Head Coach Tom Walter Secures 500th Win at Wake Forest as Deacs Beat High Point in Home Opener

Tuesday, February 17

Winston-Salem, N.C.

5 p.m.

Wake Forest University

3-1

High Point

2-2

High Point

Wake Forest

Head Coach Tom Walter Secures 500th Win at Wake Forest as Deacs Beat High Point in Home Opener

2/17/2026 9:25:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

Freshman outfielder Andrew Costello recorded a two-run double in the second inning and an RBI triple in the sixth to lead the Demon Deacons offensively.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The No. 22 Wake Forest baseball team (3-1, 0-0 ACC) held on to claim a 7-6 win over High Point (2-2, 0-0 Big South) in its home opener at David F. Couch Ballpark on Tuesday night as head coach Tom Walter secured his 500th win with the Demon Deacons.

Freshman outfielder Andrew Costello led the Deacs offensively as he went 2-for-3 from the plate with a triple, double, three RBIs, two runs and a stolen base.

Costello recorded the first hit of his collegiate career on a two-run double off the left-center wall in the second inning. The Erie, Pa., native added another RBI in the sixth inning on a triple to deep center.

Junior center fielder Javar Williams continued his hot start to the season as he recorded his third multi-hit game of the season. The Dartmouth, Mass., native finished the game going 2-for-3 with two walks and three stolen bases.

Over the course of the first four games, Williams is leading the team with a .438 batting average as he has gone 7-for-16 from the plate. Williams has also logged an RBI and a team-high six stolen bases.

Freshman reliever Evan Jones earned the win on the mound for the Deacs as he recorded three strikeouts across 1.2 scoreless innings. Meanwhile, sophomore Troy Dressler struck out a pair in a clean eighth inning, while freshman left-hander Ryan Bosch struck out the final batter of the game to pick up his first-career save.

After tossing 42 strikeouts over their three games at the Puerto Rico Challenge to tie for 12th in the country entering the contest, the Demon Deacon pitching staff combined for 12 strikeouts against the Panthers.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Demon Deacons recorded a scoreless frame in the top of the first, highlighted by an inning-ending double play.
Wake Forest jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first on a fielder's choice, an HPU error and a sacrifice fly.
High Point got a run back in the top of the second on a Wake miscue.
The Deacs made it a four-run game in the second inning as freshman Andrew Costello doubled off the wall in deep left-center to drive in a pair of runs.
Sophomore Cameron Bagwell struck out two en route to another scoreless frame in the third.
The Panthers cut the lead down to one as they plated three runs in the top of the fourth.
Wake Forest responded with a clean inning in the top half of the fifth.
High Point tied the game at 5-5 in the top of the sixth.
- Freshman reliever Evan Jones picked up a pair of strikeouts to limit the damage.
Costello broke the tie in the bottom half of the sixth as he recorded an RBI triple to deep center.
- The Erie, Pa., native scored on a passed ball a couple of pitches later to make it 7-5.
The Deacs kept the Panthers off the board once again in the top of the seventh.
Sophomore right-hander Troy Dressler logged a scoreless eighth inning on the mound.
High Point added a run in the ninth.
Freshman left-hander Ryan Bosch struck out the final batter of the game to pick up the save as the Deacs held on to the 7-6 win.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

With the win over the Panthers, head coach Tom Walter recorded his 500th win as the head coach of the Demon Deacons.
- Currently in his 17th season with the Deacs, Walter has recorded the second-most wins in program history, trailing only Wake Forest Hall of Famer George Greer (636).
- Since taking over at Wake Forest, Walter has led the Demon Deacons to six NCAA Tournament appearances, including a trip to the 2023 College World Series.
  - Walter also led the Deacs to their first ACC Regular Season title since 1963 en route to being named ACC Coach of the Year in 2023.

STAGGERING STATISTICS

With a clear home-field advantage, Wake has gone 110-25-1 since 2022 at The Couch with at least 20 wins at home in each of the last four seasons, including a stellar 34-3 mark on their way to a program-record 54 wins in 2023, 25-7 in 2024, and finished 24-8 in 2025.
- Over the past four seasons, the Demon Deacons have outscored their opponents by almost 700 runs at The Couch, with a 1,273-566 scoring margin in 136 contests.

FROM COACH WALTER
"You have to find ways to win those close ones. It wasn't how we drew it up and it wasn't pretty, but we'll take it. I thought the difference in the game was our bullpen. Zach Johnston pitched well, and Evan Jones got five big outs as a freshman. Troy Dressler was awesome in the eighth, and another freshman in Ryan Bosch came in and got a big strikeout with the game on the line. We're still struggling on the offensive side of the ball, especially with runners on base. I think we were 4-for-20 today with runners on base. That will turn. We're a good offensive club. We're not swinging it great right now, but that will turn soon. The difference in the game offensively was Javar Williams. Javar with his legs beats that play at home and steals third during the first inning to set us up for a three-run first. Cameron Bagwell didn't have great stuff today. I probably made a mistake in pitching him on Saturday in Puerto Rico, but he battled. If those two fly balls found gloves, he probably would have only given up one today. That's baseball though. We lost the ball in the lights and didn't make a play at the wall we probably should have made. I'm still really happy with our bullpen and it was a good team win." - Head Coach Tom Walter

UP NEXT
Wake Forest opens their first home series of the season against Siena on Friday, Feb. 20 at David F. Couch Ballpark.

First pitch against the Saints is slated for 4 p.m.

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