Deacs celebrate NCAA Tourney bid, prepare for Gophers
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — The Deacs filed into the Hickory Room of Bib’s Downtown excited and confident, feeling like they had done enough in the regular season and in the ACC Tournament last week in Durham to assure themselves a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2007.
Wake was No. 26 in the latest RPI, and was in the field according to every major projection.
Yet, as ESPNU revealed the bracket, confidence began to yield to nervousness, as regional after regional was announced without seeing the magic words “Wake Forest.”
Nervousness quickly collapsed to elation, however, as the Deacs saw their name on the board as the No. 3 seed in College Station, Texas.
Arms flailed in the air in victory, the players and coaches cheered in unison, and some folks were just looking for someone to hug.
“When I first came in, I felt like we were in,” Wake Forest junior Will Craig said. “I didn’t have any worries.”
But then to show started and the “what ifs” took over, Craig said.
“I lost it. I was so excited,” Craig said about getting selected. “Everybody was so happy, and giving everybody hugs. It’s what we’ve worked for. We struggled a little bit in the middle of the season, and to come back from that shows the kind of ballclub we have.”
The eight-year Demon Deacon drought had ended, and a talented group of upperclassmen will get the opportunity to extend their Wake Forest careers in post-season play.
“We’re obviously thrilled. It’s such a tight field. I couldn’t sleep last night. I was nervous. Going into it, we certainly felt good about our case, but you just never know how many teams from the league are going to get in,” Wake Forest coach Tom Walter said. “There were 11 teams in our league that had a great case to get in. I was sure the league would get eight, but I wasn’t sure we would get 10 or 11.
“Really happy for our guys that have put so much work into this season, and have believed in each other. They came together as a group in the post-NC State series. That was really the turn around for us — going into that weekend with Florida State. Parker Dunshee was the key. We told Parker that he needed to win out for us to get where we wanted to be. He just went out there and won game after game down the stretch when it counted. Nate Mondou, Stuart Fairchild and Gavin Sheets all got hot. We’re playing really good baseball right now, so we’re looking forward to this opportunity.”
The Deacs spent much of the afternoon and evening Monday scouting their opponents and making travel plans. Their knowledge level of their potential opponents were still a work in progress right after their draw was announced.
“Texas A&M is really dynamic offensively,” Walter said. “To put up the numbers they did against Florida, with their pitching staff, is impressive. If we’re fortunate enough to play them, we’re going to have to find a way to keep their offense in check.”
“I know they’re both really good ball clubs,” Craig said. “We’re going to have to fight and claw for every run we get. We’re just excited to get an opportunity to play.”
At that early juncture, Walter wasn’t sure who would get the nod on the mound in the first game for the Deacs, against the No. 2 seed Minnesota (34-20).
“I don’t know yet. We’re going to look at matchups. Our goal is to win the thing. Our goal is not to go there and go 1-2 and just win a game,” Walter said. “We want to go there and win the regional. I know it’s a tough task. We’re going to go with the best pitching matchup. once we do our homework on Minnesota and do our homework on Texas A&M we’ll make a decision on how we want to go in the first game.
“Not that we’re taking Binghamton lightly — we’re not hoping to play Binghamton the second day, unless they upset Texas A&M, which they certainly could. They’re a quality club, and they have a quality guy on the mound.”
Walter argued the Deacs are better positioned as a No. 3 seed than if they’d moved to up a No. 2.
“Truthfully, I’d rather be a strong 3 instead of the lowest 2, because that means if you do win your first game, you get to be the home team against the host. You don’t want a team like Texas A&M in the winner’s bracket game, to have the last at-bat against you. That’s a big change in the mindset,” he said. “Again. . . we’ve got to go out and beat Minnesota before we worry about that stuff. They’ve led the Big Ten most of this year, and the Big Ten sent four teams into the tournament. It’s obviously a very good league. We’ll have our hands full in that opener. If we get past them, then we’ll give Texas A&M all we have.”
Walter said he was especially happy for the Wake upperclassmen.
“Those guys have had so much success, they deserve to play at that level. They deserve to compete for the national championship. They’ve earned it. I’m happy for those guys,” he said. “When those guys made their college decision, Wake Forest wasn’t a fashionable destination. Other schools in the league have better recent traditions. They took a chance on us, and to see that pay off with the NCAA Tournament is a credit to them.”
The Deacs figure to put some runs on the board this week in College Station. The lingering question continues to be pitching.
“It’s all pitching. In our league, you can’t expect to go out there and score six or seven runs, and it’ll be the same thing in that regional. You’re not going to go out there and put up double-digit runs,” Walter said. “You have to be able to pitch, and you can’t let your starter get knocked out of the box early. (John) McCarren and (Drew) Loepprich are throwing the ball really well right now. (Connor) Johnstone is a guy that is better when you haven’t seen him. If you’ve seen him a couple times, it’s a little easier to hit him with what he does best. We feel good about where our pitching is.”
“We know we’re going to score some runs, the thing is will we be able to limit them,” Craig said. “We have a lot of guys that have really good stuff. Our bullpen is going to be rested. Once we get a few days off and get our arms fresh, we will be good to go.”
College Station Regional Schedule:
Friday - Minnesota (34-20) vs. Wake Forest (34-25) 4 p.m.
Friday - Texas A&M (45-14) vs. Binghamton (30-23) 9 p.m.
Saturday - Friday’s losers in an Elimination game 4 p.m.
Saturday - Friday’s winners 9 p.m.
Sunday - Elimination game 4 p.m.
Sunday - Championship game 9 p.m.
Monday - If necessary TBA