Wake Forest Baseball is back once again.

After a season that resulted in a trip to the Greenville regional of the NCAA Tournament last spring, the Demon Deacons look ahead to a new start and a hopeful track to Omaha.

The Demon Deacons will look to not only reset expectations but also reset their lineup, losing MLB-worthy players on both sides of the plate. Last June, six players were chosen in the 2025 MLB Draft, including former ACC Pitcher of the Year Chase Burns (2nd overall, Cincinnati Reds), star first baseman Nick Kurtz (4th, Athletics), Seaver King (10th, Washington Nationals), and pitchers Michael Massey (Tigers) and Josh Hartle (Pirates, traded to Guardians).

Head Coach Tom Walter and the Demon Deacons have an exciting slate ahead of them and look to improve on impressive results the past few seasons.

PITCHERS

This year, Wake Forest’s pitching staff is like a modified deck of cards. It may not have many aces, but they’re a jack of all trades.

Wake Forest lost quality pitchers at the top of their staff to the 2024 MLB Draft, where ACC Pitcher of the Year Chase Burns and multi-year starter Josh Hartle were each drafted early by their respective organizations. Despite the loss of firepower, this year’s pitching staff is incredibly deep with talent, thanks in part to recruiting and pitching development in the Wake Forest Pitching Lab. 

“We’re going to have to figure out who our 12 guys are,” Walter said at preseason media day. “We’re as much as 18 deep, you know, where I feel really good about them having plenty of stuff to win at a high level… it’s huge because you can always have injuries.”

Experience is not scarce as pitchers like senior Will Ray look to continue the team’s emphasis on culture and development.

“[We’ve got] a lot of brand new guys, a lot of guys that are coming from different places,” Ray said. “Getting the culture down early was something that we poured a lot of our energy into, and I think it’s gone really well. I think it’s going to show early in the season.”

In addition to Ray, the Demon Deacons also return experienced relievers like Haiden Leffew, Zach Johnston, Josh Gunther, Blake Morningstar and Joe Ariola, each having made routine relief appearances last season.

Wake Forest hasn’t shied away from the transfer portal to recruit pitchers. Both Missouri transfer Logan Lunceford and Tennessee transfer Matthew Dallas have racked up praise throughout the preseason as both former SEC pitchers look to make an immediate impact on the Demon Deacons.

“In terms of hardest to hit, I’d start with [Lunsford] or [Dallas],” Houston said at media day. “Dallas doesn’t throw a ball that goes straight- you never know which way it’s gonna go. They both have improved, a lot over just over the break… I think they’re gonna come out here and show everybody what they have.”

The Demon Deacons also added talent from inside the Atlantic Coast Conference, landing Matt Bedford (Notre Dame), Griffin Green (Virginia Tech) and Luke Schmolke (Georgia Tech). 

In terms of freshmen, names to know include Chris Levonas and Duncan Marsten, two highly-touted pitchers who contributed to Wake Forest’s 11th-ranked recruiting class (according to Perfect Game). Levonas chose to attend Wake Forest over signing with the Milwaukee Brewers, where he was chosen with the 67th overall pick in last year’s draft.

“I think the most exciting part is getting to know all the guys and becoming accustomed to the culture,” Marsten said. “You’ve always heard about the 2023 team and how the culture was so good- it makes me so excited to be here.”

BATTERS

While the Demon Deacons’ 2024 campaign may not have lived up to their 2023 World Series run, they still had accomplishments to write home about — they were sixth in the nation last year in drawn walks, 17th in home runs, and 25th in runs scored. 

However, Walter’s squad lost four of their top five leading batters in the offseason, losing the likes of Kurtz, King, Jake Reinisch and Adam Tellier and causing a massive turnover in terms of the lineup.

Despite losing so much quality, the Demon Deacons still have batting prowess in shortstop mainstay and top batter Marek Houston (.326 BA, 57 R) and Marist transfer Ethan Conrad (.389 BA, 55 R). 

Houston was a 2024 Third Team All–ACC selection, set the team freshman record for games played (65) and was instrumental in Wake Forest’s success during his sophomore season.

“This year, my goal is to be a leader,” shortstop Marek Houston said. “Taking after [Nick] Kurtz and Seaver [King], I’m trying to be the guy that will be a vocal leader, and that’s what I’ve taken to this fall.”

Conrad enters his junior season as a Demon Deacon after spending his first two years with the Marist Red Foxes. Conrad was selected to the 2024 All-MAAC First Team, led his team in all major batting statistics except home runs and set the NCAA single-game record for most triples (4).

“I really like his speed, his bat-to-ball [ability] and his ability to kind of find different ways to get hits,” Walter said. “He has a great feel for the game, and he can beat you in a lot of different ways.”

Wake Forest also lost four of their five top home run-getters, with just Jack Winnay (.297 BA, 20 HR) remaining, meaning the Demon Deacons are hoping for more power from the transfer portal in the new season.

During the offseason, the Demon Deacons grabbed catcher Jimmy Keenan (St. John’s), outfielder Matt Scannell (Princeton) and infielder Kade Lewis (Butler). Both Keenan and Lewis were all-Big EAST selections last season.

“We’ve got a really good club, a talented and deep club, and I really like our group,” Walter said.