Despite having three players from last year’s team drafted in the top 10 of the 2024 MLB draft, this retooled Wake Forest roster is once again talented enough to make it back to Omaha this season.
After losing Chase Burns, Nick Kurtz and Seaver King, it seems crazy to say that this season’s version of the Demon Deacons is poised for a deeper run than last year’s team, but the depth this roster boasts certainly gives them the opportunity to do so.
“I think Omaha again,” said junior outfielder Jack Winnay when asked about his expectations for the team this year. “There is absolutely no reason we can’t get back, we have so much depth, so much talent, we would be selling ourselves short to think anything less of that.”
The Deacs opened the season as last year’s preseason No. 1-ranked squad by D1Baseball but finished 38-22 (15-15 in ACC) and ended with consecutive defeats in the Greenville Regional. This year, the Deacs are ranked No. 14 in D1Baseball’s preseason rankings and are looking to outperform last year’s squad.
This year’s team is led by D1Baseball’s No. 1-ranked shortstop in the country, Marek Houston. Houston, now a junior, led the team last year with a .326 batting average, recording 72 hits, 39 RBIs, and eight home runs, good enough for third-team all-ACC honors. Widely considered the best defensive shortstop in the country, Houston’s combination of defensive intelligence and offensive ability makes him one of the country’s premier players.
The Deacs also return Winnay, a slugger who hit 20 home runs last season, and sophomore second baseman Antonio Morales, who led the all Wake Forest freshmen in hits (25), RBIs (21) and home runs (3) last year.
Transfers Ethan Conrad (Marist) and Jimmy Keenan (St. Johns), as well as freshman third-baseman Dalton Wentz, all look to make immediate impacts this year. Conrad, a junior outfielder, hit .389 with 52 RBIs and nine home runs last year, while Keenan, a sophomore catcher, hit .335 with 57 RBIs and 12 home runs last year.
This year’s pitching staff offers great depth with a good mix of left-handed and right-handed pitchers and a multitude of strong bullpen arms. As of right now, Logan Lunceford, a junior transfer from Mizzou, is the Friday starter, junior Joe Ariola will start on Saturdays, and sophomore Matthew Dallas, a Tennessee transfer, will be the Sunday starter. The Deacs midweek starter will be sophomore Blake Morningstar.
Despite not having proven talents like Chase Burns and Rhett Lowder on the team, this year’s weekend starters offer high-end talent and ability, which was showcased throughout the preseason.
The bullpen is chock-full of high-end arms like returners Will Ray, Zach Johnson and Josh Gunther. Paired with transfers Griffin Green (Virginia Tech) and Matt Bedford (Notre Dame), the Demon Deacons have a strong case for one of the better bullpens in the country.
Wake Forest coach Tom Walter has high expectations entering his 16th season as the head coach of the Demon Deacons. Walter mentioned that the pitching and positional depth on the roster is a big part of why he feels this team is in a position to make another run at the College World Series this year.
“I think we have the chance to be a top 10 type team,” said Walter. “We gotta play well, and we gotta stay healthy certainly, but I do think we have the ability to be that kind of team.”
