April 24, 2003
Complete Virginia Notes (PDF Format)
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Weekend Schedule:
FRI vs. Virginia
3:00 / Hooks Stadium
Live Coverage: Gametracker
SAT vs. Virginia
1:30 / Hooks Stadium
Radio: WBRF 98.1 FM
Live Coverage: Gametracker
SUN vs. Virginia
1:30 / Hooks Stadium
Radio: wakeforestsports.com
Live Coverage: Gametracker
Wake Forest Hosts Virginia in Crucial ACC Series. . .
Unranked for the first time in two years, the Demon Deacons (25-15, 7-10 ACC) host Virginia (24-16, 7-7 ACC) in a vital three-game weekend series at Hooks Stadium.
Wake Forest enters the weekend in seventh place in the Atlantic Coast Conference with only six league games remaining on its schedule. The Deacons have a golden opportunity to gain ground, just 1.5 games behind fifth-place Virginia and a half-game behind sixth-place Clemson who plays first place Georgia Tech this weekend.
After scoring just seven runs in three games in Atlanta last weekend, Wake Forest hammered Liberty and Wofford during the mid-week games for 37 runs on 39 hits, the most runs in a two-game span for the Deacons since the Maryland series last year at Hooks.
Stan Cotten and Carter Blackburn will broadcast the final two games of the series. Saturday's game can be heard on WBRF 98.1 and Sunday's contest will be on the internet only at www.wakeforestsports.com.
Deacons and Cavaliers: Series History. . .
Wake Forest has won seven straight against Virginia and six in a row at Hooks Stadium. The Deacons haven't lost at home to Virginia since 1997.
The Deacons have won 16 of the last 18 meetings.
Wake Forest swept Virginia in 2001 at Hooks Stadium and in 2002 at the new Davenport Field at the UVa Baseball Stadium.
The Deacons also posted victories in the 1999 and 2001 ACC Tournaments en route to two of their three conference titles in four years.
Adam Bourassa went 8-for-13 in Charlottesville last year with three doubles.
D'Antona Ties Wake Forest Career Home Run Record. . .
With two home runs on Wednesday night at Wofford, Jamie D'Antona tied the Wake Forest career record for home runs with 55. D'Antona, who has 18 homers on the year to lead the ACC, has four home runs in his last three games.
Although, D'Antona is without question on a home run hitting rampage, he has remained consistent all season. D'Antona has not let five games pass without hitting a home run this year.
D'Antona is tied with Jake Austin (1989-92) with 55 career home runs. D'Antona becomes only the 9th player in ACC history to reach that level.
Other ACC legends to accomplish the feat include J.D. Drew (formerly of Florida State and now of the St. Louis Cardinals) and Jason Varitek (formerly of Georgia Tech and now of the Boston Red Sox).
D'Antona is already having a spectacular week, with five hits in eight at-bats, three home runs, 10 RBI and three walks.
. . . And is Chasing Atlantic Coast Conference Triple Crown
In the 50 year history of the Atlantic Coast Conference, only three players have ever captured the Triple Crown. Most recently, Florida State's Marshall McDougall did it in 1999. Maryland's Derek Hacopian and Clemson's Denny Walling accomplished the feat in 1992 and 1975, respectively.
Now, Jamie D'Antona is shooting to become the fourth.
Entering the week, D'Antona leads the ACC with 18 home runs and 74 RBI -- three more homers and an incredible 21 RBI better than the next closest player (UNC's Jeremy Cleveland). In batting average, D'Antona is hitting .404, third behind Cleveland (.454) and Ryan Johnson (.420).
One might have expected D'Antona's numbers to dip once into ACC play, but the opposite has been true. The Trumbull, Conn., native has raked ACC pitching to the tune of a .412 average, seven home runs and 29 RBI in 17 conference games.
D'Antona's .851 slugging percentage is far better of the next closest competitor (Jeremy Cleveland, UNC, .828). The last three ACC leaders in that category (Khalil Greene, John-Ford Griffin and Mark Teixeira) were all first-round draft picks.
Speed Demons. . .
The Demon Deacons boast the best base stealing duo in the Atlantic Coast Conference in Ryan Hubbard and Adam Bourassa. The pair have combined for 55 thefts this season. Hubbard's 29 bags lead the ACC and Bourassa's 26 rank third.
Hubbard's 29 bases are the fourth best single season total in Wake Forest history (see page 3).
No Deacon has led the conference in that category since 1985 when Tommy Gregg swiped 41 bags.
Off the Hook: Deacons Dominate at Hooks Stadium
During the last five seasons (including 2003), Wake Forest has been virtually unbeatable at home. Since 1999, the Deacons are 107-19 (.849) at Hooks Stadium.
That mark has been even more impressive against non-conference opponents. Wake Forest is 61-6 against non-ACC teams in that span including 13-1 records in each of the last three seasons.
The only non-conference teams to beat Wake Forest at Hooks Stadium in recent years are Le Moyne (2003), Georgia (2002), Liberty (2001), East Carolina (1999, 2000) and Evansville (1999).
In 2003, Wake Forest is 12-3 at Hooks, its on-campus home. However, due to a brutal stretch of weather and road games, only six of the team's last 24 games have been played at "The Hook."
George Greer Ranks 5th All-Time in ACC Wins. . .
Now in his 16th year at Wake Forest, head coach George Greer has moved into the top five in overall wins while a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Greer has 587 wins in his 15-plus seasons, trailing only Bill Wilhelm (1161, Clemson), Mike Roberts (780, North Carolina), current Florida State coach Mike Martin (609) and current Virginia coach Dennis Womack (589).
Greer is seven wins away from his 700th career victory in his 22nd year at the Division I level.
The Difference Between Winning and Losing. . .
Having scored 37 runs in two mid-week games this week and posting four games with 20 or more runs this year, Wake Forest is obviously a team that can swing the bat.
The Deacons are hitting .321 as a team which would rank as the fourth-best season average in Wake Forest history. It's the second best team batting average this season in the ACC and ranks among the national leaders.
However, for the Deacons, the problem hasn't been getting the hits -- it's been getting the hits when they are needed most.
In the team's 25 wins, the Deacons have batted .368 with runners in scoring position and .442 (23-for-52) with the bases loaded.
In their 15 losses, the Deacons are just 1-for-15 (.067) with the bases loaded and .207 (31-for-150) with runners in scoring position.
Another key statistic has been scoring runners from third base with less than two out. In their victories, Wake Forest has been very successful in scoring runners in those situations (.728) while in losses, the Deacs are successful just 41.5% of the time.
