May 4, 2006
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IN THE BATTERS BOX -- After an 11-day break for final exams, Wake Forest returns to the diamond this weekend with a three-game ACC series against Florida State. The Demon Deacons (30-14, 14-7 ACC) sit alone in second place of the Atlantic Division -- 1.0 game behind Clemson (15-6). The Seminoles (36-11, 13-8) are third -- 1.0 behind the Deacs, but are 1.5 games ahead of fourth place NC State (14-10). Game times are 3:00 pm (Friday), 1:00 pm (Saturday) and 1:00 pm (Sunday). The entire series will be broadcast live on 98.1 WBRF and WakeForestSports.com.
FLORIDA STATE INSIDER -- The Seminoles, ranked as high as No. 12, are led by 27th-year head coach Mike Martin. Martin has won 1,427 career games. The Seminoles enter the series with an overall record of 36-11 and 13-8 in the ACC. Florida State defeated Jacksonville, 9-2, on Wednesday at Dick Howser Stadium. The `Noles took two of three games against Savannah State last weekend. The Seminoles are hitting .309 as a team and are led by junior centerfielder Shane Robinson. The Tampa, FL native is hitting .364 with 12 doubles, three triples, four home runs and 26 RBI. He has walked 28 times, owns a .444 on-base percentage and leads the ACC with 25 stolen bases. Buster Posey is hitting .362 with four homers and 39 RBI, while Dennis Guinn (.359) leads the club in home runs (10) and RBI (55). Jack Rye and Ryne Malone have each smacked nine homers this season. Rye is batting .337 with 10 doubles and 38 RBI, while Malone is hitting .292 with 12 two-baggers and 42 RBI. In addition to Robinson's prowess on the base paths, Tony Thomas, Jr. has swiped 15 bases. Florida State has 83 steals in 107 attempts. The Seminoles sport a 3.21 ERA and .251 opponents' batting average. The starting rotation of Tyler Chambliss, Bryan Henry and Mark Sauls have combined for a 20-4 record, 2.04 ERA, 178 strikeouts and 59 walks in 27 starts. FSU closer Luke Tucker is 0-0 with eight saves and a 1.35 ERA in 21 appearances. He has struck out 37 against nine walks. Florida State's defense has a .965 fielding percentage, committing 64 errors in 47 games.
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INJURY UPDATE -- Freshman starting pitcher
Garrett Bullock returned from his bout with pneumonia against Virginia Tech on April 2, but injured his left tricep in the outing and remains questionable this week... junior starting pitcher
Charlie Mellies underwent Tommy John surgery on April 14 and will miss the season... sophomore pitcher
Matt Hammond is out for the year after breaking his right hand... freshman
Cory Hindel will redshirt the season following elbow surgery last fall.
ON DECK -- After this weekend's ACC series with Florida State, Wake Forest travels to High Point on Wednesday, May 10. First pitch with the Panthers is scheduled for 3 p.m.
RANKINGS -- Wake Forest remained in the top 25 of the Rosenblatt Report (19) and Collegiate Baseball (21) polls this week. The Deacons are receiving votes in the USA Today and NCBWA polls. Wake Forest rose to 15th in the Warren Nolan RPI. Florida State is ranked No. 12 by USA Today, No. 13 by NCBWA and Collegiate Baseball and No. 17 by Baseball America. The Seminoles are 11th in the RPI.
HITTING STREAKS -- After the Maryland series, three players have a hitting streak of at least seven games.
Player Statistics During Streak
Matt Antonelli (11) .341 (15-for-44), 15 R, 5 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 8 RBI
Dustin Hood (8) .414 (12-for-29), 8 R, 3 2B, 1 3B, 5 RBI
Dan Rosaia (7) .320 (8-for-25), 5 R, 1 HR, 7 RBI
DEACON TIDBITS --
Freshman Allan Dykstra leads the ACC in home runs (14), walks (43), slugging percentage (.767), on-base percentage (.502) and sacrifice flies (8). He is third in doubles (16), RBI (53) and total bases (112). He is on track to be the first freshman to lead the ACC in home runs, slugging percentage and on-base percentage since Derek Hacopian of Maryland in 1992. Dykstra would be just the third rookie to ever accomplish the feat in the 53-year history of the Atlantic Coast Conference. He is also on pace for 19 home runs and 69 RBI (applied over a 56-game regular season schedule). The 19 home runs would break the single-season freshman record set by Jamie D'Antona in 2001 (17) and the 69 RBI would rank as the second-most ever by a freshman.
Junior All-American Matt Antonelli has had quite a power surge in 2006. The third basemen entered this season with seven career home runs, five of which came in 2005, but Antonelli has smacked 11 over the Demon Deacons first 44 games. In fact, eight of the 11 homers have been hit to the opposite field.
Sophomore closer Ben Hunter made it a perfect 12-for-12 in save opportunities in the 4-3 victory over Maryland on April 22. The righty went 1.0 scoreless inning. Of Hunter's ACC-best 12 saves, eight have come in outings of more than 1.0 inning. He did not surrender his first earned run of the season until April 4. He allowed a solo home run in the ninth inning against Coastal Carolina snapping his streak of 26.2 innings without an earned run. Hunter has struck out 51 in 40.0 innings. In fact, he has allowed just 23 hits all year and opponents are batting just .165 against him.
Wake Forest junior reliever Josh Ellis had his worst relief outing of the season against Davidson on April 18. The right-handed hurler allowed five earned runs on four hits and failed to retire a single batter, but Ellis rebounded his next outing on April 22 against Maryland. He tossed 3.2 perfect innings of relief and fanned a career-high tying seven. If you exclude three outings (his three losses), Ellis would have a 1.82 ERA in 29.2 innings and 40 strikeouts.
Senior setup-man Kyle Young has excelled since moving back into the bullpen on February 21. The right-handed hurler is 4-2 with a 2.53 ERA in 46.1 innings of work.
The sweep for Wake Forest over Duke was the third for the Demon Deacons in ACC action this year. Wake Forest, which swept Boston College and Virginia Tech, had not swept three ACC series since 2002. The road sweep is the first for the Deacs since taking three straight over Maryland in College Park during the 2003 season.
Wake Forest belted 10 home runs in the series against Duke. The Deacons had not hit that many home runs in one series since they smacked 13 in a three-game sweep of Maryland in 2002.
The Demon Deacons scored 10 or more runs in each of the three games against Duke. Wake Forest scored a total of 33 runs and batted a robust .377. Freshman Evan Ocheltree, freshman Dustin Hood, redshirt sophomore Eric Williams and freshman Allan Dykstra all batted over .400.
While junior All-American Matt Antonelli's streak of consecutive starts extended to 152, his streak of 145 straight starts at third base ended on April 14 when he made his first career start at second base. Sophomore Andy Goff was the first Deacon other than Antonelli to start at third since Jamie D'Antona in 2003. In fact, Goff is the first player other than D'Antona or Antonelli to start at third base since Brad Scioletti started at the hot corner on May 12, 2002 against VCU.
Wake Forest managed just one hit in a 5-0 loss at No. 23 Winthrop on April 5. The last time Wake Forest was one-hit came on February 21, 1998 when Rice blanked the Deacons, 2-0.
ANTONELLI, DYKSTRA, HUNTER ALL NAMED TO HOWSER TROPHY WATCH LIST -- Wake Forest's trio of All-American candidates, Matt Antonelli, Allan Dykstra and Ben Hunter, were each named to the initial "Watch List" for the 2006 Dick Howser Trophy, awarded annually to the top player in collegiate baseball by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA). Wake Forest not only leads all ACC schools with three nominees, but Rice is the only other school in the country with three selections.
HUNTER ADDED TO WATCH LIST FOR NCBWA STOPPER OF THE YEAR & CLEMENS AWARD -- Wake Forest sophomore closer Ben Hunter was added to the mid-season watch list for both the NCBWA Stopper of the Year and Clemens Award. The NCBWA award is given to the nation's top closer, while the Clemens Award is given to the nation's top collegiate pitcher.
WHAT'S AT STAKE -- In the ACC Tournament derby, the Demon Deacons are currently fourth and the Seminoles occupy fifth. The top eight teams will advance to the ACC Tournament in Jacksonville, Fla., between May 24-28. If the season ended today, the two would face off in the first round.
SOMETHING HAS GOTTA GIVE -- The Demon Deacons are 18-5 within the friendly confines of Hooks Stadium this season, 9-3 in ACC action. On the other hand, Florida State is 10-4 on the road, 6-3 in ACC action.
HITTERS WHO HANDLE PRESSURE -- Coming through with key hits in clutch situations is a necessity as the Demon Deacons head down the stretch. Four different players have reached double-digits in RBI with two outs: Allan Dykstra (21), Brendan Enick (14), Evan Ocheltree (14) and Matt Antonelli (13). In fact, Wake Forest has 113 two-out RBI, while their opponents have 59. Enick is batting .415 (17-for-41) with runners in scoring position, while Dykstra is batting .378 (17-for-45). Enick also has a .488 (21-for-43) batting average with two down and .824 (14-for-17) batting average with a runner on third and less than two outs.
KINGS OF THE MOUND -- Wake Forest's pitching staff is vastly improved from each of the past two years. The Deacons might have the deepest and most talented staff in recent memory, including any staff of the three ACC Tournament Championship teams (1998, 1999, 2001). Wake Forest has posted a 4.01 ERA to this point of the season, well down from 6.21 in 2005 and 7.12 in 2004. In fact, the team ERA for the 1998, 1999 and 2001 clubs was 4.87 (2001), 4.82 (1999) and 4.26 (1998). The 4.01 ERA would be the lowest single-season ERA since 1980.
HOW DO THE 2006 DEMON DEACONS COMPARE TO THE BEST TEAMS OF THE PAST -- At 30-14 overall and 14-7 in the ACC, Wake Forest is off to its best start since 2002. The key to the early success, without question, has been the Deacons pitching. Wake Forest enters this week sporting a 4.01 ERA -- better than the ERA from all five Wake Forest teams that reached the NCAA Regionals (1998-02). The team ERA for the 1998, 1999 and 2001 ACC Tournament championship clubs was 4.26 (1998), 4.82 (1999) and 4.87 (2001). The 2000 team posted a 4.03 ERA and the 2002 club had a 4.34 ERA.
MAKING AN IMPACT -- The impact of a freshman class normally takes some time to discover, but SS Dustin Hood, 1B Allan Dykstra, OF Evan Ocheltree, OF/RHP Tyler Smith, LHP Garrett Bullock and RHP Brad Kledzik have yielded immediate results. Hood hits second in the lineup and is batting .329 with 21 RBI. Dykstra bats cleanup and leads ACC in home runs (14), slugging percentage (.767), on-base percentage (.502), sacrifice flies (8) and walks (43). He also third in RBI (53), doubles (16) and total bases (112). Kledzik has not only moved into the ACC weekend rotation, but has served as the Friday night starter each of the past six ACC series. Kledzik is 2-2 with a 4.17 ERA in 41.0 innings in ACC action. He has struck out 26 and walked 15. Ocheltree has exploded the past three weeks. In ACC games, the outfielder is hitting .366 (26-for-71) with five home runs and 18 RBI. He was named ACC Player of the Week on April 17 after homering in four straight games. Smith is 1-2 with a 3.62 ERA in 32.1 innings, including 6.0 no-hit innings against UNCG on April 12. He is also batting .306 with a home run and seven RBI. Bullock, who has missed over a month with pneumonia, is 1-0 with a save and a 6.10 ERA. Bullock picked up the victory against Ohio State and struck out seven Buckeyes in the outing.
PACK IT UP AFTER SEVEN -- For the past six seasons, the Deacons have been close to unbeatable when leading after seven innings. Since 2001, Wake Forest has compiled a 162-9 (.947) record in games in which it held the lead at the end of the seventh inning. This year, the Deacs are 27-1 in such games. The Demon Deacons are also 175-7 (.962) when taking a lead into the ninth inning over the same span.
A NUMBER OF DEMON DEACONS PICK UP CAREER FIRSTS AGAINST UNCG -- Freshman Tyler Smith did not allow an earned run en route to his first career victory on April 12 against the Spartans. He also added a pair of singles and a sacrifice fly. He was the first Wake Forest pitcher to start and play both ways since Cory Sullivan on May 26, 2001. Sullivan, the starting center fielder for the Colorado Rockies, started on the mound against Middle Tennessee State. The one hit allowed was a season-low for the Demon Deacon pitching staff -- surpassing the three hits allowed in the 3-2 victory over Virginia on March 25. Ironically, it is the fewest hits by a Wake Forest opponent since Ben Clayton no-hit the Spartans on March 22, 2000. Sophomore Nathan Frazier registered his first hit, double and RBI all on the same swing with his two-run double.
OCHELTREE NAMED ACC PLAYER OF THE WEEK -- Freshman Evan Ocheltree was named ACC Player of the Week on April 17. The outfielder batted .565 (13-for-23) with five home runs and nine RBI in five games. The freshman outfielder registered four straight three-hit games, scored 10 runs, added a double and walked three times. Ocheltree led the Demon Deacons in batting average, runs scored, homers and on-base percentage (.615) over the five-game span. In the three-game series with Duke, Ocheltree hit .600 (9-for-15) with four home runs and seven RBI. With a two-run homer in the series finale against the Blue Devils, the Richmond, Va., native has blasted a home run in four straight games.
DYKSTRA NAMED NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK -- Freshman Allan Dykstra was named Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week on April 3. The first baseman batted .786 (11-for-14) with five home runs and 11 RBI the previous week. He also added three doubles, eight runs scored and drew five walks. Dykstra recorded an absurd slugging percentage of 2.071 and on-base percentage of .850. Dykstra opened the week with a school-record tying three home runs against Davidson on March 28.
DYKSTRA ENTERS THE RECORD BOOKS - Wake Forest freshman Allan Dykstra entered the Demon Deacon all-time record books on March 28 in a 14-6 rout of Davidson. Dykstra became the ninth player in WFU history to hit three homers in a game and finished with a career-high five RBI. The first baseman joined a prestigious list that includes the likes of Jamie D'Antona and Bill Merrifield -- both former ACC Player of the Year winners and All-Americans. D'Antona was the last player to hit three homers in a game on May 26, 2001 versus Tennessee Tech in the NCAA Regional.
MR. DURABLE -- Junior All-American Matt Antonelli takes the term "everyday player" to another level. Antonelli has started all 152 games in his entire Demon Deacon career. He started 145 consecutive games at the hot corner before starting each of the past seven games at second base.
TRIO OF GOOSE EGGS -- The Deacons blanked High Point, 7-0, on March 22 for their third shutout of 2006. Wake Forest did not register a single shutout in 2004 or 2005. In fact, the Deacons have not had three shutouts in a single season since 2000.
ANTONELLI AND YOUNG MOVING UP ALL-TIME CHARTS -- Junior Matt Antonelli walked a school-record 57 times in 2005 and has recorded 34 already this season. The third baseman has drawn 123 walks over his career, eclipsing Jamie D'Antona's school record of 113. Senior pitcher Kyle Young led Wake Forest with 33 appearances in 2005 and has pitched in 23 more games in 2006. Young has appeared in 81 games over his career which ranks fifth all-time. Young has a decent chance to climb as high as second on the chart (Frank Humber, 86), but Dave Bush's ACC record of 142 games is not in danger. The 142 appearances for Bush is the second most in NCAA history.
DEACONS AT THEIR BEST AGAINST THE BEST -- With Wake Forest's 11-8 victory over No. 12 NC State on April 8, the Deacons picked up their fifth against a team in the top 25 this season. Wake Forest had also defeated two top five and three top 10 teams in the same season for the first time since 2002.
INSIDE THE 11-GAME WINNING STREAK --
Wake Forest extended its winning streak to 11 games before losing to No. 4 North Carolina on March 11. The Deacons fell shy of the school record winning streak of 15 games set in 1999, but it was the longest winning streak since 2002. Over the last 50 years of Wake Forest baseball, only eight teams have won 10 or more consecutive games.
The Demon Deacons allowed two or fewer earned runs in each of the first eight games of the winning streak.
Wake Forest extended its streak to 83 consecutive innings without trailing at the end of a full inning before Elon grabbed a 2-0 lead after three innings on March 8.
After opening his Wake Forest career 3-for-19 (.158), freshman Allan Dykstra found his stroke during the 11-game winning streak. The first baseman batted .432 (16-for-37) with five doubles, four home runs and 12 RBI. Dykstra slugged .892 over the span.
In the end, the Demon Deacon pitching staff only allowed more than two earned runs in three times. Wake Forest posted a 2.52 earned run average and its opponents batted just .220 over the stretch.
The Wake Forest baseball team moved into the Rosenblatt Report national poll at No. 24. The Demon Deacons entered the top 25 for the first time since April 14, 2003.
ENICK NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK -- Collegiate Baseball named Wake Forest redshirt junior Brendan Enick their National Player of the Week on March 6. Enick finished the previous week with a .786 (11-for-14) batting average, two home runs and 12 RBI in just three games. He led Wake Forest for the week in batting average (.786), slugging percentage (1.429), on-base percentage (.765), hits (11), RBI (12) and doubles (3).
ACC PITCHER OF THE WEEK -- Wake Forest junior Charlie Mellies was named ACC Pitcher of the Week on February 27. The junior tossed a five-hit, complete game shutout of No. 1 Florida. Mellies is the first Demon Deacon to receive ACC Pitcher of the Week since Kyle Sleeth earned the award on March 24, 2003. He was also the first Deacon to toss a complete-game shutout since Sleeth.
RECAP FROM THE PEPSI BASEBALL CLASSIC --
The victory for Wake Forest over No. 1 Florida, 4-0, on February 26 was its first over the nation's top-ranked team since April 26, 2002 when the Deacs beat Clemson, 4-2.
Wake Forest captured the 2006 Pepsi Baseball Classic Tournament title and finished the weekend as the only undefeated team. After defeating No. 10 Missouri on February 25, the victory over No. 1 Florida gave the Demon Deacons consecutive wins over ranked opponents for the first time since March 15 and 16 of 2002.
Junior Charlie Mellies not only tossed his third career complete game against the Gators, but his first career shutout. It was Wake Forest's first shutout since February 11, 2003 when the Deacons blanked Appalachian State, 26-0. Former All-American Kyle Sleeth was the last WFU pitcher to toss a complete game shutout -- blanking Maryland on April 19, 2002.
Wake Forest registered victories over members of the Big 10, Big 12 and SEC in the same season for the first time in school history. The Demon Deacons were the first ACC school to accomplish the feat since Florida State defeated Nebraska, Michigan State and Florida in 2004.
The Demon Deacons allowed a total of five runs, only four of which were earned, the entire weekend. The four earned runs were the fewest allowed by a Wake Forest pitching staff since 1998 when the Deacons allowed just three earned runs in victories over UNC Wilmington (twice) and Radford.
After Ohio State scored in the top of the first inning on a solo home run, Wake Forest answered with three runs of their own in the bottom of the inning and never trailed the rest of the weekend.
In addition to Charlie Mellies being named MVP, sophomore closer Ben Hunter, sophomore catcher Austin Jones and freshman Allan Dykstra were each named to the Pepsi Baseball Classic All-Tournament team.
Sophomore Weldon Woodall did not register a single plate appearance in 2005, but the designated hitter made his first career start on February 24 against Ohio State. After failing to pick up a hit against the Buckeyes, Woodall went 5-for-8 with a run scored and two RBI in victories over No. 10 Missouri and No. 1 Florida.
HOME OPENERS -- Wake Forest slipped past Charlotte, 4-3, in 10 innings on February 21. The Demon Deacons have won their home opener 19 of the past 20 years.
OPENING WEEKENDS -- Wake Forest has now dropped three consecutive season openers. The Deacons lost to Rice to open 2004, Winthrop in 2005 and now Charlotte. Dating back to the 1958 season (the last 50 years), Wake Forest is 30-20 on opening day. The Demon Deacons are 0-2 under Rick Rembielak on opening day and Rembielak is 6-7 all-time in his career.
AFTER FURTHER REVIEW -- Wake Forest freshman Dustin Hood had quite a debut for the Demon Deacons against Charlotte. The shortstop had seven hits in the twin bill, including five in the nightcap. Hood, who went 5-for-5 with an RBI double and two runs scored, became the first Deacon rookie to record five hits in a single game since Bill Merrifield went 5-for-8 against Georgia Tech on April 4, 1981.
IN THE BOOKS -- Wake Forest had a number of players that recorded firsts in the season-opening doubleheader against Charlotte. In addition to the Demon Deacon debuts of five true freshman and two transfers (So., Ben Hunter, So., Austin Jones and R-So., Eric Williams), Allan Dykstra, Dustin Hood, Jones and Williams each picked up their first career hits. Dykstra, Hood and Williams also had RBI. Hunter, who made 13 starts last season for Furman, registered his first career save, while junior Brian Shust smacked his first career home run.
NATIONAL FLAVOR -- As is usually the case, the Demon Deacon baseball roster is made up from players across the United States. This year, however, it's even more apparent as 30 of the 32 players on the roster are from outside the state of North Carolina. In fact, 15 different states, including North Carolina, are represented. The only North Carolinians on the team are pitchers Kip Byrum (Sr., Greenville, N.C.) and Garrett Bullock (Fr., Greenville, N.C.) -- both of whom attended J.H. Rose HS.
DEACONS PICKED EIGHTH BY ACC COACHES -- Wake Forest was picked to finish eighth in the 2006 ACC preseason baseball poll, as determined by a vote of the league's 12 head coaches. The Demon Deacons received a total of 59 points.
