The Wake Forest Demon Deacons (24-10, 9-6) finished their fifth ACC series this past weekend with a dominant series win against the then No. 4-ranked Florida State, outscoring the Seminoles 33-7. Now, with five ACC series left, Wake Forest has completed half of the ACC regular season.
Wake Forest entered the season ranked No. 14 in the country but has since fallen out of the rankings due to dropping back-to-back series against Clemson and Virginia Tech, managing only one win in six games. If the Demon Deacons want to give themselves a chance to host a regional at the end of this year, the team that showed up in Tallahassee has to continue to show up for the rest of the season
Unfortunately, the Demon Deacons received some disheartening news Monday afternoon. Junior transfer Ethan Conrad, who has been out since injuring himself in the Miami series, is receiving season-ending shoulder surgery. Conrad was slashing .372/.495/.722 with seven home runs, while also being a defensive anchor in center field.
With a little over a month left in the regular season and the Demon Deacons sitting fifth in the ACC, it is time to assess how they have looked and performed in the first half of the season. Here is a mid-season report card.
Offense: A-
Rake Forest has been in full effect. The offense ranks in the top three in the ACC in batting average (.319), runs scored (320) and hits (368). The Demon Deacons also lead the ACC in RBIs with 309 and home runs with 65. Hitters have also shown great plate discipline, drawing 223 free passes, good enough for second in the ACC and fifth in the nation.
The Demon Deacons boast two hitters, Marek Houston and Kade Lewis, tied for the ACC lead in RBIs with 45. Lewis has a strong case to be the best hitter in the ACC so far this season, slashing an impressive .448/.556/.793 while drawing four more walks than strikeouts. Houston has also been excellent, though he has cooled off a bit since his red-hot start to the season.
Freshman infielder Dalton Wentz, right fielder Matt Scannell and first baseman Jack Winnay have all contributed consistently in the lineup for most of the season. Wentz, who has played in all of Wake Forest’s first 33 games, is leading the team in doubles and just won ACC Player of the Week honors after an 11-RBI weekend against Florida State. Scannell has been a consistent leadoff hitter for Demon Deacons with the third-highest OBP for hitters, with a minimum of two plate appearances per game. Winnay sits tied for the team lead in home runs (10), giving Wake Forest power in the middle of the lineup.
The one knock on the offense is the situational hitting. The Demon Deacons have left runners in scoring position in some important moments throughout the first half of the season, notably leaving 11 runners on base in a Sunday rubber match against Clemson that they lost on a walk-off wild pitch after giving up a five-run lead.
Conrad was a top-three hitter in the lineup when healthy, and losing him for the season will be a noticeable blow for the Demon Deacons’ offense. If Nelson and Costello can stay hot like they were in Tallahassee, the hole in the lineup created in Conrad’s absence can be filled.
Defense: C
Simply put, the defense has been Wake Forest’s biggest struggle this year. The Demon Deacons have the lowest fielding percentage in the ACC (.963) and lead the league in errors (42). Infield defense has specifically been an issue, as second and third base have been a revolving door throughout the first 33 games of the season. Houston has been the only mainstay in the infield, playing shortstop.
The outfield defense has been better than the infield defense, but once again, Conrad is a big loss. In Conrad’s absence, Nelson will anchor the outfield at center field for the rest of the season. Scannell has been a solid right fielder, serving as the Demon Deacons’ most consistent outfielder. Javar Williams has looked the best in left field and has the opportunity to lock the position up for the rest of the season.
Starting Pitching: B+
The starting pitching was lights out through the non-conference play and the first two ACC series of the season, but in the Clemson and Virginia series, the starting pitching one was one of the biggest reasons the Demon Deacons lost five out of six. Friday starter Logan Lunceford has struggled with his control of the zone after a very hot start to the season. Saturday starter Matthew Dallas has surrendered too many runs, failing to make it past the third inning against Clemson and Virginia.
A change in the rotation before the Florida State series got the starting pitching back on track. Over the weekend, the Demon Deacons held the Seminoles to seven total runs and shut them out on Saturday behind 5 2/3 shutout innings from Lunceford in a bounce-back performance. Despite a couple of poor outings, Lunceford still has the second-most strikeouts in the ACC (67) and leads the ACC in opposing batting average (.157).
The most consistent arm in the rotation is Sunday starter Blake Morningstar. The sophomore has made seven starts on the season and leads the team with a 2.45 ERA and a 4-0 record. Morningstar boasts impressive command of the strike zone and has consistently shown the ability to grind even when he doesn’t have his best stuff. His consistency on Sundays has given the Demon Deacons a chance to win each week.
Going forward this season, freshman Chris Levonas, the Demon Deacons’ midweek starter, will likely move into the weekend rotation. Levonas is a highly-touted MLB prospect who the Milwaukee Brewers drafted in last year’s second round, which he turned down to play for Wake Forest.
Bullpen: B-
Like the starting pitching, the bullpen started the season on fire but has since cooled off. Through the first 13 games of the season, the bullpen had posted a combined 1.72 ERA with 105 strikeouts. Then the Demon Deacons lost Will Ray, their best bullpen arm, for the season. Ray didn’t surrender a run, allowing three hits and striking out 14 in 7 1/3 innings. Walter has turned to Luke Schmolke, Griffin Green, Josh Gunther and Zach Johnston in his absence.
Green and Schmolke have been the two most consistent arms out of the pen in ACC play. Green leads the Wake Forest bullpen with a 2.00 ERA, posting 26 strikeouts in 18 innings pitched. Schmolke boasts a 3.33 ERA with 32 strikeouts in 24 1/3 innings pitched. Gunther, Walter’s preferred closer, has picked up saves against St. Johns, Elon, Princeton and Clemson. But he has also struggled with control in some instances, which has led to losses. A wild pitch in the ninth inning allowed a runner to score the walk-off run in a Sunday rubber match against Clemson.
The bullpen has shown flashes throughout the season and has helped the Demon Deacons close out games in critical spots. Recently, Wake Forest’s relievers have not thrown enough strikes, leading to many losses. If the bullpen arms can enter games and throw more strikes, they can replicate the start of the season with their talent.
