After downing Coastal Carolina last Tuesday, the Wake Forest baseball team came into this weekend with high expectations. Even with the series loss against Miami still looming, a strong offensive performance against the Chanticleers left the Deacs hopeful to begin an extended winning streak. With N.C. State making a visit to the couch, the Deacs hoped not only to get back in the winning column, but to make an exclamation point. 

Friday

Was there any better way for Wake Forest to open up a series, let alone against one of their biggest rivals? Friday night’s game against the Wolfpack was nothing short of a statement victory for the Deacs. 

The action got started in the first when Chris Levonas, who has recently begun slowing down after a tremendous start, found himself in some early trouble. Despite throwing over 30 pitches in the inning, the sophomore righty was able to escape the frame while allowing just one run. However, for the Wolfpack, this run in the first would be their only in the game, as a gritty performance from Levonas paired with strong efforts from the bullpen hushed State’s offense. 

Needless to say, State found themselves in a comfortable position heading into the bottom of the first. At least, that’s what they initially thought. 

Not too long after, the Deacs responded in emphatic fashion when Javar Williams led off the bottom of the inning with a moonshot to right field. From there on out, the Deacs never looked back. 

Following a scoreless second from Levonas, the Wake Forest offense exploded. Thanks to a string of solid at-bats, second baseman Blake Schaaf stepped up to the plate with a bases-loaded opportunity. 

Wasting no time, the lefty Schaaf crushed a fastball over the wall for his first home run of the season—a grand slam, no less. Another home run in the second, this time from Kade Lewis, extended the Deacs’ lead to seven. 

Another four runs in the third, primarily stemming from another Schaaf home run, put Wake Forest in mercy rule territory. But they weren’t done just yet. 

The onslaught continued into the sixth, when long home runs from both Jimmy Keenan and JD Stein applied the dagger in the 10-run inning. The final run tally of 22 is tied with their highest of the season, matching a similar beatdown to Pitt in early April. 

With all of the offense that occurred on Friday night, some of the encouraging notes from the pitching side may have gotten lost in the noise. Blake Morningstar, who was recently moved to the bullpen due to several poor starts, looked to hone in on his former self. The big righty went three scoreless against the Wolfpack without allowing a walk or run while striking out five. 

“Quite honestly, the story of the day for me, and our team, and this team’s season is Blake Morningstar. It was the old Blake today,” Coach Tom Walter said. “It was the first time in a long time that we’ve seen the velocity, the sink on the fastball, the cutter and the breaking ball. So, really pleased with Blake today.”

Saturday

Riding the momentum of Friday’s dominant victory, the Demon Deacons followed suit on Saturday with yet another run-rule win. Game one’s contributors led a strong, all-around offensive outburst, along with a couple of new faces who got in on the action. 

Sophomore Luke Costello had the grandest day of them all, going 4 for 5 with a home run and 5 RBI’s. The righty slugger leads the Deacs in almost every offensive category and should be a key piece against other ACC opponents down the stretch. 

Catcher Matt Conte also joined the fun by smacking a pair of two-run shots against the Wolfpack, including the game-winner in the seventh. Kade Lewis also had a tremendous day at the plate, gathering three hits and a home run for himself. 

While the pitching wasn’t exactly where it needed to be, with starter Troy Dressler and reliever Evan Jones struggling, it was enough to push the Deacs over the finish line. 

“We found a way. We’ve, for the most part, kept N.C. State in the ballpark the last two days, and that’s really been the difference,” Walter said. “They’re such a good offensive team. I’m glad it didn’t go any further so we can save some bullets to give ourselves a chance to win tomorrow.”

This statement victory proved to be historic for the Deacs, as their 40 runs in the first two games of a series were their most since 2023. While things may not have gone exactly as planned for Wake Forest this season, any statistic that compares this team to the one that reached Omaha, Neb., three years ago is a good one. 

Sunday

As the season progresses, it is clear that the Demon Deacons need to solve a lingering problem. For some reason, this baseball team cannot close out a game on Sunday. 

Not since early February has Wake Forest defeated a team on Sunday to come up with a series sweep, and this drought continued after yesterday’s game against N.C. State. 

Despite holding onto the lead for the majority of the action, a blown hold opportunity from Marcelo Harsh gave the Wolfpack much-needed life, as a Sherman Johnson RBI tied things up in the eighth.

At one point, just six outs away from a series sweep, Wake Forest failed to score in the following two frames, allowing the Wolfpack to take advantage in extras. Aided by some situational hitting and a Dalton Wentz error in the tenth, N.C. State would end up winning the series finale 6-5.

“That’s a bad loss,” Walter said. It’s a game that we should have found a way to win. Late in the game, we gave up too many free passes and couldn’t control the running game. They found a way to punch across runs and unfortunately, we didn’t make them earn those runs, which is disappointing.”

Next week will be a massive one for Wake Forest, as a weekend series against No. 3 Georgia Tech in Atlanta could determine much for the Demon Deacons. With the offense certainly rolling, the attention must shift towards quieting the nation’s most prolific lineup in the Yellowjackets.