Wake Forest Set to Host No. 2 Florida State
Deacons looking to knock off Seminoles, inch closer in Atlantic Division standings
March 27, 2008
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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Wake Forest returns to conference play this weekend, hosting No. 2-ranked Florida State in a three-game series at Hooks Stadium. The Demon Deacons are currently riding a five-game losing streak after suffering setbacks to UNC Asheville and Charlotte during the mid-week. Wake stands at 11-11 overall and 4-4 in the ACC. The Seminoles, 21-2 overall and a perfect 9-0 in the ACC, come in having won five straight and nine of their past 10. FSU is coming off a two-game mid-week sweep of Stetson.
Deacon Tidbits
Allan Dykstra leads the ACC in on-base percentage at a robust .560 ... Brett Linnenkohl sits atop the league leaders with 15 stolen bases in 15 attempts ... Willy Fox and Andy Goff have each had a team-best nine multi-hit performances ... Goff has had two four-hit days ... Dustin Hood has turned in a Deacon-best seven multi-RBI performances ... Willy Fox is hitting .379 during his current six-game hitting streak ... Tyler Smith is riding a five-game hitting streak and is batting .381 during the stretch.
FSU Insider
Florida State is ranked No. 2 in the country in the latest USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Poll. The Seminoles are ranked No. 4 in the NCBWA Poll and No. 8 in the Baseball America Poll. FSU is 5-1 on the road this season with its only loss coming at then-No. 3 Florida. The Noles opened the year with 12 straight victories. Florida State is undefeated in conference play at 9-0, following a three-game sweep at Virginia Tech last weekend. As a team, FSU leads the ACC with a .366 batting average. The Seminoles also lead the league in runs, RBIs, home runs and hits. FSU is tied for last in stolen bases. Individually, Dennis Guinn leads the team, hitting .422 with nine homers and 31 RBIs. Tony Delmonico has driven in 32 RBIs and has stolen five bases. Buster Posey comes in hitting .416 with five homers and 28 RBIs. On the mound, FSU has a team ERA of 4.21 which ranks eighth in the ACC. Opponents are hitting .251 with 15 home runs against the Noles. Matt Fairel has been the team's top hurler, going 5-0 with a 1.32 ERA in five appearances. Fairel leads the team with 34.0 innings pitched. Jimmy Marshall has made 13 appearances in relief. Posey has three saves in four innings out of the bullpen.
On Deck
Wake Forest returns to action with a pair of mid-week games. The Deacons will play at UNC Wilmington on Tuesday at 7 p.m. before hosting Coastal Carolina on Wednesday at 3 p.m. Wake will play at NC State next weekend.
Deacs vs. Noles
Florida State has won five straight meetings since 2006, including four games last season. The Deacons last won a season series against the Noles in 2002 when Wake took two of three games at Hooks Stadium. FSU has won 12 of the past 14 regular season series (2000, 2002). Wake Forest, however, went through Florida State to claim the 1998 and 1999 ACC Championships, defeating the Seminoles twice in the finals of the 1998 Tournament and once in the quarterfinals of the 1999 Tournament.
Let's Play 20!
he last time that Wake Forest and Florida State met at Hooks Stadium, history was made. The two teams played the longest game in ACC history and the sixth-longest in NCAA history on May 6, 2006. FSU pulled out a 4-3 win in 20 innings. The game, which lasted five hours and two minutes, featured 11 different pitchers and a total of 546 pitches. The game was the 11th in NCAA Division I history to ever reach the 20th inning and the first to do so since 1999. It was the longest game in NCAA Division I since March 7, 1999, when Evansville and Memphis went 21 innings. The NCAA record is 23 innings set on March 27, 1971 between Louisiana-Lafayette and McNeese State. Allan Dykstra set an ACC record with 26 putouts -- falling just three putouts shy of the NCAA Division I record of 29 set by Pat Reily of Arizona on April 5, 2002. Dykstra's 26 putout effort is tied for second-most ever.
Last Time Out
Wake Forest went 0-2 during the mid-week, falling to UNC Asheville and Charlotte. The Deacons walked 10 batters and left 11 men on base in a 12-6 loss to UNCA on Tuesday at Hooks Stadium. Asheville plated four runs in the first and never trailed. The Bulldogs benefited from two wild pitches, two hit batters, an error and a passed ball in the inning.
Tyler Smith led Wake at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs, a run and a pair of doubles. Allan Dykstra, Willy Fox and Andy Goff each registered two hits. Dykstra hit a solo home run, his seventh of the season. Starter Mark Adzick took the loss, allowing six runs on three hits in three innings of work.
The Deacons went to Charlotte on Wednesday looking for their second straight season series sweep of the 49ers. However, Charlotte denied Wake by taking down the Deacs, 12-8. Charlotte's five-run fourth inning proved to be the difference. The 49ers scored all five runs in the inning with two outs, erasing the Deacs' early 3-2 lead.
Willy Fox went 3-for-5 with two runs, an RBI and a double, and Andy Goff finished 2-for-5 with two RBIs, a run and a double. Dustin Hood also finished with two hits and two runs, while Evan Ocheltree had two hits and an RBI. Starter Charlie Mellies received a no-decision. Working on a limited pitch count, Mellies went three innings and allowed two runs on three hits. Reliever Joel Ernst suffered the loss.
