this season, the Deacs have slugged 109 home runs which is the fourth-highest total in program history and marks the fourth-straight season Wake Forest has had 100 or more home runs:
| Rank | Home Runs | Year | Games Played |
| 1. | 130 | 2023 | 66 |
| 2. | 122 | 2022 | 61 |
| 3. | 113 | 2024 | 60 |
| 4. | 109 | 2025 | 58 |
| 5. | 106 | 2017 | 63 |
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 seven occasions doing so against Elon (2/25), Notre Dame (3/7), Coastal Carolina (3/11), Virginia Tech (3/29), Pitt (5/9), Cal (5/21) and today against the RedHawks (5/31). Wake Forest has more than tripled the 2024 squad, which achieved the feat just two times in 60 contests.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Starter Chris Levonas worked a scoreless bottom of the first behind a pair of strikeouts and a great defensive play by shortstop Marek Houston.
- Wake Forest struck for four runs in the top of the second on a pair of two-run homers.
- Freshman Dalton Wentz stayed red hot, slapping a single into right field with one away in the frame.
- Fellow freshman Luke Costello hammered a 3-1 pitch to the top part of the left field bleachers to put the Deacs on the board with his ninth of the year.
- The homer left the bat at 107 mph, traveling 414 feet.
- After a walk to second baseman Austin Hawke, center fielder Javar Williams deposited the first pitch he saw to right center to extend the lead to 4-0.
- Williams' third of the season left the bat at 100 mph, traveling 367 feet.
- The RedHawks got four runs back in the bottom of the inning to tie the game.
- Wentz struck for his fifth home run in the last three games to give Wake the lead back in the third.
- Wentz's 13th of the season left the bat at 97 mph, traveling 331 feet.
- Reliever Zach Johnston worked around a two-out single for a shutdown frame in the bottom of the third.
- The Demon Deacons pushed the lead back to four with three runs in the top half of the fourth.
- Catcher Matt Conte singled to right field to lead off the frame.
- A walk to Williams put a pair on for right fielder Matt Scannell, who lasered a two-RBI double 109 mph off the bat to make it 7-4.
- An infield single by Houston pushed Scannell to third to put runners on the corners.
- Junior Jack Winnay lifted a sacrifice fly to center to bring Scannell home and extended the Demon Deacons lead back to four runs.
- Miami (OH) scratched two runs across to make it an 8-6 contest after four complete innings.
- Scannell picked up his sixth assist of the year, gunning down a runner at the plate for the second out of the inning.
- Wake Forest scored for the fourth-straight inning with two runs in the fifth.
- Conte hit the Deacs' fourth home run of the game with a solo shot to right field for his fourth of the year.
- The solo homer left the bat at 100 mph, traveling 364 feet.
- A sac fly from Houston later in the inning pushed Wake's run total into double digits for the 22nd time this season.
- Conte hit the Deacs' fourth home run of the game with a solo shot to right field for his fourth of the year.
- Sophomore Josh Gunther got Wake Forest out of a jam with a strikeout to end the fifth with the Demon Deacons up, 10-7.
- The Deacs put up their third crooked number in a row with three runs in the top of the sixth.
- Winnay became the seventh Demon Deacon to record a hit with a lead-off single into left field.
- Wentz walked to put a pair on with no outs.
- Costello demolished his second home run of the game on a 3-2 pitch to make it a 13-7 contest.
- Costello's 10th of the season left the bat at 106 mph, traveling 443 feet, clearing the porch in left field.
- The freshman becomes the sixth Demon Deacon to reach double-digit home runs this season.
- Gunther worked a pair of strikeouts and a flyout to get through the sixth unscathed for a shutdown inning.
- Miami (OH) got a pair of runs back in the bottom of the seventh to make it 13-9.
- Lewis recorded his 25th multi-hit effort of the year with a two-out RBI double to make it 14-9 in favor of the Demon Deacons after seven and a half innings.
- Sophomore Haiden Leffew took the contest to the ninth with a pair of strikeouts and a popout.
- Junior Logan Lunceford came on in the ninth to get the final two outs for the Deacs, getting a popout to third and a strikeout to end the game.
- The Demon Deacons held on to claim a 14-13 victory over Miami (OH).
- Since the start of the 2022 season, Wake Forest has totaled 474 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 at the ACC Tournament, Wake Forest and Tennessee are the only schools to reach the 100 home run total in each of the last four seasons.
- Wake Forest has belted 109 home runs over 58 games to lead the ACC and rank 10th in the nation.
- The Demon Deacons are one of just 16 teams over the 100-homer mark, led by Winnay's 15 homers.
- Wake has left the yard at least once in all but 10 games to this point in the 2025 campaign and are 33-15 when hitting a homer and 22-8 when hitting multiple homers.
- Wake Forest has a +166 run differential through 58 games.
- The Deacs have outscored their opponents 252-131 between the fourth through seventh innings.
- The Deacs are 33-15 when hitting a home run and 22-8 when hitting multiple homers.
- Wake has won 12 of 17 games in which it has not committed an error while going 25-16 when committing at least one error.
- When holding opponents to five or fewer runs, the Demon Deacons are 27-4. On the flip side, Wake has a record of 6-11 when scoring five or fewer runs in a game and is 31-10 when scoring at least six runs. Wake is 12-11 in games decided by two runs or less.
- Home runs account for 196 of the 474 runs batted in on the season (41.4 percent)
"Obviously not how we drew it up. I didn't want to use seven pitchers to win this game. I'm certainly glad we came out with the win. It was a gritty, tough win. I give a lot of credit to our young guys. Luke here to my left, Dalton (Wentz), Matt Conte, Javar Williams, all have big hits for us today and Kade Lewis even too, so our freshman and sophomores really got it done today, offensively. So, proud of them. On the mound, we were certainly hoping to get more length out of Chris Levonas. He was so good in the first. It just came undone there in the second and it seemed like everybody threw a little less than I wanted them to. We just had too many free 90s. We walked 10, hit three, had a couple of defensive plays that we probably should make. Anyway, found a way to win and Logan (Lunceford) came in at the end and threw nothing but really good fastball strikes. So, I'm really happy with the way Lo threw at the end. We have got to find a way tomorrow to put together nine good innings against the loser of this next game and find a way to stay alive." - Head Coach Tom Walter
UP NEXT
Wake Forest takes on the loser of Tennessee and Cincinnati tomorrow, Sunday, June 1 at 12 p.m. on ESPN+ in an elimination game.
FOLLOW THE DEACS
GoDeacs.com | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Johnston, Zach (2-1)
L: Clayton Burke (6-3)
S: Logan Lunceford (1)
Batting:
2B: Matt Scannell 1 ; Lewis, Kade 1 ; Hawke, Austin 1 ; Williams, Javar 1
HR: Wentz, Dalton 1 ; Costello, Luke 2 ; Conte, Matt 1 ; Williams, Javar 1
RBI: Matt Scannell 2 ; Schaaf, Blake 1 ; Lewis, Kade 1 ; Miller, Jackson 1 ; Wentz, Dalton 1 ; Costello, Luke 5 ; Conte, Matt 1 ; Williams, Javar 2
SF: Schaaf, Blake 1 ; Miller, Jackson 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Matt Scannell 1 ; Schaaf, Blake 1 ; Miller, Jackson 1 ; Wentz, Dalton 3 ; Costello, Luke 2 ; Hawke, Austin 1 ; Conte, Matt 2 ; Williams, Javar 3
SB: Matt Scannell 1
HBP: Miller, Jackson 1
Batting:
2B: Dillon Baker 1 ; Anthony Zarlingo 1 ; Evan Appelwick 1
HR: Evan Appelwick 1
RBI: Dillon Baker 1 ; Anthony Zarlingo 2 ; Evan Appelwick 2 ; David Novak 3 ; Dominic Krupinski 1 ; Blake Buzzeo 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Dillon Baker 2 ; Ryan Novak 2 ; Anthony Zarlingo 1 ; Evan Appelwick 2 ; David Novak 2 ; Dominic Krupinski 2 ; Ty Batusich 1 ; Tommy Harrison 1
SB: Blake Buzzeo 1
HBP: Anthony Zarlingo 1 ; Dominic Krupinski 2
Game Leaders
AB
5
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3
H
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RBI
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AB
5
R
1
H
2
RBI
2
AB
6
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
AB
5
R
2
H
2
RBI
5
Players Mentioned
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