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.”