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Wake Baseball 2020

I would just like to point out that this is Coach Walter's 11th year. In his past ten seasons as Wake's baseball coach he has had exactly ONE season with a winning ACC record.
 
I'm expecting more of the same from last year. Big offensive outbursts along with bottom of the barrel pitching. Probably a bubble team. Hard for me to get excited right now after last season's frustration.
 
The season starts on Valentine's day at home. As mentioned in another thread, WF plays at Long Beach State in an early 3 game series.

Deacs' open the ACC season with 4 really challenging series:

- Louisville
- Clemson
- @ State
- UNC

From the other division, WF plays UNC, VT, UVA and Duke.

WF has three interesting transfers:

- C/1B/3B William Simoneit. 2nd team all-IVY at Cornell. 6-4 230. Picked WF over Duke. Missed the 2016 season because of injury. The Ivy League does not allow 5th year players; so, had to transfer if he wanted to play.
- P Danny Barlok - All Patriot League at Holy Cross. Throws gas. 1.71 ERA as a junior 74Ks in 52 innings. Missed last season because of TJ surgery. Could be the closer.
- P Riley Myers - Led the Catawba to the D2 super-regionals. Went 9-1 3.39 ERA 91Ks in 93 innings. Will be in the mix.

WF juniors Bobby Seymour, Chris Lanzilli, Shane Muntz, Antonio Menendez and Jared Shuster will be fairly high draft picks (there are at least of couple of sophomores who will go early in 2021). Realize that WF was supposed to be top 25 last year, and disappointed, but if they stay healthy, only the 2017 team which lost a tight 3 game series to eventual CWS Champion Florida in the super-regional had this level of talent.
 
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Great news. One thing about the measurables in baseball, at least, velocity: a 95 mph fastball is 95 mph everywhere regardless of the competition.
 
Ranked at the beginning of last year, but not at the end.
 
Time to put up or shut up.

D1 baseball is a unique recruiting challenge. The good programs have mastered it. Unfortunately, Walter has not, seemingly still recruiting like program will keep players 4 years. Good programs keep roster stacked so when starters leave, they are not heavily dependent on true freshman for winning records, like Wake. Pitching has rarely been of the quality to really win in even the ACC tourney, much less a good run to CWS....
 
D1 baseball is a unique recruiting challenge. The good programs have mastered it. Unfortunately, Walter has not, seemingly still recruiting like program will keep players 4 years. Good programs keep roster stacked so when starters leave, they are not heavily dependent on true freshman for winning records, like Wake. Pitching has rarely been of the quality to really win in even the ACC tourney, much less a good run to CWS....

Without looking it up, how many D1 programs have to balance the fact that they only have 11.7 scholarships to give and a $60k+ annual cost of attendance?

Baseball is always going to be tough for Wake.
 
Without looking it up, how many D1 programs have to balance the fact that they only have 11.7 scholarships to give and a $60k+ annual cost of attendance?

Baseball is always going to be tough for Wake.

I used to say this also, but we do have much more leeway toward giving financial aid than public universities and out of state tuition is still pretty high for those places.
 
Without looking it up, how many D1 programs have to balance the fact that they only have 11.7 scholarships to give and a $60k+ annual cost of attendance?

Baseball is always going to be tough for Wake.

Men's soccer can only give out 9.9 scholarships (less than the number of guys on the field) - and they seem to be doing OK.
 
Without looking it up, how many D1 programs have to balance the fact that they only have 11.7 scholarships to give and a $60k+ annual cost of attendance?

Baseball is always going to be tough for Wake.

While not incorrect, another way to express this would be ~$77k.
 
Not exactly, there is a twist to this. What is the cost of attendance allowance at Wake? $6000 ??? I don't know. The ECU AD was at the Raleigh Sports Club a few weeks ago and talked some baseball as they are pretty good. He said the cost of attendance for ECU is $3500. So 11.7 x $3500 is right at $41K and in a pot. I asked if that was required to be allocated by the portion of a scholarship each scholarship player had? Exp. 1/3 scholly =$1150 COA. He said 'no', that money can be distributed as the coach chooses.
Baseball does get a raw deal, I believe, but COA adder may help a little. To me, it seems the COA deal is not openly discussed much. Glad Wake is doing some financial/academic aid like Vandy and Virginia have apparently done for a good while. At the same time all this seems to be wink at the 11.7 limit rule.
 
Yep. Tennis is a super small % as well.

The absolute minimum number of tennis players needed to field a team in college is 6 (just like its 9 for baseball and 11 for soccer) and men’s tennis has 4.5 scholarships (women’s tennis has 8).
 
I used to say this also, but we do have much more leeway toward giving financial aid than public universities and out of state tuition is still pretty high for those places.

I may not be correct on this, but it's my perception that most non-review sports athletes are generally pretty strong academically. This is true across the board and ups GPAs and graduation rates for most D1 athletic departments. A lot of our fb and bball players are very strong academically. I'd see no problem with a lot a baseball players getting academic scholarships when they truly qualify, but I don't know enough to really know if this happens or if it is permissible.
 
Pitching should be vastly improved this year. Shuster won a bunch of honors at Cape Cod League and Cusick was good too. Wonder if Fleming will end up moving into the rotation as well.

Either way, pitching depth should be hugely improved with the transfers plus return of guys like Witt and Hearn. Shane Smith was also supposed to be a contributor last year.
 
Write up on d1 baseball.

ELON, N.C. — Wake Forest led the ACC and ranked 12th nationally in scoring last year (7.8 runs per game), but the Demon Deacons finished dead-last in the conference and 240th in the country in ERA (5.89).

“So it’s not hard to figure out where we fell short last year,” Wake coach Tom Walter said.

The Deacs still got themselves close to at-large territory, going 14-16 in the ACC, but they failed to live up to their preseason Top 25 billing because a couple of the big arms they were counting upon just couldn’t get on track. Part of that was surely do to the unfortunate timing of a change at pitching coach, as John Hendricks took over for Matt Hobbs (who left for Arkansas) in the middle of winter, so Hendricks and the pitchers did not get a chance to get together over the fall.

Now Hendricks has had a full spring, summer and fall to implement his system, and he’s got a bevy of very good arms to work with. So there’s reason to believe Wake Forest will be dramatically improved on the mound this year, to go with an offense that returns seven regulars and should be one of the nation’s very best.

Four Wake Forest pitchers spent the summer in the Cape Cod League and are shut down this fall, but all four look like strong candidates to start, comprising a rotation that has a chance to be outstanding. Junior lefthander Jared Shuster (4-4, 6.49 in 15 appearances, 12 starts last year) looks primed to make a huge leap after posting a 1.40 ERA and a 35-5 K-BB mark in 32 innings for Orleans this summer. He attacked the zone at 90-92 and showed the makings of two above-average secondary pitches in his changeup and breaking ball, helping him rank as the No. 3 lefty prospect in the Cape this summer.

The other returning member of the rotation is sophomore righty Ryan Cusick (7-3, 6.44 in 19 appearances/12 starts), who posted a 3.78 ERA and a 33-7 K-BB in 35.2 innings for Bourne. Last year was an invaluable growing experience for the 6-foot-6 Cusick, who came in as a fireballer who could dominate with his fastball and developed much better pitchability as the season progressed.

“I’m excited to see what Cusick looks like, I think he’s gonna throw really hard,” Walter said. “Last year he was a freshman, got fatigued toward the end of the year. Early in the year we were seeing 95s and 96s, and as the season wore on it was more 90s and 92s, so he had to learn how to pitch. He couldn’t just go in there with his fastball and win, so it was cool to watch his development. He was our best guy last year for the last few weeks of the year. He’s another guy that’s put on 15 pounds. That transition from freshman to sophomore year, those guys just mature and get stronger. If he goes out there with his ability to pitch with his three-pitch mix, and then all of a sudden he’s 94-96, you’ve got a mega-dude.”

Junior righthanders Will Fleming (4.26 ERA, 9 saves) and Antonio Menendez (6-1, 3.09 in 55 IP) both shined in the Wake bullpen last year, but now they’re ready to move into starting roles, though it’s easy to envision one of them winding up back in the bullpen to beef up the staff for conference play. The 6-foot-6, 215-pound Fleming ran his heater up to 97 last year, and Walter said it would not surprise him to see the righty touch 100 as a junior — it’s that kind of arm. He also flashed an above-average slider and developed a legitimate third weapon in his 82-84 changeup with good arm speed, sink and fade, so he has the arsenal to be a true frontline starter. And Menendez offers a completely different look, as a slot-shifter who can go from high three-quarters to sidearm with good sink and the ability to spin a quality breaking ball.

“If you’re looking at Cusick and Shuster on the weekend, the lefty with the changuep. Then Menendez the multiple slot guy, we’re throwing different looks at you. Then fleming, he’s the hardest thrower of them all. So between all those guys, you’re heading into the weekend with some bullets.”

Redshirt freshman lefthander Brennen Oxford is the wild card; he’s been one of Wake biggest surprises this fall, with a tight breaking ball around 2700 rpm that Walter called “a serious pitch” and the ability to locate with a fastball up to 91, as well as an improving changeup. Walter could envision Oxford winning the Tuesday starter job, which would allow the Deacs to put either Fleming or Menendez in the bullpen, making the staff better on weekends. But all of that remains to be determined.

Wake Forest righthander Shane Smith (Aaron Fitt)

Walter thinks redshirt freshman lefthander Shane Smith is ready to take over as the closer, and he looked great in two shutout innings at Elon, striking out six. With a long, loose arm swing and a high slot, Smith worked downhill at 89-91, showed a good downer curveball at 75-78 with good depth, and feel for a firm but effective changeup at 84-85.

“He is electric. He had an injury last year and redshirted, I think last year he would have helped our club get a couple big wins last year, that was a big loss for our staff,” Walter said. “It wasn’t a throwing related issue, it was an issue related to high school football. So he got that fixed and he has been spectacular. You look at his metrics on TrackMan and he does some things that are really unique. He backspins the baseball, gets unbelievable spin rate, his spin efficiency is the best on the team. And he locates. He’s a guy we’re hoping will be our closer, but if we had to we could move him into the weekend rotation.”

The Deacs also have four quality pieces to plug into the middle innings, making this staff 10 deep easily. Seniors Bobby Hearn and Tyler Witt give Wake Forest two battle-tested, valuable options from the left side, and both of them pitched great down the stretch last year. Against Elon, Hearn worked three scoreless innings, attacking at 88-89 with a good, big-breaking 1-to-7 curveball at 74-76. Witt presents a different look, a low three-quarters slinger with devastating sink on his 86-88 fastball and a useful slider. He turned in two scoreless frames against the Phoenix.

Wake Forest lefty Bobby Hearn (Aaron Fitt)

From the right side, graduate transfer Riley Myers (from Catawba, N.C., College) showed an 89-90 fastball and flashed a very good short, hard slider at 83-84. He gave up two homers against Elon, but he has the stuff to earn some good innings in this bullpen. And junior two-way talent Cole McNamee figures to be a key setup piece thanks to his 91-92 fastball and ability to miss bats with a short slider at 83-86.

McNamee is one of Wake’s most improved players this spring, and he’ll also battle for at-bats at DH thanks to the righthanded power potential in his 6-foot-4, 220-pound frame. Wake Forest is simply teeming with power up and down the lineup, headlined by reigning ACC Player of the Year Bobby Seymour (.377/.439/.576), left fielder Chris Lanzilli (.347/.409/.620, 16 HR) and catcher/DH Shane Muntz (.313/.477/.674, 14 HR), who smashed a no-doubter home run to left against Elon. Those guys are proven commodities who will form one of the most fearsome murderer’s row in college baseball.

Fellow junior Michael Ludowig (.300/.405/.405) has the best power/speed combination on the team, and he looks ready to finally unlock that lefthanded pop this year. He hit a long home run to right field against the Phoenix, and he looked good in center field, where his solid-average speed plays well. If you’re looking for a breakout star in Winston-Salem, Ludowig is the pick.

“He’s been really good, and statistically he’s had as good a fall as anybody,” Walter said. “His power, we knew it was coming, we’ve seen it in BP and seen flashes of it. We expected it to come last year, but we knew eventually it would. Now he’s starting to access the pull side and elevate the baseball. He’s got the highest OPS on the team right now through 10 scrimmages, which is not an insignificant sample size. He was up on the Cape and was forced to make some adjustments and did that, put the work in to make himself a more rounded player.”

Ludowig was in center because junior DJ Poteet, the best defensive center fielder on the team, has been working at second base. A high school shortstop, Poteet didn’t play the infield at all over his first two seasons, but he’s surprised Walter with how well he’s handled the keystone sack this fall. His strong arm helps him turn the double play well, and he’s shown decent actions. Importantly, Poteet has also rebounded offensively after a rough sophomore campaign; he’s back to switch-hitting and has made big progress from the right side after making some swing changes to get more into his legs, be more under control and have a shorter swing. Poteet hit nine home runs and posted an .847 OPS as a freshman two years ago, so the potential is there for him to be another impact bat.

Lanzilli has also gotten work on the infield; he moved to third base in the sixth inning against Elon and made an outstanding play on the first ball hit to him, snaring a hot shot to his backhand side, spinning and firing a strike to first for the out. He still figures to spend most of his time in left, but his ability to handle the hot corner gives Wake some added lineup flexibility, in case the Deacs want to get senior Christian Long in the lineup in left. Long and catcher Brendan Tinsman could also be factors in right field when Ludowig is in center and Poteet is at second base. Long is a classic “program guy” who has developed into a potential difference maker as a senior.

“He started out, I guess it was two years ago, he started out early in the year and was having our best at-bats through our first 10, 12 games of the year,” Walter said. “And then, I don’t know if it was just scouting reports got out and he just didn’t make the adjustment back to the scouting report like mature hitters do, he was young at the time. He’s been one of those guys that, his swing was always a little too quick in and out of the zone, wasn’t flat through the zone like it was with those good hitters, like Bobby Seynmour and Chris Lanzilli who do it so consistently. He’s always had flashes of brilliance, just hadn’t been as consistent, until this year. He’s made some swing changes, some body changes, lost 10 pounds of bad weight and put on five pounds of good weight. He’s running better than ever and it’s showing in his play.”

Tinsman will do the bulk of the catching, and Walter said he’s really matured defensively as a sophomore, taking more of a leadership role and polishing up his catch-and-throw skills. He was already a force at the plate (.855 OPS and 10 homers as a freshman), yet another power presence in this deep lineup. Muntz and Cornell grad transfer Will Simoneit can also catch, allowing the Deacs to give Tinsman a breather by sliding him to right field from time to time. Simoneit, though, figures to spend most of his time at third base, where his rifle arm is a major asset. He’s a physical, mature 6-foot-4, 235-pound righthanded hitter who performed for three years at Cornell. He’ll be a valuable addition to this team, giving the Deacs yet another offensive threat in the lower part of the lineup.

Wake Forest third baseman Will Simoneit (Aaron Fitt)

Wake Forest feels good about strong-bodied freshmen Drew Kendall and Adam Cecere, who will be crucial building blocks for the future and provide some insurance against injury this year. Junior Chase Mascolo is a defensive whiz who could see time in the late innings at second base when Wake wants to optimize its defense by sliding Poteet back to center field.

As for shortstop, standout Patrick Frick is gone, but Wake shouldn’t lose a thing defensively by sliding sophomore Michael Turconi from second to short. Turconi had a great summer with the Amsterdam Mohawks, where he played short every day and showed off great feet, hands and instincts as well as plenty of arm. He held his own offensively last year, but he’s stronger now and ready to become a serious catalyst atop the lineup.

“Turconi has gotten a lot more physical from last year to this year. He was a guy that last year as a freshman hadn’t grown into his body yet, so I think he got a little fatigued at the end of the year as most freshmen do,” Walter said. “Now he’s put on 10, 12 pounds of good muscle and he’s getting his man strength, for lack of a better term. It’s been fun to watch him develop. And he can really defend at shortstop, there’s no letdown from Frick to Turconi defensively, it’s apples to apples for sure. He’s really matured as a hitter coming off a great summer.”

All together, this looks like a very complete, balanced team that has the potential to host a regional and make a postseason run, like the 2017 team. Walter is understandably excited about his club.

“I think our lineup is going to be super dynamic and dangerous,” he said. “It’s a lineup that, we’re having a good fall offensively and it’s been fun to watch these guys put it together. We’re as good as 14, 15 deep as far as guys that in other years would probably be everyday players. And on the mound I feel really good about our top 10 guys. It’s one of those years we don’t have any unknowns, we’re not counting on guys who haven’t been there and done it.”
 
I believe I read DJ Poteet might be moving to the infield where we have some depth issues. Looks like we lost Michael Wein which only leaves as Turconi and Mascolo as middle infielders with experience.
 
Write up on d1 baseball.

That’s a massive assumption that a bunch of dudes with ERAs over 6 will suddenly figure it out. Yes, we had a pitching coach change at a weird time but that shouldn’t have made that huge of an impact on how those dudes did. Maybe the pitching lab will start to pay off.
 
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