The Wake Forest Demon Deacons baseball team represents

Wake Forest University Wake Forest University (WFU) is a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1834, the university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina. The R ...

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

. The program competes in the

Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the ACC's eighteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athlet ...

(ACC). They won the 1955 College World Series. They are coached by

Tom Walter Tom Walter is an American college baseball coach. He has been the head coach of Wake Forest since the start of the 2010 season. Before coming to Wake Forest, Walter held head coaching positions at George Washington from 1997–2004 and New Or ...

History

The Demon Deacon program began play in 1891. The Demon Deacons represented the United States in

baseball at the 1951 Pan American Games Baseball at the 1951 Pan American Games was contested between eight national teams representing Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, Nicaragua, United States, and Venezuela in the first edition of the Pan American Games held in Buenos Aires, ...

, winning the silver medal. In 1955, the Demon Deacons defeated

Western Michigan West Michigan and Western Michigan are terms for a region in the U.S. state of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. Generally, it refers to the Grand Rapids- Muskegon-Holland area, and more broadly to most of the region along the Lower Peninsula's Lake ...

in the 1955 College World Series, led by coach Taylor Sanford. In 1977, Outfielder Kenny Baker became the first Demon Deacon to win ACC Player of the Year. The Demon Deacons has been crowned ACC tournament champions four times: 1977, 1998, 1999, and 2001. In 2010,

was hired as Wake Forest's new head coach.

David F. Couch Ballpark

On October 31, 2007,

bought Ernie Shore Field for $5.5 million, paying that money upfront. Starting in 2009, home games have been played at Gene Hooks Field at Wake Forest Baseball Park. The Demon Deacons' former home, Gene Hooks Stadium, was demolished following the university's purchase of Ernie Shore Field, which has since been renamed Gene Hooks Field at Wake Forest Baseball Park. In February 2016, the Wake Forest ballpark was renamed David F. Couch Ballpark in honoring former Demon Deacon baseball player David Couch.

Individual awards

ACC Player of the Year

*Kenny Baker (1977) * Brick Smith (1981) *Bill Merrifield (1982, 1983) *

Jamie D'Antona James Joseph D'Antona (born May 12, 1982) is a former professional Major League Baseball infielder with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Early life A native of Greenwich, Connecticut, D'Antona played baseball alongside future major league pitcher Crai ...

(2003) *

Will Craig William Isaac Craig (born November 16, 1994) is an American former professional baseball first baseman. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates and in the KBO League for the Kiwoom Heroes. Amateur career Cr ...

(2015) *Bobby Seymour (2019)

ACC Coach of the Year

*Marvin Crater (1982) * George Greer (2002)

ACC Rookie of the Year

(2001) *Allan Dykstra (2006)

College Baseball Hall of Fame

In 2010, Charlie Teague became the first and only former Demon Deacon elected into the

College Baseball Hall of Fame The National College Baseball Hall of Fame is an institution operated by the College Baseball Foundation serving as the central point for the study of the history of college baseball in the United States. In partnership with the Southwest Collect ...

Championships

NCAA College World Series Championships

Conference Champions

Conference Tournament champions

Wake Forest in the NCAA Tournament

The

NCAA Division I baseball tournament The NCAA Division I Baseball Championship is held each year from May through June and features 64 college baseball teams in the United States, culminating in the eight-team Men's College World Series (MCWS) at Charles Schwab Field Omaha in Oma ...

started in 1947. The Demon Deacons have played in 16 tournaments, advancing to the Super Regionals in 1949, 1955, and 2023, winning the National Championship in 1955.

Current and former major league players

Morrie Aderholt Morris Woodrow Aderholt (September 13, 1915 – March 18, 1955) was an American second baseman and outfielder in Major League Baseball from 1939 to 1945. Born in Mount Olive, North Carolina, Aderholt graduated from Wake Forest University and pl ...

* Gair Allie * Matt Antonelli * Ross Atkins * Junie Barnes *

Ryan Braun Ryan Joseph Braun (born November 17, 1983) is an American former professional baseball left fielder who played his entire career for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2007 to 2020. Braun also played right fielder, right ...

, pitcher *

Mike Buddie Michael Joseph Buddie (born December 12, 1970) is an American former professional baseball pitcher and the current athletic director at Texas Christian University. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1998 to 2002 with the New York Yan ...

Dave Bush David Thomas Bush (born November 9, 1979) is an American professional baseball coach and former pitcher who is the current assistant pitching coach for the Texas Rangers. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, Milwa ...

* Tommy Byrne * Rip Coleman * Tim Cooney *

* Sean DePaula * Bill Dillman *

Stuart Fairchild Stuart Alexander Fairchild (born March 17, 1996) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played college baseball at Wake Forest University. Fairchild was drafted by the Cincinnati ...

* John Gaddy * Chris Getz *

Lee Gooch Lee Currin Gooch (February 23, 1890 – May 18, 1966) was a Major League Baseball outfielder who played for two seasons. He played for the Cleveland Indians in 1915 and the Philadelphia Athletics in 1917. Gooch also served as the head baseb ...

* Tommy Gregg * Erik Hanson *

Kevin Jarvis Kevin Thomas Jarvis (born August 1, 1969) is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher. He played professionally for many teams including the Cincinnati Reds, Minnesota Twins, Detroit Tigers, Oakland Athletics, Colorado Rockies, San Dieg ...

* Tom Lanning * Buddy Lewis *

Mike MacDougal Robert Meiklejohn MacDougal (born March 5, 1977) is an American former professional baseball player who was a relief pitcher. He is a switch hitter and throws right-handed. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals, Ch ...

* Willard Marshall *

Jack Meyer John Robert Meyer (March 23, 1932 – March 6, 1967) was an American professional baseball right-handed pitcher, who appeared in all or parts of seven Major League (MLB) seasons (1955–1961) with the Philadelphia Phillies. Early life Born in ...

* Doyt Morris * Dick Newsome * Charlie Ripple * Griffin Roberts * Craig Robinson *

Ray Scarborough Rae Wilson Scarborough (July 23, 1917 – July 1, 1982) was a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Washington Senators (1942–1943 and 1946–1950), Chicago White Sox (1950), Boston Red Sox (1951–52), New York Yankees ...

Gavin Sheets Gavin Crawford Sheets (born April 23, 1996) is an American professional baseball right fielder for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Chicago White Sox. He made his MLB debut in 2021. Ama ...

* Elmer Sexauer * Brick Smith *

Vic Sorrell Victor Garland Sorrell (April 9, 1901 – May 4, 1972), nicknamed "Lawyer" and "the Philosopher", was an American Major League pitcher who played his entire career with the Detroit Tigers. In 10 Major League seasons, Sorrell had a 92–101 recor ...

* Cory Sullivan *

Mac Williamson Johnathan Mackensey Williamson (born July 15, 1990) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in the Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants and Seattle Mariners, and in the KBO League for the Samsung Lion ...

* Larry Woodall * Bill Wynne * Eddie Yount :Source:

2012 MLB Draft

Six Demon Deacons were selected in the

2012 Major League Baseball draft The 2012 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 4 through June 6, 2012, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Houston Astros, with the first overall pick, selected Carlos Correa from the Puerto Rico Baseball Ac ...

: OF

by the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

(3rd Round), LHP Tim Cooney by the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

(3rd Round), 3B Carlos Lopez by

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...

(12th Round), RHP Brian Holmes by the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...

(13th round), SS Pat Blair by the Houston Astros (24th round), and RHP Michael Dimock also by the

2016 MLB Draft

Only one Demon Deacon was selected in the

2016 Major League Baseball draft The 2016 Major League Baseball draft began on June 9, 2016, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order is the reverse order of the 2015 MLB season standings. In addition, compensation picks were distributed for players who ...

: 3B

by the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

(1st round;Pick 22).

2017 MLB Draft

In 2017, Eight Wake Forest Demon Deacons were selected in the

2017 Major League Baseball Draft The 2017 Major League Baseball draft began on June 12, 2017. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The first 36 picks, including the first round and compensatory picks, were broadcast on MLB Network on June 12, while the remai ...

: OF

by the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

(2nd round), 1B

by the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

(2nd round), RHP Parker Dunshee by the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

(7th round), C Ben Breazeale by the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

(7th round), RHP Donnie Sellers by the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

(11th round), OF Jonathan Pryor by the

(19th round), RHP Connor Johnstone by the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...

(21st round), and RHP Griffin Roberts by the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

(29th round) which set a program record and the most in the ACC.

World Series Champions

Only four former Demon Deacons have gone on to win the World Series with their respective teams.

References

External links

* {{ACCBaseball

History

David F. Couch Ballpark

Individual awards

ACC Player of the Year

ACC Coach of the Year

ACC Rookie of the Year

College Baseball Hall of Fame

Championships

NCAA College World Series Championships

Conference Champions

Conference Tournament champions

Wake Forest in the NCAA Tournament

Current and former major league players

2012 MLB Draft

2016 MLB Draft

2017 MLB Draft

World Series Champions

See also

Further reading

References

External links