Featuring some of the top returning players in college baseball and welcoming a collection of high-potential transfers, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons head into the 2024 season as the preseason pick to win it all.
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Wake Forest baseball enjoyed a breakout 2023 that included a No. 1 ranking. The Demon Deacons carry that distinction again at the outset of 2024, sitting atop the Baseball America and D1Baseball.com polls.
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Playing in the stacked Atlantic Coast Conference, Wake Forest is guaranteed a tough schedule in 2024 that will test its championship mettle. The Demon Deacons also will face some nonconference tests, including in-state showdowns with foes such as North Carolina A&T and an Elon team projected to contend in the Coastal Athletic Association.
Here’s everything you need to know about Wake Forest baseball ahead of the 2024 season:
How Did Wake Forest Baseball Do In 2023?
Wake Forest ended a nearly 70-year drought in 2023 with the program’s first run to the Men’s College World Series since 1955.
On the road to Omaha, the Demon Deacons won the ACC regular-season championship, were ranked No. 1 in the nation and received the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The 54 wins in a 54-12 campaign set a program record.
Who Coaches Wake Forest Baseball?
Tom Walter came to Wake Forest in 2010 after a successful, five-year stint as the head coach at the University of New Orleans.
Walter coached the Privateers to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances, the second and third in Walter’s career, after guiding George Washington to the postseason in 2002.
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Wake Forest baseball broke through under Walter’s guidance in 2016, earning the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2007.
The Demon Deacons have been on a steady climb during Walter’s tenure, reaching a crescendo in 2023 and going into 2024.
Has Wake Forest Ever Won The College World Series?
Yes. After falling short in the 1949 College World Series, Wake Forest baseball returned in 1955 to win it all.
The Demon Deacons didn’t make it back again until 2023, where they reached the semifinals, before falling short to eventual champion LSU.
Notable Returning Players
Nick Kurtz, 1B
All-American first baseman Nick Kurtz headlines Wake Forest’s talented, veteran roster.
Kurtz is coming off a monster 2023 in which he hit .353 with a whopping .784 slugging percentage, a byproduct of his 24 home runs.
The power-hitting Kurtz is projected as a potential No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming MLB Draft, and not just for his prolific bat. Prospects Live describes Kurtz as “one of the best defenders at first base.”
Josh Hartle, LHP
Josh Hartle, a 6-foot-5 left-hander, is another high-level pro prospect, who MLB.com describes as having “the highest floor of any pitcher in the 2024 class, [which] should land him in the first round.”
Hartle returns after going 11-2 in 2023 with an impressive 140 strikeouts and a 2.81 ERA. He is the ace of a starting rotation that welcomes standout Tennessee transfer Chase Burners and the duo of Michael Massey and Cole Roland, both of whom sported sub-3.00 ERAs in 2023.
Notable Newcomers
Seaver King, SS
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A standout at the Division II level, Seaver King joins Wake Forest from Wingate to add another veteran presence to the Demon Deacons lineup.
King hit .411 with a 1.156 OPS and 11 home runs for the Bulldogs en route to Division II All-America recognition a season ago.
King also adds a reliable glove at shortstop. Defense is a key component of his rising MLB Draft stock. A strong showing at Wake Forest could catapult King into the first round.
Chase Burns, RHP
The D1Baseball.com National Freshman of the Year in 2022, Chase Burns comes to Wake Forest by way of Tennessee, where he helped the Volunteers to the 2023 College World Series.
Burns mowed down 114 batters in 72 innings last season and limited batters to a collective .222 average, best among Tennessee’s primary starters.
Wake Forest Baseball Schedule 2024
All times Eastern
DateTimeOpponentLocationFeb. 165 p.m.FordhamWinston-Salem, N.C.Feb. 17NoonIllinoisWinston-Salem, N.C.Feb. 182 p.m.AkronWinston-Salem, N.C.Feb. 204 p.m.UNC GreensboroGreensboro, N.C. Feb. 234 p.m.DaytonWinston-Salem, N.C.Feb. 242 p.m.DaytonWinston-Salem, N.C.Feb. 251 p.m.DaytonWinston-Salem, N.C.Feb. 274 p.m.N.C. A&TGreensboro, N.C.March 14 p.m.BinghamtonWinston-Salem, N.C.March 24 p.m.ValparaisoWinston-Salem, N.C.March 32 p.m. ElonWinston-Salem, N.C.March 54 p.m.GeorgetownWinston-Salem, N.C.March 86 p.m.Duke*Winston-Salem, N.C.March 94 p.m.Duke*Winston-Salem, N.C.March 102 p.m.Duke*Winston-Salem, N.C.March 124 p.m.Coastal CarolinaConway, S.C.March 156 p.m.Va.* Charlottesville, Va.March 164 p.m.Va.* Charlottesville, Va.March 171 p.m.Va.* Charlottesville, Va. March 196 p.m.High PointWinston-Salem, N.C.March 217 p.m.Louisville*Winston-Salem, N.C.March 226 p.m.Louisville* Winston-Salem, N.C.March 231 p.m.Louisville* Winston-Salem, N.C. March 264 p.m.LibertyLynchburg, Va. March 295 p.m.N.C.*Winston-Salem, N.C. March 307 p.m. N.C.*Winston-Salem, N.C.March 311 p.m.N.C.*Winston-Salem, N.C.April 26 p.m.UNC GreensboroWinston-Salem, N.C.April 57 p.m.Va. Tech*Blacksburg, Va. April 67 p.m.Va. Tech*Blacksburg, Va. April 71 p.m.Va. Tech* Blacksburg, Va.April 96 p.m.Coastal CarolinaWinston-Salem, N.C.April 126 p.m.Boston College* Chestnut Hill, Mass.April 132 p.m.Boston College* Chestnut Hill, Mass.April 141 p.m.Boston College* Chestnut Hill, Mass.April 166 p.m.UNC WilmingtonDurham, N.C.April 196 p.m.Florida State*Winston-Salem, N.C.April 204 p.m.Florida State* Winston-Salem, N.C.April 211 p.m.Florida State* Winston-Salem, N.C.April 236 p.m.ElonElon, N.C.April 265 p.m.Notre Dame* South Bend, Ind. April 277 p.m.Notre Dame* South Bend, Ind.April 281 p.m.Notre Dame* South Bend, Ind. April 306 p.m.Appalachian StateShelby, N.C.May 16 p.m.High PointHigh Point, N.C.May 46 p.m.Western CarolinaWinston-Salem, N.C.May 51 p.m.Western Carolina (DH)Winston-Salem, N.C.May 5TBAWestern Carolina (DH)Winston-Salem, N.C. May 86 p.m.N.C. A&TWinston-Salem, N.C.May 106 p.m.Clemson* Winston-Salem, N.C.May 114 p.m.Clemson* Winston-Salem, N.C.May 12NoonClemson* Winston-Salem, N.C.May 147 p.m.Liberty Winston-Salem, N.C.May 166 p.m. NC State* Raleigh, N.C.May 177 p.m. NC State*Raleigh, N.C.May 184 p.m.NC State* Raleigh, N.C.*conference
2024 Wake Forest Baseball Roster
No.NamePositionYear0Lucas CostelloOFJr.1Jackson KraemerOFFr.2William RayRHPSo.3Danny CoronaINFSo.4Rhett LowderRHPJr.5Pierce BennettOF/INFR-Jr.6Justin JohnsonINFR-Jr.7Marek HoustonINFFr.8Nick KurtzOF/INFSo.9Andrew NolandINFFr.10Ben ShenoskyRHPFr.11Chase WalterRHPGr.12Adam CecereOF/INFR-Jr.13Carson CotugnoRHPSo.14Camden MinacciRHPJr.15Hudson LeeLHPFr.16Gio CuetoCSo.17Zach JohnstonLHPFr.19Crawford WadeLHPJr.20Derek CrumLHPR-Jr.21Jack WinnayINFFr.22Teddy McGrawRHPJr.23Josh HartleLHPSo.24Tommy HawkeOF/INFSo.25Brock WilkenINF/CJr.26Seth KeenerRHPJr.27Bennett LeeCJr.28Cole RolandRHPGr.29Kyle JoyeOFGr.30Michael MasseyRHPSo.31Jake ReinischINF/OFJr.33Chris KatzCSo.35Will AndrewsRHPR-So.36Evan MaloneyRHPFr.40Reed MascoloRHPR-Jr.42Joe AriolaLHPFr.51Sean SullivanLHPSo.
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