March 26, 2009

Wake Forest Game Notes | Duke Game Notes

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The Wake Forest baseball team hits the road for the second time in Atlantic Coast Conference play this weekend as it travels to Durham, N.C., for a three-game series with the Duke Blue Devils.

Game times for the weekend series are scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday and 1 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday's game will be televised by the ACC's Regional Sports Networks, which include Comcast SportsNet, FSN South, Fox Sports Florida and NESN.

Wake Forest enters the weekend with an 11-10 overall record and a 1-8 mark in league play. The Demon Deacons are coming off a dramatic 13-11 extra-inning victory over Davidson on Tuesday night. After seeing an 11-4 lead evaporate over the final three innings, Wake Forest retook the lead with a two-run home run from Weldon Woodall in the 11th inning. Davidson put runners at first and second with two outs in the bottom of the inning, but Michael Dimock came in to quell the rally and give the Deacs the win.

Woodall leads Wake Forest with a .347 batting average and is tied for the team lead in RBIs with 18. Dustin Hood is hitting .341 on the season, including a .400 batting average during ACC play. Carlos Lopez leads the team with eight home runs and leads the ACC in slugging percentage at .775. Lopez has 18 RBIs and is hitting .338 on the season.

Duke enters the weekend with a 16-7 record and a 5-4 mark in ACC play. The Blue Devils took two of three games from then-No. 1 North Carolina in Chapel Hill last weekend. Duke swept a two-game series from Alabama A&M during the midweek. As a team, the Blue Devils are hitting .315 on the season and the Blue Devil pitching staff has compiled a 4.35 ERA.

Alex Hassan leads Duke with a .447 batting average, which ranks second in the ACC. Hassan has a league-best 42 hits on the season and has hit two home runs on the season with 14 RBIs. Three Blue Devils have more than 20 RBIs on the season, led by Nate Freiman, who leads the team with 24 runs driven in.

Hassan also leads the Blue Devil bullpen, with a team-high five saves on the season. He has posted a 1-2 record with a 3.00 ERA this season. Michael Ness has made a team-high 10 appearances out of the bullpen and has given up just four runs in 20 2/3 innings.

Senior Brad Kledzik will get the nod for Wake Forest in the series opener on Friday night. Kledzik, who will be making his fifth start of the season, has a 1-3 record with a 6.29 ERA on the season. He turned in a quality start in his last outing against NC State. Kledzik gave up three runs on eight hits in 6 2/3 innings, while striking out seven batters.

Duke will counter with junior southpaw Christopher Manno on Friday night. Manno is 1-3 on the season with a 7.40 ERA. He suffered the loss in his last start against North Carolina last weekend. Manno allowed five runs on five hits in 3 2/3 innings against the Tar Heels.

Junior righty Phil Negus will start the middle game of the series on Saturday afternoon. Negus is 1-2 on the year with a 7.06 ERA. In his last outing against NC State, he gave up seven runs, six of them earned, on six hits in 5 1/3 innings.

Reigning ACC Pitcher of the Week Andrew Wolcott will take the mound for Duke in the middle game of the three-game series. Wolcott is 4-0 on the season with a miniscule 1.27 ERA. He has allowed just nine runs, five of them earned, in 35 1/3 innings. He ranks second in the ACC in ERA and is tied for first in the league in innings pitched. In his last start against North Carolina, Wolcott picked up the victory, allowing three runs, one earned, on six hits in seven innings of work.

Wake Forest has not announced a starter for Sunday's series finale.

Duke is expected to throw sophomore Ryan Knott on Sunday. Knott is 2-0 on the year with a 4.91 ERA. Knott earned the win in the rubber game against North Carolina last weekend. He gave up six runs, three of them earned, on eight hits in 5 1/3 innings.

Wake Forest has a 94-47 advantage in the all-time series against Duke entering the weekend. The Demon Deacons have enjoyed success against the Blue Devils in recent meetings, winning 13 straight games, including a three-game sweep last year in the final series at Gene Hooks Stadium.

Live stats and recaps of all three games will be available at WakeForestSports.com.

Weekend Schedule (Times Eastern and Subject to Change) - Durham, N.C.
Friday, March 27 - 7 p.m.
Saturday, March 28 - 1 p.m.
Sunday, March 29 - 1 p.m.

Probable Pitching Matchups (Wake Forest vs. Duke)
Friday, March 27 RHP Brad Kledzik (Sr., 1-3, 6.29) vs. LHP Christopher Manno (Jr., 1-3, 7.40)

Saturday, March 28
RHP Phil Negus (Jr., 1-2, 7.06) vs. RHP Andrew Wolcott (Sr., 4-0, 1.27)

Sunday, March 29
TBA vs. RHP Ryan Knott (So., 2-0, 4.91)

Records
Wake Forest - 11-10, 1-8 ACC
Duke - 16-7, 5-4 ACC

Rankings (BA/ESPN/NCBWA/Rivals)
Wake Forest - Not Ranked
Duke - NR/RV/RV/NR

Television
Saturday's game will be shown live on the ACC's Regional Sports Networks, which include Comcast SportsNet, FSN South, Fox Sports Florida and NESN. Mike Hogewood and Scott Pose will call the action.

Internet Coverage
Live stats for each game will be available on WakeForestSports.com.