No. 24 Wake Forest To Play In Hormel Foods Classic At The Minneapolis Metrodome
Baseball takes on Notre Dame, Georgia, and Minnesota in round-robin competition.
March 1, 2000
#24 Wake Forest (8-2, 0-0 ACC)
in the Hormel Foods Classic
March 3-5
H.H.H. Metrodome
Minneapolis, MN
DEMON DEACONS RIDE 8-GAME WINNING STREAK TO MINNESOTA
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The 24th-ranked Wake Forest baseball team travels to the Metrodome
in Minneapolis, Minn., for the 2000 Hormel Foods Classic. The Demon
Deacons (8-2) will face Notre Dame on Friday (12:15 p.m.), Georgia on
Saturday (5:30 p.m.), and tournament-host Minnesota on Sunday (12:15 p.m.)
in the three-day round-robin event. [All times Eastern].
Wake Forest enters the weekend riding an eight-game winning streak
after dropping the first two games of the season to nationally-ranked
opponents Miami and Central Florida.
A GLANCE AT THE DEMON DEACONS
The Wake Forest offense, which entered the season with the task of
replacing All-American first baseman Jon Palmieri, has been on fire of late
and no one has been hotter than junior third baseman Corey Slavik,
.512-3-16. Slavik leads the Demon Deacons in batting average, hits and
runs scored and has been on fire over the team's last seven games (.667
average).
Junior DH/1B Danny Borrell, .375-4-19, is the power of the offense,
leading the squad in home runs and RBI from his cleanup spot in the batting
order. Borrell became the first Wake Forest player in five years to hit
for the cycle when he accomplished the feat on Feb. 24 against Davidson.
Wake Forest's junior middle infield combination of shortstop Chase
Voshell, .333-0-13, and second baseman Jason Aquilante, .375-0-11, are
mainstays in the lineup while junior Dan Conway, .270-3-14, has started all
10 games behind the plate.
The outfield is anchored in the middle by junior center fielder
Cory Sullivan, .419-1-7, and in left field by junior Matt Price, .435-3-12.
Righty Carlos Brackley, .375-1-4, and lefty Ryan Johnson, .250-1-6, platoon
in right field, while versatile sophomore Jamie Athas, .333-1-5, has seen
time at DH, first base and second base.
PROBABLE PITCHING ROTATION
Freshman lefty Ben Clayton (3-0, 0.50 ERA) will start the weekend
opener on Friday against Notre Dame. Clayton has been very impressive thus
far this season, recording three wins in his three starts, including
tossing six innings of shutout ball against 7th-ranked Rice in his
collegiate debut. Clayton has surrendered just one run in 18.0 innings of
work while registering 23 strikeouts against only four walks. Opponents
are batting just .153 against the southpaw. For more information on Clayton
or any other Wake Forest pitcher, please see his game-by-game statistics on
the pages later in the packet.
Junior right-hander Scott Siemon (3-1, 2.84 ERA) will get the
starting nod on Saturday against Georgia. After pitching well (5.0 IP, 3
H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 10 K's) but suffering a tough loss in the season opened
against defending national champion Miami, Siemon has rattled off three
straight wins in his last three starts. He has held opponents to a .211
average while recording 21 K's to just four walks in four starts this
season. Siemon, who was the top man out of the bullpen during the first
half of 1999, now owns a 10-2 career record as a starting pitcher.
Junior southpaw Danny Borrell (0-0, 7.47 ERA) is scheduled to start
the weekend finale on Sunday against Minnesota. Borrell, who does not have
a decision in three prior starting assignments, has struggled with his
command during the early part of the 2000 season, but he has a proven track
record as a successful starting pitcher -- he tossed a complete game in
Wake Forest's 6-3 win over Florida State in the 1998 ACC Championship game.
SERIES VERSUS THE HORMEL FIELD
Wake Forest leads the series with Notre Dame, 2-0, after winning a
pair of meetings over the Fighting Irish during the 1988 regular season in
Winston-Salem. The Demon Deacons won by scores of 17-10 and 12-5.
Of the three teams in the Hormel field, Wake Forest has the longest
history with Georgia, as the two schools have met on 20 previous occasions.
The Bulldogs lead the all-time series (since 1954), 14-6, after the two
schools split a pair of meetings in Athens a year ago (WFU won game one,
8-2; UGA won game two, 16-7).
Wake Forest and Minnesota will be meeting for the first time in the
sport of baseball.
BREAK OUT THE BIG STICKS
After scoring just nine runs and batting .215 as a team in the
three-day season-opening tournament at Disney World, the Wake Forest
offense has jumped into high gear during the month of February. In the
eight-game winning streak since the ACC/Disney Baseball Blast, Wake Forest
is averaging 14.0 runs per game while batting .402 as a team. The Demon
Deacons have scored better than 10 runs in six of the last seven games
(including five in a row) while outscoring their opponents 124-29 in the
last eight games.
For the season, Wake Forest is now batting .356 and the Demon
Deacons are averaging 12.1 runs per game. Wake Forest had belted 17 home
runs has an impressive .604 team slugging percentage.
COREY SLAVIK - DARE WE SAY, EN FUEGO?
As Wake Forest has warmed up at the plate as a team, a number of
individuals have also seen a rise in their batting averages over the last
month. No player, however, has been hotter than junior third baseman Corey
Slavik in the past eight games.
Slavik, who went 1-for-11 in the season opening tournament in
Orlando, has gone 20-for-30 (.667) with three home runs and 16 RBI in eight
games since then. Slavik now leads the team in batting average (.512),
hits (21) and runs scored (18).
BORRELL HITS FOR THE CYCLE
Junior first baseman/DH Danny Borrell became the first Wake Forest
player to hit for the cycle since the 1995 season with his performance in
Wake Forest's 30-4 win over Davidson on Feb. 24. (Josh Itzoe hit for the
cycle on Mar. 23, 1995 against Hartford). Borrell finished the afternoon
with five hits in seven at bats, including one single, one double, one
triple and two home runs. He had a career high seven RBI in the game.
For the season, Borrell is now batting .375 with a team-high four
home runs and 19 RBI.
ROOKIE CLAYTON MAKES HIS MARK
Freshman lefthander Ben Clayton has been extremely impressive in
his first month in a Wake Forest uniform. Clayton made his collegiate
debut in grand style, tossing six shutout innings in the Demon Deacons' 2-1
win over Rice. He allowed just one hit and one walk to the 7th-ranked Owls
while striking out nine batters.
Clayton followed that performance with five strong innings (1 run
on 2 hits) in a win over High Point and with six shutout innings in a 13-0
victory over Virginia Tech. For the season, Clayton has allowed just one
run in 18.0 innings (0.50 ERA) while holding opponents to a .153 average.
He has 23 strikeouts against just four base on balls.
SCHMITT MAKES HIS RETURN
Senior Eric Schmitt, who missed the second half of the 1999 season
with a small tear in his elbow ligaments. Surgery was not required, and a
summer rehabilitation process allowed him to return to throwing off a mound
last fall. Schmitt made his return to game action with two shutout innings
against Campbell on Feb. 15. He has since picked up two wins in relief,
and he has yet to allow a run in nine innings of work. Schmitt now owns a
career record of 19-2.
RECORD OUTBURST VS. DAVIDSON
Wake Forest plated 30 runs on Feb. 24 against Davidson, tying the
school record for most runs in a game (the Deacons also scored 30 runs in
1992 against Campbell and UNC Asheville and in 1979 against Campbell). In
the game against the Wildcats, a 30-4 Wake Forest victory, the Demon
Deacons scored 14 runs and tied a school-record with 14 base hits in the
seventh inning when 12 consecutive batters reached base.
PRESEASON ACCOLADES
Wake Forest was well represented in Baseball America's 2000 College
Preview issue. Junior Chase Voshell was named the preseason all-ACC
shortstop and junior Danny Borrell was tabbed the all-ACC utility player.
Additionally, Borrell was listed as the ACC's 5th best prospect for the
upcoming 2000 Major League Baseball draft while Voshell was listed at the
6th best prospect.
Sophomore infielder Jamie Athas, a transfer from Providence, was
named the ACC's 2nd-best newcomer, while second baseman Jason Aquilante and
third baseman Corey Slavik were voted as the ACC's best defensive players
at their positions.
DEACS PICKED 4th IN PRESEASON ACC POLL
The Demon Deacons were predicted to finish fourth in the Atlantic
Coast Conference race this spring, according to the league's nine head
coaches. Head coach George Greer's squad earned 53 points in the poll,
picking up one first place vote.
Florida State, with seven first place votes, was the top pick with
79 points. The Seminoles were followed by Georgia Tech (67) and Clemson
(66). North Carolina (48) was picked fifth behind Wake Forest, followed by
NC State and Virginia sixth (31), Maryland eighth (16) and Duke ninth (14).
DEMON DEACONS IN THE ACC
Spanning the 1998 and 1999 seasons, Wake Forest has been impressive
against ACC opponents. The Demon Deacons have 39 wins over ACC clubs
(including regular season and tournament games), second among all ACC
schools behind only Florida State's 46 wins. And during those seasons, the
ACC has been rated as the nation's top conference by the RPI.
ACC Wins in the Last Two Years*
| 1. Florida State | 46 |
| 2. Wake Forest | 39 |
| 3. Clemson | 30 |
| 4. North Carolina | 28 |
| 4. Georgia Tech | 28 |
| 6. NC State | 27 |
| 7. Virginia | 14 |
| 8. Duke | 13 |
| 8. Maryland | 13 |
(*Includes regular season and tournament games)
HEAD COACH GEORGE GREER
The winningest coach in Wake Forest history in any sport, head
coach George Greer is now in his 13th season with the Demon Deacons. He
owns a record of 438-276-2 at Wake Forest, and has led the Deacs to 30 or
more wins in 11 of 12 seasons, including a school-record 47 wins last year.
Greer reached 400 victories at Wake Forest last season, and he became just
the 8th coach in ACC history to win that many games at a conference school.
A 26-year veteran of coaching, Greer has a 544-398-6 record in 19
years at the Division I level. Greer reached the 500 career victory plateau
last season. Prior to coming to Wake Forest, Greer coached at Davidson and
Connecticut-Avery Point as well as in the Cape Cod League.
