March 29, 2007

IN THE BATTERS BOX -- Wake Forest returns to ACC play this weekend with a three-game set at No. 6-ranked North Carolina. The Demon Deacons are looking to rebound from a 15-9 setback to Winthrop on Wednesday. Wake enters the weekend 14-13 overall and 3-6 in conference play. In its last ACC series, the Deacons dropped two of three at home to NC State. North Carolina is coming off a 28-3 pounding of Davidson on Wednesday. The Tar Heels come in at 23-4 overall and 6-3 in the ACC. The Deacs are beginning a stretch that sees them play eight of their next nine games on the road.

NORTH CAROLINA INSIDER -- North Carolina has won six of its last seven, including two of three at Virginia Tech last weekend. The Tar Heels have been impressive at Boshamer Stadium, compiling a 20-3 mark at home so far this year. UNC's home losses have come to Penn State (March 3) and twice to Virginia (March 17-18). The Tar Heel pitching staff has a team ERA of 2.56. Starters Adam Warren and Alex White both had sub-2.00 ERAs at 1.67 and 1.91, respectively. Robert Woodard leads the team with 33 strikeouts in 38.1 innings pitched. Andrew Carignan has six saves on the year. At the plate, UNC is hitting .325 as a team. Dustin Ackley leads the Heels with a .495 average, while Josh Horton is hitting .400. Ackley has a team-best 37 RBIs, while Benji Johnson leads North Carolina with five home runs.

LAST MEETING -- North Carolina took two of three from Wake Forest March 10-12, 2006, in Winston-Salem. The Demon Deacons won the opener over the No. 4-ranked Tar Heels, 6-5. Wake scored the tying and go-ahead runs in the bottom of the eighth. Josh Ellis earned the win in relief, while Ben Hunter picked up the save. Allan Dykstra scored three runs, and Brett Linnenkohl drove in two. On Saturday, Wake had just two hits and left 12 runners on base in a 3-0 loss to UNC. Brad Kledzik gave up three runs, two earned, in 7.0 innings. Andrew Miller led Carolina to the rubber match victory, 5-1, on Sunday. Dustin Hood and Andy Goff had two of Wake's three hits on the day. Charlie Mellies took the loss.

ON DECK -- Wake Forest will travel to Elon on Tuesday for a 7 p.m. non-conference game. The Deacons will then head north for a three-game series at Maryland next weekend.

RANKINGS -- North Carolina is ranked in the top six in all four major polls. The Tar Heels are No. 3 in Colllegiate Baseball, No. 5 in USA Today/ESPN, No. 5 in NCBWA and No. 6 in Baseball America. Wake Forest is unranked.

WINTHROP LEFTOVERS --
-Winthrop used a 10-run fifth inning to cruise past Wake Forest, 15-9, on Wednesday. The Eagles brought 14 batters to the plate in the fifth inning to score 10 runs, all earned, off Deacon relievers Joel Ernst, Kirby Wedekind and Sean Souders. The Eagles had six hits in the inning and scored three of their runs off consecutive bases loaded walks.
-The Deacon hitters had a solid day, finishing with 11 hits total. Allan Dykstra finished 2-for-3 with four RBIs. He hit a solo home run in the first inning and a two-run shot in the seventh, giving him 12 home runs on the year. Dustin Hood, Michael Murray and Andy Goff had two hits apiece for Wake. Murray had a two-run double in the fourth inning that briefly gave the Demon Deacons a 4-3 lead. Willy Fox extended his hitting streak to 16 games with a two-out single in the ninth inning.

DYKSTRA HEATING UP -- Sophomore Allan Dykstra is heating up with the weather. Over his last six games, Dykstra is hitting .600 (12-for-20) with four home runs and 12 RBIs. The San Diego native has scored 10 runs and hit three doubles during the span. Additionally, Dykstra is slugging 1.350 and has an on-base percentage of .710 over the six-game stretch, dating back to March 20 vs. Ohio. He has struck out just two times in his last 30 plate appearances while drawing six walks and being hit by four pitches. On the season, Dykstra is hitting .378 with 12 home runs and 34 RBIs.

FOX AT SIXTEEN GAMES -- Junior Willy Fox is currently riding a 16-game hitting streak. Fox's streak dates back to March 6 against Gardner-Webb. The streak is tied for the fifth-longest by a Demon Deacon since 2001. Fox is four games shy of Corey Slavik's 20-game hitting streak in 2001, which stands as the best streak in the past seven seasons at Wake Forest. During his current streak, Fox has had multi-hit days on eight occasions, including a 4-for-5 performance March 11 against Virginia. No other Deacon currently has a hitting streak of more than three games.

Player Statistics During Streak
Willy Fox (16) .386 (27-for-70), 10 R, 5 2B, 3B, 4 HR, 17 RBI, .657 SLG, .463 OBP, 4 BB, 6 HBP

Longest Hitting Streaks Since 2001:
Games Player Year
20 Corey Slavik 2001
18 Ryan Johnson 2002
17 Jamie Athas 2001
17 Jamie D'Antona 2001
16 J.B. Tucker 2005
16 Willy Fox 2007
14 Cory Sullivan 2001
14 Adam Bourassa 2002
13 Five tied

BULLOCK KNOWS HOW TO PICK `EM -- Sophomore Garrett Bullock has mastered the art of the pickoff move. In seven appearances this season, the lefty has picked seven runners off first base. He leads the ACC in that category and has seven of Wake's eight pickoffs this season (RHP Phil Negus has the other). Bullock has picked off two runners in a game on two occasions--March 11 vs. Virginia and March 24 vs. NC State. In both games, Bullock recorded a pickoff in both the first and second innings. As a result of his crafty moves to first, opponents have had just three steal attempts while Bullock's on the mound. Only one of those attempts have been successful--UNC Wilmington's Jesse Haney on March 11.

NC STATE LEFTOVERS --
-Wake Forest dropped two of three games to NC State over the weekend. The Demon Deacons let Friday's game slip away late, falling 6-4 in 10 innings. Wake came back to roll over the Wolfpack, 16-3, on Saturday before falling, 3-2, in a pitchers' duel on Sunday.
-The Deacons received solid outings from lefty starters Garrett Bullock and Eric Niesen on Saturday and Sunday. Bullock earned his second win of the season, allowing two runs on eight hits in 5.1 innings of work. The sophomore had some high pitch counts in the early innings but settled down to turn in a solid outing. Niesen suffered the loss on Sunday but only gave up two runs on six hits. Niesen tied his career-high with eight strikeouts, keeping the Deacs in the game during his six innings of work. It was Niesen's second straight start allowing just two earned runs and striking out eight.
-At the plate, Wake Forest got most of its offense on Saturday as the Deacs exploded with a season-high 16 runs on a season-high 19 hits. Allan Dykstra led the way with a career-best six RBIs. Dykstra, Dustin Hood and Evan Ocheltree had three hits apiece, and Ocheltree drove in three runs. However, the Deacon bats tired on Sunday with just two runs coming across. Wake left 11 runners on base, including two in each the eighth and ninth innings. The Demon Deacons struck out 11 times on Sunday and recorded just seven hits. Eric Williams was the only Deac with multiple hits (2-for-3).

OHIO & WINTHROP LEFTOVERS --
-Wake Forest snapped a five-game losing streak with two games during the week. The Deacons earned a 6-4 home win over Ohio on Tuesday and then picked up a 10-8 win at Winthrop on Wednesday. After struggling to produce with runners in scoring position last weekend at Florida State, Wake improved during the mid-week, hitting .280 (7-for-25). Additionally, the Deacons left just five runners on base on Tuesday, improving on a trend from their losing streak.
-Wake got stellar efforts from its bullpen in both games, as six relievers combined to allow just one run in 9.1 innings of work. On Tuesday, Kirby Wedekind, Brad Kledzik and Josh Ellis pitched a scoreless 2.2 innings. On Wednesday, Phil Negus, Eric Niesen, Ben Hunter and Ellis shut down Winthrop for 6.2 innings after the Eagles had scored seven runs in the first three innings. Ellis earned a save in each of the games to bring his season total to three.
-The middle of the Demon Deacon lineup did some serious damage at the plate. Allan Dykstra, Willy Fox, Dustin Hood and Evan Ocheltree combined to hit .484 (15-for-31) with 10 RBIs, 11 runs and three home runs in the two games. Fox homered against Ohio, while Dykstra and Ocheltree each had home runs at Winthrop. Hood was 3-for-4 on Tuesday, and Dykstra went 3-for-3 on Wednesday. Fox and Hood extended their hitting streaks to 12 and seven games respectively.
-Freshmen Alex Wiesner and Phil Negus each earned their first collegiate victory during the week. Wiesner got the win on Tuesday, pitching 6.1 innings and allowing four runs on four hits. Wiesner let just four baserunners reach in his first six innings of work. Negus got the win in relief on Wednesday, pitching 2.2 innings and surrendering one run on one hit. Negus came on during a one-out, bases-loaded jam in the third but got out of it with just one inherited runner coming across.

GOFF RETURNS TO LINEUP -- Second baseman Andy Goff returned to the Wake Forest lineup on March 21 at Winthrop after missing the 11 previous games with a hyper-extended elbow. The junior injured his throwing elbow turning a double play in the final inning of Wake Forest's 16-11 loss to UNC Wilmington on March 4. Nathan Frazier filled in at second for most of the 11 games that Goff missed. Frazier made 10 starts at second and hit .241 with a pair of doubles. Willy Fox also made a start at second base against Ohio. Goff had started each of the first 11 games of the season, hitting .267 before the injury. He had a solid series against UNC Wilmington, as he collected five hits and had five RBIs.

WHAT A RELIEF! -- Against Ohio and Winthrop last week, six Wake relievers combined to allow just one run in 9.1 innings of work. On Tuesday against Ohio, Kirby Wedekind, Brad Kledzik and Josh Ellis pitched a scoreless 2.2 innings. On Wednesday, Phil Negus, Eric Niesen, Ben Hunter and Ellis shut down Winthrop for 6.2 innings after the Eagles had scored seven runs in the first three innings. Ellis earned a save in each of the games.

YOUNG HAS SEASON-ENDING SURGERY -- Redshirt sophomore Greg Young had season-ending shoulder surgery last week. A left-hander, Young had the surgery on his throwing arm. The Pacific Palisades, Calif., native had not appeared in a game this season. Last year, Young made 12 relief appearances, finishing 2-1 with a 8.83 ERA. Young is expected to be fully recovered from the surgery in time for the 2008 season.

FLORIDA STATE LEFTOVERS --
-Wake was swept by No. 4 Florida State last weekend in Tallahassee. It was the second straight series the Demon Deacons have been swept, pushing Wake's losing streak to five games. The Seminoles pulled out a couple of one-run games on Friday and Saturday before rolling over Wake, 11-1, on Sunday.
-Wake Forest left 31 runners on base and hit just .188 (6-for-32) with runners in scoring position over the three-game set. The Deacs had a golden opportunity for a win on Friday, putting a runner on third with one out in the 10th inning, but a groundout and a strikeout ended the inning.
-Willy Fox had a solid series at the plate, hitting .385 (5-for-13) with four RBIs. Fox had a hit in all three games to extend his hitting streak to 10 games. Allan Dykstra had a game-tying two-run home run in the ninth inning on Friday but hit just .125 (1-for-8) for the weekend. On the mound, Eric Niesen pitched well on Saturday but suffered the loss. Niesen, who struck out a career-best eight batters, gave up four runs (two earned) on five hits in five innings of work. Jose Ellis surrendered his first runs of the season on Sunday.

STREAKING STATS -- Wake Forest was mired in a five-game losing streak from March 13-18, losing two to Ball State and three at Florida State. The Deacons' struggles were largely at the plate where the team left 56 runners on base during the losing streak. In the five games, Wake hit .161 (9-for-56) with runners in scoring position. The Deacs scored 4.2 runs per game during the losing streak. Four of the five losses were one-run defeats.

SEMINOLES STOP ELLIS' STREAK -- Reliever Josh Ellis gave up his first runs of the season on March 18 at Florida State. Ellis entered the series having pitched 14 2/3 scoreless innings this season. He extended that to 16 1/3 but finally succombed with one out in the eighth. Ellis allowed six runners to cross the plate in the inning, but only one of them was earned. In 15 appearances, all in relief, Ellis has a team-leading ERA of 1.27. The Lexington, Ky., native has struck out 31 batters and walked just six. He is 2-1 with three saves on the season.

BALL STATE LEFTOVERS --
-Wake Forest was swept in a two-game, mid-week series with Ball State. It was the first time this season that the Deacons were swept in a series. The losses dropped Wake to 3-2 against Mid-American Conference teams this season.
-On Tuesday, Allan Dykstra hit two home runs but the Cardinals pulled out the win, 7-6, with the go-ahead run in the ninth. On Wednesday, the Deacs left 15 runners on base in the 6-5 loss. In both games, Wake led early but let the leads slip away.
-Joel Ernst took a no-hitter into the sixth inning on Wednesday but gave up five runs, two earned, in the inning. Ernst walked the first two batters of the sixth before giving up two hits in the inning. He suffered his first loss of the season.

FOXY DEACON -- Willy Fox was named the ACC Player of the Week on Monday, March 12. Fox had a hit in all five games last week, including two walk-off, game-winning hits. On Tuesday, Fox's two-run double capped a five-run rally in the ninth inning of Wake Forest's 5-4 win over Gardner-Webb. On Friday against No. 4 Virginia, Fox hit his first two home runs of the season in the Demon Deacons' 8-3 win. He became the first player this season to hit a homer off Cavalier lefty Sean Doolittle. The Scottsdale, Ariz., native singled home the winning run in the bottom of the ninth of Sunday's 7-6 series-clinching win over Virginia. He finished Sunday's game 4-for-5. Fox also went 3-for-4 in Wake's loss to the Cavaliers on Saturday. For the week, Fox finished with a team-best average of .478 and also led the team in hits (11), RBIs (8), slugging percentage (.826) and on-base percentage (.500). For the Virginia series, Fox hit .692 (9-for-13) with six RBIs.

DEACON DRAMA -- Wake Forest fans should plan on sticking around until the final out this year, no matter what the situation. The Deacons seem to turn it on late, having won six games in the final inning, including five walk-off victories at Hooks Stadium. The Deacs have walked-off against Kent State (Feb. 16), Charlotte (Feb. 27), Gardner-Webb (March 6), High Point (March 7) and Virginia (March 11). Additionally, Wake hit the go-ahead home run in the top of the ninth at San Diego (Feb. 25).
- The Deacs had a thrilling, three-run rally in the ninth inning in their season-opener against Kent State. Down 7-5 going into the last inning, the Deacs managed to score three runs without the ball leaving the infield. Wake loaded the bases with three straight walks to open the frame. One out later, Willy Fox singled home Tyler Smith to cut the deficit to one. Dustin Hood followed by reaching on a fielding error, which scored Brett Linnenkohl with the tying run. Weldon Woodall then grounded a ball into the hole between third base and shortstop to bring home Ben Terry for the game-winning run.
- Wake continued this habit on Sunday, Feb. 25, against San Diego. Going into the ninth inning with the scored tied at three, it was Evan Ocheltree's chance to deliver the late-game heroics. Leading off the inning,  the right fielder hit the go-ahead home run, allowing the Deacs to avoid extra innings and a potential series sweep with a 5-3 win over the Toreros.
- In the Deacs' first extra-inning affair of the season against Charlotte, Tyler Smith's two-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th gave Wake Forest a 9-7 comeback win against the 49ers. In his first at-bat of the season, Smith capped a rally that saw the Demon Deacons score seven unanswered runs over the final five innings. Wake had dug itself an early 7-2 hole but fought back to post its fifth win of the season.
- Gardner-Webb dominated Wake Forest for eight innings, holding the Demon Deacon offense to just three hits. Prior to the ninth inning, not one baserunner had made it past second base. Trailing 4-0, Wake rallied with five runs in the bottom of the ninth. Pinch hitter Tyler Smith had a bases-loaded single to score Evan Ocheltree. Brett Linnenkohl followed with a perfectly-placed bunt single to plate Eric Williams. One batter later, Allan Dykstra cut the deficit to 4-3 with a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Cory Hindel. Willy Fox followed with a two-out, two-strike double down the left field line. Smith scored the tying run, and Linnenkohl came all the way around from first to score the game-winner.
- The Deacons made it back-to-back walk-off wins with a 6-5, 10-inning victory against High Point. Ean Ocheltree completed Wake's comeback win all on his own in the 10th inning. Ocheltree tripled to lead off the frame, sliding headfirst into third just ahead of the tag. With Weldon Woodall at the plate looking for the game-winning RBI, High Point reliever Tom Boleska uncorked a wild pitch over Woodall's head, and Ocheltree raced home uncontested for the score.
- Wake clinched the Virginia series when Willy Fox singled home Brett Linnenkohl in the bottom of the ninth for the 7-6 win. After UVa homered in the top of the ninth to tie the game at 6-6, the Deacs put together a rally in the bottom of the frame. Eric Williams led off with a walk, Linnenkohl reached on a fielder's choice and Austin Jones singled. Fox came through with a two-out single up the middle, his second game-winning hit of the week.