May 22, 2006

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Wake Forest placed junior third baseman Matt Antonelli and sophomore closer Ben Hunter on the All-ACC first team, while freshman first baseman Allan Dykstra earned ACC Rookie of the Year as voted on by the league's 12 head coaches.

Dykstra, a second team All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection, leads the ACC in walks (51), sacrifice flies (9), OPS (1.162) and is tied for the league lead in on-base percentage (.488). He also ranks second in home runs (14), seventh in doubles (17), ninth in RBI (55) and ninth in total bases (120). The first baseman is the second Demon Deacon to be named ACC Rookie of the Year as Jamie D'Antona earned the award in 2001. He tied a Wake Forest single-game school record with three home runs against Davidson on March 28. Dykstra has recorded 15 multi-RBI games, including a pair of five RBI outings and registered 15 multi-hit games. The San Diego, Calif. native has also been intentionally walked eight times.

Antonelli, a preseason second team All-American by Baseball America, ranks in the top ten in the ACC in runs scored (64, 4th), doubles (18, 5th), home runs (11, 8th), walks (38, 9th), total bases (126, 8th) and slugging percentage (.592, 10th). He leads Wake Forest in runs, hits (71), doubles, total bases and stolen bases (15). The Peabody, Mass. native has started 161 consecutive games over his career and owns the school record with 127 career walks. Antonelli has registered 20 multi-hit games, including a pair of four-hit games. He has scored a run in 37 of the Deacons 53 games and has reached base, by hit or walk, in 50 of Wake's 53 games.

Hunter leads the ACC and ranks third in the NCAA with 14 saves. He also leads the league in ERA (1.36), strikeouts per nine innings (11.38) and appearances (32). Hunter ranks second in the ACC with an opponents batting average of .190. The Cincinnati, Ohio native is 14-for-15 in save opportunities this season. Hunter has struck out a team-best 67 and walked just 17 in 53.0 innings of work. He opened the season with 26.2 consecutive scoreless innings and did not allow his first earned run in ACC action until April 14 ending a scoreless streak of 15.2 innings in conference games. Hunter recorded nine saves in the league and ACC foes are hitting just .196 against him. The 14 saves are the most for a Wake Forest pitcher since former All-American Dave Bush had 16 in 2001 and ranks tied for second-most in single-season school history.

Wake Forest returns to action this week with its opening game at the 2006 ACC Baseball Championships. The No. 8 seed Demon Deacons will face No. 1 seed Clemson on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. at the Baseball Ground of Jacksonville.

-- WakeForestSports.com --