The Demon Deacons are set for a top-20 ACC showdown against the Cardinals this weekend.
The Matchup
• No. 17-ranked Wake Forest is set for a top-25 ACC showdown against second-ranked Louisville this weekend.
Last Time Out
• Wake Forest struck out 18 batters - most since 1985 - and Nick DiPonzio homered twice in an inning as the Deacs cruised to a 14-1 win over Elon. Drew Loepprich fanned seven in 5.0 innings, Morgan McSweeney struck out five in 2.0 innings, and Carter Bach and Rayne Supple closed out the game by striking out the side in the eighth and ninth, respectively.
• The scheduled Wednesday game at Elon was postponed to April 12 due to storms.
Wake Forest Storylines
• The Demon Deacons are a consensus top-25 team for the first time in more than a decade. Wake Forest is ranked by Baseball America (17), NCBWA (21), Collegiate Baseball (21), USA Today Coaches (22), D1Baseball (23) and Perfect Game (23).
• Wake Forest is off to its best start since opening the 2006 season 23-7. The Demon Deacons have also won the first four ACC series of the season for the first time since 2002, which was also the last time hosting a regional.
• Following the season-opening trip to Houston, the Deacs were hitting just .194 as a team and had only three players hitting better than .215. In the 25 games since, Wake Forest is hitting .327 as a team, with 116 extra-base hits.
• Wake Forest already has five players with at least seven homers: Johnny Aiello (10), Gavin Sheets (nine), Stuart Fairchild (seven), Keegan Maronpot (seven) and Bruce Steel (seven). The last time the Deacs had 5+ players with at least seven homers in a season was 2002.
Opponent And Series History
• Louisville leads the all-time series against Wake Forest, 7-0. The Cardinals claimed all four meetings a year ago, including a 9-5 victory in the ACC Tournament.
• The Cardinals enter the weekend with a 25-3 overall record, including a perfect 18-0 mark at home. Louisville is led by two-way player Brendan McKay, who has a team-best .409 average at the plate and a 1.18 ERA in six starts on the mound.
Looking Ahead
• Wake Forest returns home to take on the defending national champion Coastal Carolina on Tuesday and then travels to Elon on Wednesday.
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The Matchup
• No. 17-ranked Wake Forest is set for a top-25 ACC showdown against second-ranked Louisville this weekend.
Last Time Out
• Wake Forest struck out 18 batters - most since 1985 - and Nick DiPonzio homered twice in an inning as the Deacs cruised to a 14-1 win over Elon. Drew Loepprich fanned seven in 5.0 innings, Morgan McSweeney struck out five in 2.0 innings, and Carter Bach and Rayne Supple closed out the game by striking out the side in the eighth and ninth, respectively.
• The scheduled Wednesday game at Elon was postponed to April 12 due to storms.
Wake Forest Storylines
• The Demon Deacons are a consensus top-25 team for the first time in more than a decade. Wake Forest is ranked by Baseball America (17), NCBWA (21), Collegiate Baseball (21), USA Today Coaches (22), D1Baseball (23) and Perfect Game (23).
• Wake Forest is off to its best start since opening the 2006 season 23-7. The Demon Deacons have also won the first four ACC series of the season for the first time since 2002, which was also the last time hosting a regional.
• Following the season-opening trip to Houston, the Deacs were hitting just .194 as a team and had only three players hitting better than .215. In the 25 games since, Wake Forest is hitting .327 as a team, with 116 extra-base hits.
• Wake Forest already has five players with at least seven homers: Johnny Aiello (10), Gavin Sheets (nine), Stuart Fairchild (seven), Keegan Maronpot (seven) and Bruce Steel (seven). The last time the Deacs had 5+ players with at least seven homers in a season was 2002.
Opponent And Series History
• Louisville leads the all-time series against Wake Forest, 7-0. The Cardinals claimed all four meetings a year ago, including a 9-5 victory in the ACC Tournament.
• The Cardinals enter the weekend with a 25-3 overall record, including a perfect 18-0 mark at home. Louisville is led by two-way player Brendan McKay, who has a team-best .409 average at the plate and a 1.18 ERA in six starts on the mound.
Looking Ahead
• Wake Forest returns home to take on the defending national champion Coastal Carolina on Tuesday and then travels to Elon on Wednesday.
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