Wake Forest Athletics
Sunday, March 1
Winston-Salem, N.C.
2:30 p.m.
Wake Forest University
11-1
16
vs
6
Davidson
4-7
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Davidson
0
0
1
0
1
4
0
6
12
1
Wake Forest
0
2
4
5
2
2
1
16
15
0
No. 16 Wake Forest Wraps Up Perfect 4-0 Weekend with Win Over Davidson
3/1/2026 6:15:00 PM | Baseball
The Demon Deacons have now won 11-consecutive games for the first time since winning 13 in a row to open the historic 2023 campaign.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – For the first time since the historic 2023 season, the No. 16 Wake Forest baseball team (11-1) has won 11-consecutive games following its 16-6 defeat of Davidson (4-7) Sunday at David F. Couch Ballpark.
Over the four-game weekend, the Demon Deacons outscored their opponents 60-13 and won every game by at least six runs. On the mound, the Wake Forest starters combined for 22.0 innings pitched, one run allowed and 37 strikeouts.
Sophomore Rhys Bowie got the nod for his first-career start and went 4.0 innings, allowing just one run on four hits while striking out four. Reliever Will Ray got the Deacs out of a jam, tossing a perfect inning of relief with a pair of strikeouts. Freshman Evan Jones tossed a scoreless seventh, striking out two Wildcats.
Six different Demon Deacons recorded multi-hit performances, led by Kade Lewis. The Sartell, Minn., native finished 3-for-4 with a solo home run and a pair of runs scored.
Juniors Javar Williams and Ryan Preisano both left the yard for the first time in 2026, as Wake Forest had three or more home runs for the fourth time this season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
STAGGERING STATISTICS
FROM COACH WALTER
"It was a good weekend for us. Obviously, anytime you can go 4-0 on a weekend, that's a great weekend. I thought Rhys Bowie was solid, not great. I thought he threw the ball really well in the fourth inning. Early in the game, he was just trying to conserve bullets and trying to go deep into the game, which I understood and I respect, but that's not who he is. He's a guy that needs to go out there and pitch a little bit with his hair on fire.
Two games in a row, we got big leads and gave up some runs late. We need to clean that up a little bit and not take our foot off the gas, because that's going to come back to bite us somewhere along the way. Offensively, the top of the order got it done again today. Javar [Williams] gets on base a couple of times. Kade Lewis had a great day. Dalton Wentz had a great day. And Nick Rubino off the bench, got a couple of big hits. It was really good to see Bino get in there and do that. Big bridge situations from both [Evan] Jones and [Will] Ray coming in, making great pitches in traffic. I'm really happy to see those two guys throw the ball well.
Tuesday's game has been moved to Wednesday to catch a little better weather. Wednesday's weather looks a good 15 degrees warmer than Tuesday's, so we're going to go from Tuesday to Wednesday for that game against App State. But always feels good to win, and we're looking forward to playing baseball on Wednesday." - Head Coach Tom Walter
UP NEXT
Wake Forest has slightly adjusted its schedule and will return to action on Wednesday, March 4, as it makes the trip to Boone, N.C. for a midweek clash against App State before opening ACC play against Stanford. First pitch against the Mountaineers is set for 4 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
FOLLOW THE DEACS
GoDeacs.com | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Over the four-game weekend, the Demon Deacons outscored their opponents 60-13 and won every game by at least six runs. On the mound, the Wake Forest starters combined for 22.0 innings pitched, one run allowed and 37 strikeouts.
Sophomore Rhys Bowie got the nod for his first-career start and went 4.0 innings, allowing just one run on four hits while striking out four. Reliever Will Ray got the Deacs out of a jam, tossing a perfect inning of relief with a pair of strikeouts. Freshman Evan Jones tossed a scoreless seventh, striking out two Wildcats.
Six different Demon Deacons recorded multi-hit performances, led by Kade Lewis. The Sartell, Minn., native finished 3-for-4 with a solo home run and a pair of runs scored.
Juniors Javar Williams and Ryan Preisano both left the yard for the first time in 2026, as Wake Forest had three or more home runs for the fourth time this season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- After a leadoff single, starting pitcher Rhys Bowie retired the next three hitters with a strikeout and a pair of groundouts back to him to get through the top of the first unharmed.
- A 1-6 lineout double-play to end the inning got Bowie through a second clean frame.
- Wake Forest jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second.
- A miscue from the Wildcat shortstop put a runner on to open the inning.
- First baseman Ryan Preisano blasted a 1-0 pitch just to the left of the batter's eye for his first home run of the season to get the Demon Deacons on the board.
- Davidson got a run back in the top of the third.
- The Demon Deacons immediately answered with four runs in the third.
- Center fielder Javar Williams and third baseman Kade Lewis hit back-to-back home runs to stretch the lead to 4-1.
- Williams' opposite field shot marked the first of his junior campaign, while Lewis hit his third of the year on a 436-foot bomb.
- Freshman JD Stein was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to drive in another run.
- Second baseman Blake Shaaf placed a single through the left side to move the runners station-to-station and added to the Wake Forest advantage.
- Center fielder Javar Williams and third baseman Kade Lewis hit back-to-back home runs to stretch the lead to 4-1.
- A second double play from the defense behind Bowie got Wake Forest out of the fourth.
- The Deacs stretched the lead to double digits with five runs in the home half of the fifth.
- Back-to-back singles from Lewis and designated hitter Dalton Wentz put two on with nobody out.
- Sophomore Jackson Miller attacked the first pitch he saw, sending a double off the wall in deep right-center field to bring home both runners.
- Stein's second RBI of the day on an infield single plated Miller to make it 9-1 in favor of the home team.
- The freshman came around to score on a stolen base by second baseman Blake Shaaf, who reached on a single to right field.
- Williams capped the scoring with an RBI single into right field to make it 11-1 after four complete innings.
- Despite the Wildcats getting a run back in the fifth, senior Will Ray got the Deacs out of a jam with a pair of strikeouts.
- Wake Forest put up a crooked number for the fourth-straight inning, with Stein picking up his third RBI of the day and Shaaf earning his second RBI with a sacrifice fly to left center to make it 13-2 after five innings.
- Four runs by Davidson in the sixth trimmed the Wake lead to seven.
- The Demon Deacons pushed the lead back to nine with a pair of runs in the sixth.
- Sophomore Nick Rubino picked up his first hit as a Demon Deacon, roping an RBI double down the line in left.
- An RBI walk from Preisano plated a season-high tying 15th run for Wake Forest.
- Freshman Evan Jones recorded a pair of strikeouts to keep Davidson off the board in the seventh.
- Rubino's second hit of the day ended the game in the bottom of the seventh, as he laced a ball into left field to complete the run-rule victory.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
- Wake Forest has come alive offensively at The Couch, scoring at least seven runs in each of the first eight home games. So far, the Demon Deacons are outscoring opponents 91 to 28 at home, including scoring in the double digits in five contests.
STAGGERING STATISTICS
- Since 2022, Wake Forest's starting pitchers have outlasted or matched their counterparts in 182 of 259 games. During that time frame, the Deacs are 150-31-1, going 34-9-1 in 2022, 48-4 in 2023, 32-8 in 2024, 28- 10 in 2025 and 9-0 to start the 2026 campaign. On the flip side, Wake is 32-45 in the 77 games where opposing pitchers have had a longer outing.
- The Wake Forest starters combined for 22.0 innings pitched, one run allowed and 37 strikeouts.
- The Demon Deacons got at least 4.0 innings out of all four starters this weekend, as Wake's bullpen accounted for just 9.0 innings of work across the four games.
FROM COACH WALTER
"It was a good weekend for us. Obviously, anytime you can go 4-0 on a weekend, that's a great weekend. I thought Rhys Bowie was solid, not great. I thought he threw the ball really well in the fourth inning. Early in the game, he was just trying to conserve bullets and trying to go deep into the game, which I understood and I respect, but that's not who he is. He's a guy that needs to go out there and pitch a little bit with his hair on fire.
Two games in a row, we got big leads and gave up some runs late. We need to clean that up a little bit and not take our foot off the gas, because that's going to come back to bite us somewhere along the way. Offensively, the top of the order got it done again today. Javar [Williams] gets on base a couple of times. Kade Lewis had a great day. Dalton Wentz had a great day. And Nick Rubino off the bench, got a couple of big hits. It was really good to see Bino get in there and do that. Big bridge situations from both [Evan] Jones and [Will] Ray coming in, making great pitches in traffic. I'm really happy to see those two guys throw the ball well.
Tuesday's game has been moved to Wednesday to catch a little better weather. Wednesday's weather looks a good 15 degrees warmer than Tuesday's, so we're going to go from Tuesday to Wednesday for that game against App State. But always feels good to win, and we're looking forward to playing baseball on Wednesday." - Head Coach Tom Walter
UP NEXT
Wake Forest has slightly adjusted its schedule and will return to action on Wednesday, March 4, as it makes the trip to Boone, N.C. for a midweek clash against App State before opening ACC play against Stanford. First pitch against the Mountaineers is set for 4 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
FOLLOW THE DEACS
GoDeacs.com | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Bowie, Rhys (1-0)
L: PYNE, G (0-1)
Batting:
2B: RICE, A 1
HR: THOMAS, G 1 ; EDWARDS, S 1
RBI: THOMAS, G 2 ; MANJOORAN, M 2 ; DALY, J 1 ; EDWARDS, S 1
Base Running:
RUNS: VANNOY, M 1 ; RICE, A 1 ; THOMAS, G 1 ; DALY, J 1 ; EDWARDS, S 2
HBP: RICE, A 1 ; DALY, J 1
Batting:
2B: Wentz, Dalton 1 ; Miller, Jackson 1 ; Rubino, Nick 1
HR: Lewis, Kade 1 ; Williams, Javar 1 ; Preisano, Ryan 1
RBI: Stein, JD 3 ; Lewis, Kade 1 ; Schaaf, Blake 2 ; Williams, Javar 2 ; Miller, Jackson 2 ; Rubino, Nick 2 ; Preisano, Ryan 3
SF: Schaaf, Blake 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Wentz, Dalton 3 ; Stein, JD 1 ; Lewis, Kade 2 ; Schaaf, Blake 2 ; Conte, Matt 2 ; Williams, Javar 2 ; Miller, Jackson 2 ; Rubino, Nick 1 ; Preisano, Ryan 1
SB: Schaaf, Blake 2 ; Williams, Javar 2
HBP: Stein, JD 1 ; Preisano, Ryan 1
Game Leaders
AB
3
R
2
H
3
RBI
1
AB
3
R
3
H
2
RBI
0
2b/3b
AB
2
R
2
H
2
RBI
2
Players Mentioned
LHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
INF
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball
OF
/ BaseballWake Forest Sports 2026 Hall of Fame Ceremony
Sunday, March 01
Steve Forbes - Postgame Presser vs. Syracuse
Sunday, March 01
Wake Forest Women's Basketball Highlights vs Boston College
Monday, February 23
Steve Forbes - Postgame Presser at Virginia Tech
Saturday, February 21