By: Harry Crowther
The Wake Forest baseball team is Omaha bound for the first time in 68 years and only the third time in program history. Head Coach Tom Walter’s Demon Deacons will look to cap off an historic season with a second College World Series title, their first since 1955.
Wake Forest is a juggernaut. Seeded number one overall in the NCAA tournament, the Deacs ran the table in the Winston-Salem Regional and Super Regional with a +59 run differential, the highest ever during a postseason run entering the College World Series. 2023 is the first 50-win season in program history and the first time Wake Forest has hosted an NCAA super regional.
The Demon Deacons rank fifth in OPS and fourth in home runs in division one. Pitching has been lights out topping the charts in ERA, strikeouts and BAA. Right-hander Rhett Lowder has led the way on the bump with a 1.80 ERA and 131 strikeouts over 115 innings. At the plate, third baseman Brock Wilken ranks second in the nation in home runs with 30 and fifth in OPS at 1.351. First baseman Nick Kurtz’s OPS sits at 1.361, good for fourth nationally.
But Wake Forest’s road to a championship won’t be easy.
The quest begins Saturday at 2 p.m. ET in Bracket 2 against eighth-seeded Stanford. The Cardinal defeated Texas two games to one in the Stanford Super Regional (in dramatic and bizarre fashion) and boasts both the Pac-12 coach of the year, David Esquer, and player of the year, Alberto Rios.
The other pairing in Bracket 2 is between SEC heavyweights, LSU and Tennessee. Tigers’ center fielder Dylan Crews and right-hander Paul Skenes are projected to go one two respectively in MLB.com’s latest mock draft. LSU has won six national titles in 18 College World Series appearances and ranks second in team OPS. Tony Vitello’s Volunteers, seeded number one in last year’s tournament, knocked off then red-hot and fourth-seeded Clemson in the Clemson Regional. Tennessee ranks second in team ERA and strikeouts, only behind Wake Forest.
On the other side, two seed Florida or seven seed Virginia could challenge Wake Forest in a three-game series. Florida has won 50 games for the seventh time and is ranked fifth in home runs. Virginia has won 15 of 16 and leads the nation in hitting.
Also in Bracket 1 is TCU and Oral Roberts. TCU has won 11 straight, and Oral Roberts is only the third four seed in the regional round to make it to Omaha, according to The Associated Press. Eagles’ center fielder Jonah Cox has recorded a hit in 47 straight games.
The action begins from the College World Series at Charles Schwab Field Omaha on Friday. Wake Forest is the favorite according to odds makers, but Florida and LSU are not far behind. A championship for the Demon Deacons would mark the best season in program history. They have been the best team all season. Can they finish the job?
