Wake Forest Athletics
Baseball
- Title:
- Assistant Coach (Pitching)
- Email:
- niesenem@wfu.edu
Wake Forest continued its run of sustained national success in 2026, earning its fifth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, a feat accomplished by just 13 programs nationally. The Demon Deacons were also one of only five programs to earn a No. 1 or No. 2 seed in each of the last four NCAA Tournaments. Wake reached 30 wins for the fifth straight season, its longest such streak since winning at least 30 games in six consecutive seasons from 1997-2002. The Deacs also remained the only ACC program to win at least 15 conference games in each of the last five seasons.
Individually, Wake Forest continued to produce All-ACC talent, placing at least three players on the conference teams for the fifth consecutive season. Chris Levonas earned First Team honors, Kade Lewis was named Second Team, and Luke Costello, Dalton Wentz and Javar Williams were selected to the Third Team, while Evan Jones earned All-Freshman honors. Wake has now had at least one First Team All-ACC selection in 10 of the last 12 seasons.
The Couch remained one of the nation's toughest home-field advantages, as Wake Forest went 25-5 at home in 2026 and has posted a 134-30-1 record at home since 2022. The Deacs have recorded at least 20 home wins in each of the last five seasons and are 90-2 in nonconference home games since 2022, including a perfect 15-0 mark in 2026. Over the last five seasons, Wake has outscored opponents 1,554-695 at The Couch and hit 577 home runs, the most in the ACC and fourth-most nationally during that span.
Wake's pitching staff also produced a historic season, recording three one-hit games against Liberty, Elon and UNCG — the most such performances in a single season since the turn of the century. The Deacs posted a 10-game winning streak near the end of the regular season, marking the first time since 2002 that Wake Forest recorded two double-digit winning streaks in the same season. Under head coach Tom Walter, Wake has now posted six winning streaks of at least 10 games.
A former standout pitcher for the Deacs and one of the most respected minds in professional baseball development, Niesen returns to Winston-Salem after a successful run with the Houston Astros, where he most recently served as the organization’s Director of Pitching.
During his tenure, he played a key role in crafting and implementing the Astros’ pitching philosophy across all levels of the minor leagues, and was part of the 2022 World Series Championship and 2024 Triple-A National Title with the Sugar Land Space Cowboys.
Niesen helped develop MLB talent such as Hunter Brown, Spencer Arrighetti, Colton Gordon, and Ryan Gusto, and contributed to the Astros' building of a farm system that has produced over 57% of their current Major League roster, ranking among the top three in all of baseball for homegrown players. From 2022 to 2025, 13 minor league pitchers were called up to the Astros.
Under the guidance of Niesen, Houston’s minor league pitching staffs rank among the top ten in strikeout percentage for three consecutive seasons (2022–2024).
Prior to the Astros, Niesen served as the Pitching Coach at Georgetown University, where he led the program to multiple milestones, including a school-record four MLB Draft picks in a single year and significant improvements in ERA and strikeout metrics.
In 2019, the Georgetown pitching staff broke the program record for strikeouts in a season (488) and strikeouts per nine innings (9.12). The Hoyas led the BIG EAST in total strikeouts and three pitchers finished in the top five in the conference in strikeouts. GU ranked 44th in the country at the end of the regular season in strikeouts per nine innings.
In his first season with the Hoyas in 2018, the pitching staff improved its team ERA in BIG EAST play by nearly two full runs to 4.58. Two pitchers set single-season individual records as Brent Killam recorded 97 strikeouts and Jimmy Swad registered 12 saves. Georgetown pitchers twice earned BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week honors and three Hoya pitchers were selected to All-BIG EAST teams. The Blue & Gray qualified for the BIG EAST Championship for just the second time since 1986.
Niesen is no stranger to Wake Forest, having earned his bachelor’s degree in Communications in 2017 while serving as a Student Assistant Coach on the 2017 team that reached the NCAA Super Regionals.
Before beginning his coaching career, Niesen enjoyed a seven-year professional playing career after being selected in the third round of the 2007 MLB Draft by the New York Mets. He advanced to Double-A with the Mets and was later invited to Major League Spring Training with both the Mets and Seattle Mariners, and pitched at the Triple-A level with the Boston Red Sox during their 2013 World Series championship season.
Niesen also competed internationally in Venezuela and Puerto Rico, pitching in the Venezuelan Winter League Championship for Caribes and pitching in the prestigious Caribbean World Series.
As a player for the Demon Deacons, Niesen was a 2007 MLB Draft 3rd-round pick by the New York Mets following a standout collegiate career for the Demon Deacons.
Over his three years in a Wake uniform, Niesen combined to go 14-9, including a 6-5 record with a 3.00 ERA and 85 strikeouts in 84 innings in his final season.
What They’re Saying:
- Head Baseball Coach Tom Walter:
- “Eric Niesen is one of the most respected pitching minds at any level of baseball and we are fortunate to have him. His ascent through the Astros organization the last 5 years is nothing short of remarkable and speaks to who he is and his ability to identify and develop talent. We are thrilled that Eric, his wife Tina and their children Gideon, Casey Rae and Grady are part of the Deacon family.”
- Pitching Coach Eric Niesen:
- “I’m incredibly thankful to Coach Walter for the opportunity to return to Wake Forest. There’s something truly special about wearing the Old Gold & Black. With the unmatched resources of the pitching lab and the program’s continued investment, everything is in place for success. I’m excited to get to work and help keep building one of the top pitching staffs in college baseball.”
- Matt Hobbs, Arkansas Pitching Coach (former Wake Forest Pitching Coach):
- “Eric is one of the best pitching minds out there and Wake Forest is certainly lucky to have him lead the development of their pitching staff.”
