Meet the Demon Deacons… A team getting hot at the right time
Who’s the Pack playing?
Opponent: Wake Forest
Mascot: Deacons in need of Priests | School Location: Cigaretteville, NC | Conference: ACC
2024 Record: 36-16 (15-12, 4th Atlantic) | 2024 RPI Rank: 8
2023 Record: 54-12 (22-7, 1st Atlantic) | 2023 RPI Rank: 2
2022 Record: 41-19-1 (15-14-1, 3rd Atlantic) | 2022 RPI Rank: 15
When? Where? How do I watch?
Location: Doak Field at Dail Park (Raleigh, NC)
Game Time(s): Thu, May 16 @ 7:00pm | Fri, May 17 @ 7:00pm | Sat, May 18 @ 3:00pm
TV: Thursday (ACCNX), Friday (ACC Network), Saturday (ACCNX)
Live Stats: Sidearm Stats
Tell me about this team
It’s a little crazy the parallels between NC State’s last two opponents. Seriously, go back and look at the “Who’s the Pack playing” section from last week vs Virginia.
Anyways, it’s another straight opponent coming off a College World Series appearance last year looking like a contender to end up in Omaha again, so let’s get to it.
Unlike Virginia, who has been pretty Steady Eddie all year in being very good at baseball, Wake Forest took a rather circuitous route to looking like the team they were expected to be all year. Sure, the season started off on an 11-1 kick and things appeared good on the surface, but then conference play hit and the Demon Deacons started off 4-8 in ACC play. A far cry from the preseason #1 team in the country.
The Deacs are 19-6 since, with the only real blip being a series loss at Notre Dame where they blew an 8th inning lead in the rubber match. More impressively, Wake has won 9 straight games, including sweeping Atlantic Division leader and Top 5 ranked Clemson last weekend. It may have taken them a while to get here, but the goal is always to be playing your best ball of the season when the calendar hits May and that’s exactly what Tom Walter has his club doing.
Wake is built on a combination of experience and elite talent. They have three of the top 12 ranked players for the 2024 MLB Draft while having two other players ranked in the Top 100 prospects. As you’d expect with a Walter-built team, there are power bats and power arms; Wake tries to do everything in excess.
The lineup is producing at roughly the same level as last year’s CWS club, but the difference is the pitching staff hasn’t pitched at the same level, although living up to the standard set by the 2023 squad (2.83 ERA, 779 K and 183 BB over 581.2 IP) is almost impossible. The biggest issue with the pitching staff is the control among the relievers. Every arm Wake puts on the bump has talent, but the ability to find the plate has been a consistent problem this year.
Still, the team has a Top 10 pick anchoring the rotation (Chase Burns) and a deep bullpen. Josh Hartle has had a rough year, but he’s coming off his best start of the year against Clemson, and should he regain his 2023 form, this is a team that could easily find its way back to competing for a national championship.
(Probable) Pitching Matchups
Friday: RHP Sam Highfill (SR) — RHP David Falco (SR)
Saturday: LHP Dominic Fritton (SO) — RHP Chase Burns (JR)
Sunday: RHP Logan Whitaker (SR) — LHP Josh Hartle (JR)
Key Players:
Offense
1B Nick Kurtz (JR) – .322/.540/.796, 29.7 BB%, 15.5 K%, 3-3 SB. Look at that walk rate!!! Goodness, man! The dude is a power and on-base machine, projected as a Top 10 pick with almost everyone projecting him to go #4 overall to the Athletics, because that would just be a perfect match of organization and player. By the way, he was hitting just .217 heading into the March 30th game vs UNC, so he’s been on an absolute tear over the last month and a half.
3B Seaver King (JR) – .326/.393/.621, 8.7 BB%, 11.1 K%, 9-10 SB. Transfer from D2 Wingate who has made the move up the ladder flawlessly. He’s a Top 15 pick in the upcoming draft. Super fast (don’t let the lower SB number fool you – that’s more to do with Wake’s style of play) with the ability to play anywhere in the infield or outfield at the next level, with most projecting him as a shortstop.
DH Jake Reinisch (SR) – .320/.427/.665, 15.3 BB%, 21.5 K%, 1-3 SB. Was a starter in 2022 (.318/.467/.517) but took on a reserve role last year as a slow start and a banged up knee cost him his gig. He’s back as a starter now and hitting with a lot more pop. Has 5 HR in his last 7 games.
RF Jack Winnay (SO) – .326/.425/.726, 15.0 BB%, 20.1 K%, 3-3 SB. Started just two games last year as a lightly used reserve (19 AB on the year), but has burst onto the scene this year. He’s draft-eligible this year and is moving up draft boards, but could return next year with an even bigger draft profile.
SS Marek Houston (SO) – .327/.424/.515, 13.0 BB%, 13.5 K%, 5-6 SB. An excellent defensive player, Houston has come into his own with the bat this year, rising to take the leadoff spot in this potent lineup. With the bat questions answered, he’s a first rounder next year.
Pitching
RHP David Falco (SR) – 2-3, 3 SV, 5.45 ERA, 33.0 IP, 8.8 BB%, 27.0 K%. The big 6’4, 235 pound Maryland transfer just recently entered the starting rotation two weeks ago with mixed results. Got touched up by Clemson last week (4 ER in 3.1 IP, but with 6 K). Those two starts are the only two of his college career as all 62 of his appearances with the Terps were in relief.
RHP Chase Burns (JR) – 10-1, 2.85 ERA, 82.0 IP, 7.6 BB%, 49.4 K%. One of the top three pitchers for this year’s draft, the Tennessee transfer bumps triple digits regularly with his fastball and his slider is disgustingly good. No, that strikeout rate is not a typo.
LHP Josh Hartle (JR) – 7-2, 5.32 ERA, 64.1 IP, 7.4 BB%, 24.2 K%. It’s been a rough year for Hartle as he’s gone from a projected first round pick to a 2nd-to-3rd round guy. However, much like how Oklahoma’s Cade Horton underwhelmed for all of 2022 and then got hot down the stretch to end up as the 7th overall pick that year, Hartle has that ability and could see something similar happen (although not nearly as that high of a pick).
RHP William Ray (JR) – 0-2, 2 SV, 3.63 ERA, 39.2 IP, 12.4 BB%, 20.2 K%. Started off his career as a position player for Wake in 2022 before moving to the mound last year. Tossed just 11.2 innings last year, but is the top reliever in terms of innings pitched this year.
LHP Haiden Leffew (FR) – 3-0, 6.27 ERA, 33.0 IP, 15.1 BB%, 23.0 K%. The first year southpaw from South Rowan HS started a five games early in the year before moving to the bullpen where he’s had more success. His stuff is really good and includes a low-to-mid 90’s fastball. The four-pitch mix likely projects him as a starter long-term.
LHP Zach Johnston (SO) – 2-1, 4.02 ERA, 31.1 IP, 13.9 BB%, 27.2 K%. After tossing just 2.2 innings his first year on campus, he’s now carving out a substantial role. Has allowed just 1 run over his last 4 appearances (7.2 IP), so he’s finding a groove. The issues the walk rate would lead you to believe have also subsided during that last four-game stretch (2 BB, 10 K).
Quick! Fun Facts!
NC State leads the all-time series between the two schools by a 126-68 record; however, Wake has won five straight in the series.
Garrett Pennington was named the ACC Player of the Week for his destruction of Virginia pitching last weekend. Well done, Penny!
Wake Forest has the 5th ranked Strength of Schedule in the country this year.
The Deacs had five players drafted in the first three rounds of last year’s draft and may well match that number again this year. Wake has had a first round pick in three of the last four MLB Drafts (2020 LHP Jared Shuster, 1.25 Braves; 2021 RHP Ryan Cusick, 1.24 Braves; 2023 RHP Rhett Lowder, 1.7 Reds; 2023 3B Brock Wilken, 1.18 Brewers).
The Key To A Series Win For State
Do exactly what they did last week against Virginia: get good starting pitching to minimize the innings from the bullpen.
Prediction
Again, the brutal schedule continues for the Pack; the ACC is stacked this year.
Wake would appear to be the hotter team, but NC State has found a way to keep winning this year despite anything that the schedule throws at them. Still, this is a tough matchup against a really good team.
Outcome: Wake takes two of three.