2024 Wake Baseball Thread: What Did We Do To Deserve This?

[Deacfreak07]

good post

my point was more about how some posters border on gaslighting anyone that isn't full-blow sunshine about things, not about the team itself

it's okay to be disappointed and every negative comment/criticism of things is not a call to burn things down

don't miss the forest for the 8XDeacs

This is good advice.

 

[deacdixieboy]

I’m fine with our national standing right now. I’m most disappointed in what we would be seeded in the ACCT if it started today. Still time to fix that though.

 

[redwing42]

crazy for people to suggest this hasn't been a disappointing season when we are 11-10 in the ACC and 4-8 against NC schools

I think the team has underachieved, but I find it hard to think the season is a disappointment when it isn't over yet. Maybe it is just semantics, but if Wake were 16-5 in the ACC and 8-4 in NC, the only difference would be a few ranking positions higher, with a bit of cushion on getting a national seed. I just don't think you can make a judgement until the results are in.

 

[deacdixieboy]

I think the team has underachieved, but I find it hard to think the season is a disappointment when it isn't over yet. Maybe it is just semantics, but if Wake were 16-5 in the ACC and 8-4 in NC, the only difference would be a few ranking positions higher, with a bit of cushion on getting a national seed. I just don't think you can make a judgement until the results are in.

I’m just worried that the ACC record will keep us from a national seed. It’s hard to validate a top 8 national seed when we are currently not even top 8 in the ACC by record.

 

[Pilchard]

I’m just worried that the ACC record will keep us from a national seed. It’s hard to validate a top 8 national seed when we are currently not even top 8 in the ACC by record.

FWIW, the following teams were national seeds in 2023:

#9 Miami: 18-12 in the ACC
#12 Kentucky: 16-14 in the SEC
#13 Auburn: 17-13 in the SEC
#15 S. Carolina: 16-13 in the SEC
#16 Bama: 16-14 in the SEC, plus a betting scandal

Unlike the NCAA Basketball tournament. The conference tounaments in baseball will also play a role.

 

[deacdixieboy]

FWIW, the following teams were national seeds in 2023:

#9 Miami: 18-12 in the ACC
#12 Kentucky: 16-14 in the SEC
#13 Auburn: 17-13 in the SEC
#15 S. Carolina: 16-13 in the SEC
#16 Bama: 16-14 in the SEC, plus a betting scandal

Unlike the NCAA Basketball tournament. The conference tounaments in baseball will also play a role.

I’m a worrier. This will help so thank you!

 

[uncaboref]

I’m just worried that the ACC record will keep us from a national seed. It’s hard to validate a top 8 national seed when we are currently not even top 8 in the ACC by record.

Wake Forest would be the 8th seed in the conference tournament if it started today. They are one game out of a 3-way tie for 5th.

 

[Buttermaker]

don't miss the forest for the 8XDeacs

Clever! Love me some 9x and 0x Deacs' enlightenment!

 

[JuiceCrewAllStar]

a hit dog will holler, i suppose

 

[Pilchard]

Here is an update on every WF position player currently active in MLB or MILB (Wilken is hurt and hasn't been playing since early April):

Active Batters [2024]

player name	team	league	level	mlb	g​	ab​	r​	h​	2b​	3b​	hr​	rbi​	sb​	cs​	bb​	so​	hbp​	sh​	sf​	gdp​	avg​	obp​	slg​	ops​
Pierce Bennett	Clearwater Threshers	FSL2	A	PHI	10	38	7	10	1	0	0	6	1	0	4	7	2	0	0	2	.263	.364	.289	.653
Ryan Cusick	Midland RockHounds	Tex2	AA	OAK	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	None	None	None	None
Stuart Fairchild	Cincinnati Reds	NL	MLB	CIN	17	48	5	11	1	0	0	5	5	1	4	8	1	1	0	0	.229	.302	.250	.552
Tommy Hawke	Lynchburg Hillcats	Caro2	A	CLE	11	41	8	12	1	0	0	2	4	1	8	14	0	0	0	0	.293	.408	.317	.725
Justin Johnson	Quad Cities River Band	Midw2	A+	KCA	10	25	4	6	2	1	0	1	2	1	3	7	2	0	1	1	.240	.355	.400	.755
Chris Lanzilli	Winston-Salem Dash	SAL2	A+	CHA	12	34	4	7	0	0	1	6	1	1	6	11	1	0	1	0	.206	.333	.294	.627
Nate Mondou	El Paso Chihuahuas	PCL2	AAA	SDN	18	64	7	17	5	1	2	14	1	1	7	14	1	0	3	0	.266	.333	.469	.802
Bob Seymour	Montgomery Biscuits	Sou2	AA	TBA	14	59	7	16	3	0	0	8	0	0	6	16	0	0	1	1	.271	.333	.322	.655
Gavin Sheets	Chicago White Sox	AL	MLB	CHA	20	61	6	16	6	0	3	10	1	0	10	16	2	0	1	0	.262	.378	.508	.887
William Simoneit	Reading Fightin Phils	East2	AA	PHI	7	24	2	2	1	0	0	3	0	0	0	11	2	0	1	0	.083	.148	.125	.273
Michael Turconi	New Hampshire Fisher C	East2	AA	TOR	12	35	5	9	1	0	0	4	0	0	8	14	1	1	0	0	.257	.409	.286	.695
Brock Wilken	Biloxi Shuckers	Sou2	AA	MIL	5	18	2	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	8	1	0	0	1	.167	.211	.222	.433

FWIW, Gavin Sheets is the CWS best offensive player, and its not close. Yes, there is a reason they are 3-21.

 

[Pilchard]

Now the same for pitchers:

Active Pitchers [2024]

player name	team	league	level	mlb	w​	l​	g​	gs​	cg​	sho​	sv​	ip​	h​	r​	er​	bb​	so​	hr​	wp​	hb​	era​	whip​
Eric Adler	Winston-Salem Dash	SAL2	A+	CHA	1	0	6	0	0	0	3	7.0	3	0	0	3	10	0	0	0	0.00	0.86
Ryan Cusick	Midland RockHounds	Tex2	AA	OAK	1	0	2	2	0	0	0	10.0	1	0	0	3	11	0	0	1	0.00	0.40
Parker Dunshee	Mississippi Braves	Sou2	AA	ATL	1	1	5	0	0	0	0	7.0	6	3	2	3	12	0	0	0	2.57	1.29
William Fleming	Omaha Storm Chasers	IL2	AAA	KCA	0	0	3	3	0	0	0	14.0	15	6	6	4	12	0	0	2	3.86	1.36
Hunter Furtado	Bradenton Marauders	FSL2	A	PIT	0	0	6	0	0	0	0	7.2	9	10	9	9	5	1	2	1	10.57	2.35
Seth Keener	Kannapolis Cannon Ball	Caro2	A	CHA	0	1	3	3	0	0	0	13.2	8	3	3	11	15	0	1	1	1.98	1.39
Rhett Lowder	Dayton Dragons	Midw2	A+	CIN	0	0	3	3	0	0	0	13.1	10	4	4	5	11	0	0	1	2.70	1.13
Antonio Menendez	Montgomery Biscuits	Sou2	AA	TBA	0	1	5	0	0	0	0	6.2	4	2	1	3	9	1	1	0	1.35	1.05
Camden Minacci	Tri-City Dust Devils	Nwst2	A+	ANA	0	2	6	0	0	0	2	6.0	8	3	3	3	7	0	0	0	4.50	1.83
Colin Peluse	Midland RockHounds	Tex2	AA	OAK	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	4.0	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	0.00	0.00
Jared Shuster	Charlotte Knights	IL2	AAA	CHA	0	1	2	2	0	0	0	8.0	11	8	8	1	4	4	0	0	9.00	1.50
Jared Shuster	Chicago White Sox	AL	MLB	CHA	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	6.1	5	1	1	2	4	0	0	0	1.42	1.11
Shane Smith	Biloxi Shuckers	Sou2	AA	MIL	2	0	5	0	0	0	0	6.0	6	3	2	2	9	0	0	1	3.00	1.33
Sean Sullivan	Spokane Indians	Nwst2	A+	COL	1	0	3	3	0	0	0	15.2	18	6	5	1	23	0	0	1	2.87	1.21

 

[Buttermaker]

a hit dog will holler, i suppose

Guilty. Barely made the cut.

 

[Deac65]

Now the same for pitchers:

Active Pitchers [2024]

player name	team	league	level	mlb	w​	l​	g​	gs​	cg​	sho​	sv​	ip​	h​	r​	er​	bb​	so​	hr​	wp​	hb​	era​	whip​
Eric Adler	Winston-Salem Dash	SAL2	A+	CHA	1	0	6	0	0	0	3	7.0	3	0	0	3	10	0	0	0	0.00	0.86
Ryan Cusick	Midland RockHounds	Tex2	AA	OAK	1	0	2	2	0	0	0	10.0	1	0	0	3	11	0	0	1	0.00	0.40
Parker Dunshee	Mississippi Braves	Sou2	AA	ATL	1	1	5	0	0	0	0	7.0	6	3	2	3	12	0	0	0	2.57	1.29
William Fleming	Omaha Storm Chasers	IL2	AAA	KCA	0	0	3	3	0	0	0	14.0	15	6	6	4	12	0	0	2	3.86	1.36
Hunter Furtado	Bradenton Marauders	FSL2	A	PIT	0	0	6	0	0	0	0	7.2	9	10	9	9	5	1	2	1	10.57	2.35
Seth Keener	Kannapolis Cannon Ball	Caro2	A	CHA	0	1	3	3	0	0	0	13.2	8	3	3	11	15	0	1	1	1.98	1.39
Rhett Lowder	Dayton Dragons	Midw2	A+	CIN	0	0	3	3	0	0	0	13.1	10	4	4	5	11	0	0	1	2.70	1.13
Antonio Menendez	Montgomery Biscuits	Sou2	AA	TBA	0	1	5	0	0	0	0	6.2	4	2	1	3	9	1	1	0	1.35	1.05
Camden Minacci	Tri-City Dust Devils	Nwst2	A+	ANA	0	2	6	0	0	0	2	6.0	8	3	3	3	7	0	0	0	4.50	1.83
Colin Peluse	Midland RockHounds	Tex2	AA	OAK	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	4.0	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	0.00	0.00
Jared Shuster	Charlotte Knights	IL2	AAA	CHA	0	1	2	2	0	0	0	8.0	11	8	8	1	4	4	0	0	9.00	1.50
Jared Shuster	Chicago White Sox	AL	MLB	CHA	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	6.1	5	1	1	2	4	0	0	0	1.42	1.11
Shane Smith	Biloxi Shuckers	Sou2	AA	MIL	2	0	5	0	0	0	0	6.0	6	3	2	2	9	0	0	1	3.00	1.33
Sean Sullivan	Spokane Indians	Nwst2	A+	COL	1	0	3	3	0	0	0	15.2	18	6	5	1	23	0	0	1	2.87	1.21

Great info, thanks. Kind of reinforces my thoughts that the biggest difference between this year's team and last year's is pitching, both starting and the bullpen. We have really been blessed with good pitching over the past few years.

 

[Goolsbyrules]

Here's the thing about being pessimistic about baseball, it's really really hard to make it to Omaha. Statistically, you're almost certain to be right, and if you're wrong, you just celebrate anyway. It's kind of a win-win proposition.

Exactly, a lot of reverse psychology pulling for the deacs, it takes a lot of brain power not to be despondent

 

[IAppreciateIt]

from d1:

That head-to-head sweep plus UNC’s much stronger ACC record keeps Wake Forest behind the Tar Heels in the pecking order, but the Demon Deacons have overtaken Florida State in our estimation after taking two of three from the Seminoles this past weekend in Winston-Salem. Wake is still just 11-10 in the league, but that figure doesn’t look so bad considering it was 4-8 in the league just a few weeks ago. Clearly the Deacs are trending up in a big way, and we forecast a strong finish down the stretch for this very talented team, which has now gotten healthy and found its footing. Currently Wake Forest is No. 9 in the RPI and 10-10 against Q1 opponents, with quality series wins vs. FSU and at Virginia Tech (a sweep), so there’s plenty to like about Wake’s resumé already. Assuming the Deacs finish strong and get to 17 or 18 ACC wins, we like their hosting chances. That would mean going at least 6-3 in its final three ACC weekends (at Notre Dame, vs. Clemson, at NC State). That’s no picnic, but we think the Deacs can do it.

6 wins in the remaining series seems like the way to get it done without much worry. obviously the other games have some meaning as well.

 

[GoDeacsGo]

The Montgomery Biscuits

 

[tsywake]

The Montgomery Biscuits

Ain't like momma fixed it.

 

[Vegas Jethro]

The weather isn't looking good for tomorrow or Saturday. Hope we can get in all 3.

 

[Arsene Wenger]

If feels like this team is going to be playing its best baseball at just the right time. Not worried, except for the usual Wake Forest fan anxiety.

 

[Say Hey Deac]

Here is an update on every WF position player currently active in MLB or MILB (Wilken is hurt and hasn't been playing since early April):

Active Batters [2024]

player name	team	league	level	mlb	g​	ab​	r​	h​	2b​	3b​	hr​	rbi​	sb​	cs​	bb​	so​	hbp​	sh​	sf​	gdp​	avg​	obp​	slg​	ops​
Pierce Bennett	Clearwater Threshers	FSL2	A	PHI	10	38	7	10	1	0	0	6	1	0	4	7	2	0	0	2	.263	.364	.289	.653
Ryan Cusick	Midland RockHounds	Tex2	AA	OAK	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	None	None	None	None
Stuart Fairchild	Cincinnati Reds	NL	MLB	CIN	17	48	5	11	1	0	0	5	5	1	4	8	1	1	0	0	.229	.302	.250	.552
Tommy Hawke	Lynchburg Hillcats	Caro2	A	CLE	11	41	8	12	1	0	0	2	4	1	8	14	0	0	0	0	.293	.408	.317	.725
Justin Johnson	Quad Cities River Band	Midw2	A+	KCA	10	25	4	6	2	1	0	1	2	1	3	7	2	0	1	1	.240	.355	.400	.755
Chris Lanzilli	Winston-Salem Dash	SAL2	A+	CHA	12	34	4	7	0	0	1	6	1	1	6	11	1	0	1	0	.206	.333	.294	.627
Nate Mondou	El Paso Chihuahuas	PCL2	AAA	SDN	18	64	7	17	5	1	2	14	1	1	7	14	1	0	3	0	.266	.333	.469	.802
Bob Seymour	Montgomery Biscuits	Sou2	AA	TBA	14	59	7	16	3	0	0	8	0	0	6	16	0	0	1	1	.271	.333	.322	.655
Gavin Sheets	Chicago White Sox	AL	MLB	CHA	20	61	6	16	6	0	3	10	1	0	10	16	2	0	1	0	.262	.378	.508	.887
William Simoneit	Reading Fightin Phils	East2	AA	PHI	7	24	2	2	1	0	0	3	0	0	0	11	2	0	1	0	.083	.148	.125	.273
Michael Turconi	New Hampshire Fisher C	East2	AA	TOR	12	35	5	9	1	0	0	4	0	0	8	14	1	1	0	0	.257	.409	.286	.695
Brock Wilken	Biloxi Shuckers	Sou2	AA	MIL	5	18	2	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	8	1	0	0	1	.167	.211	.222	.433

FWIW, Gavin Sheets is the CWS best offensive player, and its not close. Yes, there is a reason they are 3-21.

Thanks for putting this together. I’ve been checking box scores from time to time, and it’s a hassle, especially because the MILB app is a bit wonky. Wish there was a website where you could select players to track stats across a season, almost like fantasy baseball. Maybe there is, I just don’t know about it.