Jan. 21, 2006

Rick Rembielak, entering his second year as Wake Forest's head baseball coach, is proud of what his team was able to accomplish a season ago. But with all that in the past, and North Carolina enjoying unseasonably warm winter weather, he has quickly gotten the Deacons outside preparing for the 2006 season in hopes of making further strides in rebuilding the program. The team opened practice Jan. 19, giving the Deacons three weeks to toil before their season-opening game at UNC-Charlotte.

Wake Forest finished last season at 28-30 overall, and 12-18 in the ACC. It was an overall win total improvement of 11 games from the 2004 season. Wake also won eight more games in ACC action and captured its first ACC Tournament victories in three seasons. Wake Forest earned three wins at the 2005 ACC Tournament, beating Duke, Maryland and North Carolina.

Wake Forest also defeated Florida State in Tallahassee for the first time in 10 years, snapping a 15-game losing streak at FSU with a 12-inning, 13-10 triumph on April 10. Wake Forest defeated No. 5 Miami, 13-6, giving WFU its first win over a top-5 team since 2002 when the Deacons defeated top-ranked Clemson.

"We had a good opening weekend against Virginia, a team that ended up finishing second in the ACC tournament, we had a couple of tournament victories there, and beat Miami at home when they were 5th at the time," Rembielak said. "We won a few more games, and if you look at some of the games we did not win, they were close, and some of the result of that was the thinness of the pitching staff. We didn't have any depth and ended up pitching some of these guys mid-week and then trying to have them ready for conference weekend. We left guys in probably a little too long because we just didn't have anybody to go to. But you could see the confidence of the ball club grow as the season progressed. They peaked at the end of the season in the tournament."

The Deacons return 17 letterwinners, five position starters and seven of their top eight pitchers. However, the team will have 13 newcomers, which is the largest recruiting class at Wake Forest in recent memory. The newcomers will be expected to produce quickly, but Rembielak feels the players he has brought in will quickly be successful at the college level.

"When we went out on the recruiting trail, we knew we had to shore up the pitching staff," Rembielak said. "I think the difference going in right away this year is going to be that we're going to have pretty good mid-week guys and a pretty good bullpen. The mid-week games last year, we almost had to sacrifice. We didn't want to overextend our guys so they'd be ready for conference weekend. This year that won't be the case. We've got some young guys who are throwing the ball pretty well so far. I think in the non-conference games, we're going to be more competitive."

Rembielak said juniors Josh Ellis (6-4 in `05) and Charlie Mellies (3-5, 4.17 ERA in '05) enter the season as the numbers one and two starters respectively, and freshman Garrett Bullock has thrown the ball well, giving Wake three solid starters. Rembielak is looking at freshman Brad Kledzik as a mid-week starter. Kyle Young (4-1, 3.06 ERA in '05) will come out of the bullpen, and Furman transfer Ben Hunter is presently a candidate to relieve as well.

"We've got a Bullock and a Kledzik coming in as freshmen and have really shown good signs, but until you put them into that intensity," Rembielak said. "You don't want to necessarily throw them into the fire, but if they can get their feet wet..."

Justin Keadle returns after missing all of 2005 recovering and rehabilitating from Tommy John surgery. Keadle was the team's ace in 2004, tossing two complete games and logging 88.1 innings of action, 20 more than any other pitcher that year. He had a team-high 66 strikeouts. Rembielak hopes Keadle can return to form this year, "because of his experience and his competitiveness." Keadle may return as soon as the third weekend of the season.

Behind the plate will be Dan Rosaia and mid-year transfer Austin Jones. The starter will be determined by who is playing well, and both are expected to get plenty of playing time.

"Austin receives the ball very well, and we're not looking for him to be an offensive threat, but our main priority if for he and Dan Rosaia to receive," Rembielak said. "Rosaia is a left-handed batter and Austin is a right-handed batter, which gives you some options. From a defensive standpoint we're not going to lose anything with either of those guys behind the plate."

Arizona State transfer Eric Williams gives the Deacons a good leadoff batter that can go deep in the count without panic.

"He's not a power hitter, but can give pitchers fits," Rembielak said. "He gives us some base stealing threat at the top of the lineup."

Sophomore left fielder Brett Linnenkohl (.253, 4HR, 44RBIs in `05) is going to follow Williams in the two-hole and has great speed as well. Third baseman Matt Antonelli is set to bat third after batting .332 last season with five home runs and 35 RBIs. Antonelli is an early-season candidate for 2006 ACC Player of the Year honors.

"Matt's really our mainstay offensively," Rembielak said. "You get those three guys on base, and you don't necessarily need to give up an out. They'll advance on their own, and with them on base, Antonelli could have a real good year from an RBI standpoint."

Rembielak said he is considering freshman first baseman Allan Dykstra at fourth in the order because he has shown power from the left side, which plays to his advantage with Layton Field's short left-field wall. Dykstra comes to Wake Forest as a highly touted recruit out of San Diego, Brendan Enick (.311, 5HRs in `05) is set at fifth in the lineup with some power and, after playing the majority of his time at first last season, is interchangeable with Dykstra at first.

Three players are vying for a starting spot in right field: Brian Shust, Casey Sterk and Evan Ocheltree. Ocheltree is a freshman that must adjust to the collegiate level; Sterk is a senior who batted .250 a season ago; and Shust is a player with tremendous tools in arm strength and foot speed, according to Rembielak. The rest of the order could be filled out with freshman shortstop Dustin Hood, sophomore second baseman Andy Goff and catchers Rosaia or Jones.

"The good thing about this year is that we have competitiveness, somebody waiting to take their spot and get in there," Rembielak said. "If something happens, we have options. We're going to go with guys who are having success. It's a nice luxury to have. We're going to throw some of the younger guys in there, and they're going to have to learn very quickly. But right now their mental make-up is strong, and that's encouraging."

Rembielak said he feels very good about his defense's ability to help out the pitchers.

"I feel confident with Dykstra (first base), Hood (second base), Goff (shortstop) and Antonelli (third base)," Rembielak said. "You've got two new guys with Dykstra and Hood, but they seem like they can handle it, and two experienced guys." Eric Williams is a very good center fielder with an accurate arm, and a player who knows how to command the outfield, according to Rembielak. Linnenkohl is an intense left fielder that goes at one speed. "He has a football mentality," Rembielak said. "He'll go through a brick wall, but sometimes you might need to sidestep that wall. But you like to channel that."

The schedule has the Demon Deacons facing four of Baseball America's Preseason Top 10 teams, including 2005 NCAA runner-up Florida. Twenty-five of Wake Forest's 56 regular season games will come against teams either ranked in the top 25 or were NCAA Tournament participants from last season. The tough competition is sure to test the young Deacons, but Rembielak has set higher expectations and feels his team is talented enough to reach them.

"What I like about this team is that they'll see the expectation level," Rembielak said. "They (the freshmen) have gone through one semester, and that's step one when you're a freshman. Now, stage two, is not to act like a freshman now. The older guys have done a good job taking them under their wing. Now it shouldn't all be brand new because of that first semester and because we've done some intersquad and given them that environment. But the expectation that those guys need to mature fast is there."