The Demon Deacons will start the race for the ACC Championship on 3/7 as they challenge the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame for a weekend series at the Couch. The Deacs are sitting at a comfortable 10-2 after splitting their four games against Princeton and Maryland on 2/28, 3/1, and 3/2. The Irish are off to a strong start with a 8-1 record, and swept Belmont on 2/28, 3/1, and 3/2. I will be in attendance for the Friday night and Saturday night games, with Friday night being the promotional Black-Out with a free Wake Forest Baseball T-Shirt and a free Strikeout Banner being given away at the entrance gate.
The Wake Forest Demon Deacons are sitting at a 10-3 record with losses to UNC Greensboro, Princeton, and Maryland. Star pitchers Logan Lunceford and Matthew Dallas are getting wins and racking up strikeouts on the mound, with powerhouse hitters Marek Houston, Chris Katz, and Jimmy Keenan racking up RBI’s and Home Runs.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are comfortably at 8-1 with their sole loss coming at the hands of North Florida. Elite Pitchers including Tobey McDonough, Rory Fox, and Jackson Dennies and hot-bats Estevan Moreno, Connor Hincks, and Jared Zimbardo carry the Irish to victories.
On Friday Wake Forest pitcher Logan Lunceford is expected to start with a 0.60 ERA, 29 strikeouts, and only allowing one hit. Lunceford has posted a 3-0 record off of throwing 268 pitches. For the Fighting Irish, pitcher Jackson Dennies is expected to start with 15.2 innings under his belt, with 19 strikeouts and allowing eight hits. Dennies has a 2-0 record, with a 2.30 ERA.
On Saturday the Demon Deacons pitcher Matthew Dallas will take the hill with a 2-1 record after 12.1 innings of work, 14 strikeouts, and giving up 10 hits. Dallas has thrown 233 pitches, and recorded eight walks. For Notre Dame, Dylan Heine is expected to take the bump posting a 9.64 ERA in 9.1 innings pitched. Heine has recorded 11 strikeouts, two walks, and giving up 14 hits.
On Sunday the Deacs will start Joe Ariola who has a 2-1 record with a 4.70 ERA in 7.2 innings pitched. Ariola has notched 15 K’s and eight walks while allowing nine hits. For the Fighting Irish, Rory Fox is expected to pitch with a 0.00 ERA while striking out 12 opponents, giving up three hits and a single walk.
My weekend prediction is Wake Forest to come out on top, winning the Friday and Saturday games with strong pitching and even stronger hitting, while dropping the one on Sunday to the Irish. This ACC matchup will be available on the ACC Network Extra on Friday, and available on the radio for the entire weekend.