| Rick Rembielak |
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Now in his fourth year at the helm of the Wake Forest baseball program, head coach Rick Rembielak has returned the Demon Deacons to national prominence. Last season Rembielak continued the Deacons' ascension by leading his squad to a runner-up finish at the ACC Championships and a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Rembielak officially became the 24th head baseball coach at Wake Forest University on June 29, 2004.
"Rick has all the characteristics that are important for us," said Wake Forest Director of Athletics Ron Wellman upon Rembielak's hiring. "He has been a head coach for many years and been tremendously successful in that position. He is as high-quality as they come in the development of collegiate players.
"He is not only recognized as an excellent recruiter, but understands the importance of top-caliber student-athletes, both on the field and in the classroom," Wellman said. "He has an outstanding record in terms of graduating his student-athletes, as well as winning numerous conference championships."
"What attracted me to Wake Forest was the university's excellent reputation," Rembielak said. "It is the perfect combination of academics and athletics. I cannot think of a better place to further my career than at Wake Forest. It is an ideal position."
In three seasons with the Demon Deacons, Rembielak has a record of 95-81 overall and 42-47 in ACC contests. In 14 years as a head coach, including 11 seasons at Kent State, Rembielak has amassed a record of 468-332-1 (.589).
In 2007, Rembielak led Wake Forest to its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2002. The Deacons' postseason bid was due in large part to their strong showing at the 2007 ACC Championships.
Wake qualified for the conference tournament as the No. 8 seed but went 2-1 in pool play to advance to the final game. The Deacs came up just short in the finals falling 3-2 to North Carolina, which would go on to finish as runner-up at the College World Series. Wake Forest became only the second No. 8-seeded team in league history to play in the title game.
The Deacons were rewarded for their strong conference showing with a bid to the Round Rock, Texas, Regional where Wake Forest received the No. 3 seed. Wake fell to eventual CWS participant UC Irvine in the first round but rebounded to defeat Ivy League champion Brown in the second round.
Facing the University of Texas in front of a hostile home crowd, Wake Forest took the No. 5-ranked Longhorns to 12 innings before bowing out of the postseason.
Wake Forest finished the year 34-29 overall and 14-16 in the ACC. The Deacs ended the regular season by winning nine of the last 12 games, giving them a strong resume for postseason consideration.
The Deacons had a penchant for playing close games in 2007, going 20-17 in contests decided by two runs or less. Wake Forest played in the most one-run games in the country last season, finishing the year 11-14 in one-run contests.
Individually, a number of players had stellar seasons under Rembielak's watch. First baseman Allan Dykstra was one of the top hitters in the country. Dykstra, who was named second team All-ACC and a Golden Spikes Award semifinalist, hit .310 with 18 home runs and 60 RBIs. Dykstra tied for the ACC lead in home runs and finished in the top five in the conference in on-base percentage and slugging percentage.
On the mound, relievers Josh Ellis and Eric Niesen had breakout campaigns. Ellis emerged as one of the top closers in the ACC in his final season on campus. Ellis finished with nine saves and a 3.20 ERA. He struck out 72 batters in 50.2 innings pitched.
Niesen began the year as a starter before transitioning to the bullpen where he took off. The lefty finished 6-5 with team-bests of 83 strikeouts and a 3.00 ERA.
Both Ellis and Niesen were selected in the MLB Amateur Draft. Niesen signed as a third round pick of the New York Mets, while Ellis signed as an 11th-round selection of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
In all Rembielak had five players, including signees, selected in the 2007 MLB Draft. Lefthanded pitchers Garrett Bullock (45th round by the Arizona Diamondbacks) and Mark Adzick (18th round by the Philadelphia Phillies) did not sign professional contracts.
In his second season at the helm in 2006, the Deacons continued to improve under Rembielak. Wake Forest finished with a record of 33-22 overall and 16-13 in ACC play. The Deacs won five more games than they did in 2005 and qualified for the ACC Tournament as the No. 8 seed.
Wake Forest got off to a hot start in 2006, winning 13 of its first 16 games. Along the way, the Demon Deacons registered back-to-back wins over No. 12-ranked Missouri and top-ranked Florida.
The Deacs had a season-best winning streak of 11 games from Feb. 21 - March 10 and also had a five-game streak in mid-March.
On May 6, Wake Forest played the longest game in ACC history, a 20-inning affair with Florida State that ultimately lasted over five hours. The Seminoles came away with a 4-3 win in the Hooks Stadium marathon.
With a 16-13 mark in conference games, the Deacons qualified for the ACC Tournament as the No. 8 seed. Wake fell to top-seeded and No. 2-ranked Clemson in the first round before being ousted by fifth-seeded and No.19-ranked Miami.
Several individuals had breakout seasons under Rembielak's tutelage in 2006. Allan Dykstra was named the ACC Rookie of the Year and a Freshman All-American by several publications after hitting .324 with 15 home runs and 56 RBIs.
Matt Antonelli earned first team All-ACC honors and was drafted in the first round of the MLB Amateur Draft (17th overall) by the San Diego Padres. Ben Hunter was also a first team All-ACC selection after recording a league-best 14 saves.
In Rembielak's first year in Winston-Salem, Wake Forest finished the 2005 campaign 28-30 overall and 12-18 in the ACC. The Deacs not only improved their overall win total from 2004 by 11 games, but also captured eight more games in league play. In fact, six of Wake Forest's 12 ACC losses were by a single run.
In the end, the 11-game improvement in victories was the largest over one season since 1997. That season, Wake Forest won 37 games after winning just 26 in 1996. The school record improvement from one season to the next was 15-games set by the 1949 team which was the runner-up at the College World Series.
The Deacs also picked up their first ACC Tournament victories in three seasons. Wake Forest, which had dropped four straight tournament games from 2002-2004, recorded three victories at the 2005 ACC Tournament -- ousting Duke, Maryland and North Carolina. The Demon Deacons were the last remaining team from the state of North Carolina in the tournament.
Wake Forest also registered its first win at Florida State in 10 years, snapping a 15-game losing streak with a 12-inning, 13-10 triumph on April 10. The Demon Deacons defeated No. 5 Miami, 13-6, on March 19. The victory was the first for Wake Forest over a top-five team since April 26, 2002.
Rembielak arrived in Winston-Salem after an 11-year stint with Kent State of the Mid-American Conference (MAC). He remains the all-time winningest coach of any sport in Golden Flashes history with a career record of 373-251-1 (.597). Against other MAC teams, Rembielak sports an even more impressive record of 200-100 (.667).
Rembielak won four Mid-American Conference regular season championships and three MAC tournament titles, including the 2004 Mid-American Conference Tournament. The Golden Flashes made 12 consecutive appearances in the MAC Tournament. Dating back to 1992, when postseason play was reinstated, Kent State was the only MAC team to appear in every tournament.
Rembielak was named the Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year three times (1996, 2000 and 2003). In 1996, the Golden Flashes won the conference regular-season title with a 21-7 league record and a 30-20-1 overall mark.
In 2001, Kent State won three games on the final day of the MAC Tournament to claim the title. The Golden Flashes then advanced to the NCAA Regional where they knocked off Ohio State and Delaware to finish runner-up to Mississippi State -- just one game shy of the NCAA Super Regionals.
In 2002, Rembielak reached the 300-win plateau for his career when Kent State knocked off Central Michigan, 2-0, on May 24 in the MAC Tournament semifinals. The Golden Flashes went on to win their third MAC Tournament title.
Rembielak surpassed Danny Hall (current head coach at Georgia Tech) for the most wins in Golden Flashes baseball history when he picked up his 209th win against Toledo on April 9, 2000. In 1996, he recorded his 100th career win in only his 154th game, becoming the fastest Kent State coach to reach the 100-victory mark.
In 2002, Rembielak guided the Flashes to the MAC Tournament crown for the second straight year. Kent State dropped two straight games at the South Bend Regional, but recorded 37 victories -- third most in his tenure.
His first team in 1994 advanced to the NCAA Regional Quarterfinals after the Flashes earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. In 1995, the Kent State's overall record improved to 40-18.
During the 1997 campaign, Rembielak's squad advanced to the championship game of the conference tournament and tallied a 29-28 overall record -- winning 20 of its final 29 contests. The Golden Flashes finished the 1998 season at 27-28 overall and advanced to the MAC Tournament for the seventh time in as many years.
The 1999 squad again finished with 30-plus wins by ending the season at 33-25 overall and 19-12 in Mid-American Conference play.
The 2000 team claimed the regular-season MAC title and finished 40-18 overall. It was the second time in Rembielak's seven years and sixth time in the program's history that a Kent State team hit the 40-win plateau.
From 1988-93, Rembielak was an assistant coach for the Flashes under Hall. Kent State teams posted a 208-117 (.640) record during that stretch and won MAC titles in 1992 and 1993 -- the program's first since 1964.
In Rembielak's time at Kent State, 51 Golden Flashes signed pro contracts, including 30 pitchers. A total of 13 former Kent State players were active at some level of professional baseball during 2002.
His hurlers were named MAC Pitcher of the Year seven times (1990, 1992-96, 2003), and MAC Player of the Year and MAC Freshman of the Year twice. In 2001, standout John Van Benschoten became the Golden Flashes' second MAC Player of the Year following Mike Gulan, who won the award in 1992. Van Benschoten was selected eighth overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2001 MLB Amateur Draft.
A former Miami (Ohio) University standout, Rembielak was a three-year letterwinner at shortstop for the Redskins from 1979 to 1981. He helped lead the Redskins to a 36-13-1 conference record, a MAC title in 1979 and a berth in the conference playoffs in 1981.
In 1981, Rembielak was drafted in the 13th round by the Baltimore Orioles. He played with teams affiliated with the Orioles, Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers. His best professional season was in 1985 with Winston-Salem, a Cubs affiliate. Rembielak helped lead the team to the Carolina League title and was named Most Valuable Infielder.
A Cleveland native who graduated from Central Catholic High School, Rembielak earned a bachelor's degree in business education from the University of Akron in 1988 and earned a master's degree in sports administration from Kent State in 1992. He is a member of the Greater Akron Baseball Hall of Fame and the Stark County Hall of Fame.
Rembielak, 47, and his wife of 23 years, Sharon have two daughters, Nicole (20) and Megan (18) and a son Matthew (14). Nicole is a junior at Wake Forest and a member of the school's cheerleading squad.
