March 31, 2009

Wake Forest Game Notes

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Fresh off its first Atlantic Coast Conference series win of the season, the Wake Forest baseball team looks to continue its success with midweek games at Charlotte on Tuesday at 6 p.m. and at home against UNC Greensboro on Wednesday at 6 p.m.

Wednesday's game will be available online at WakeForestSports.com with Matt Chazanow and Andy Jones on the call.

The Demon Deacons won their first ACC series of the season this past weekend by taking two of three games against the Duke Blue Devils. After dropping the first game of the series on Saturday, Wake Forest bounced back by taking both games of a doubleheader on Sunday.

Weldon Woodall leads Wake Forest with a team-best .372 batting average, along with five home runs and a team-high 21 RBIs. Woodall hit .545 during the series at Duke, including a three-run home run in the series finale on Sunday.

Dustin Hood and Carlos Lopez are also hitting over .300 on the season. Hood has a .330 batting average and hit his first home run of the season over the weekend against Duke. Lopez is hitting at a .317 clip on the season and leads the team with eight home runs.

Freshman Zach White has been the top reliever out of the Wake Forest bullpen this season. White has made 11 appearances and has compiled a 2-0 record with a 1.37 ERA. White has struck out 25 batters in 19 2/3 innings, while opponents are hitting just .203 off the southpaw pitcher. Freshman Austin Stadler has also been effective in relief, turning in two strong relief outings in the weekend series against Duke and earning his second save of the season.

Charlotte enters Tuesday's game with a 14-9 overall record and a 1-5 record in Atlantic 10 play. The 49ers dropped all three games in their series at Dayton last weekend. Charlotte defeated North Carolina 2-1 in a midweek game last week. As a team, Charlotte is hitting .309 on the season, while the pitching staff has compiled a 3.51 ERA on the season.

Justin Wilson leads the 49ers with a team-best .455 batting average, along with a home run and 15 RBIs. Ryan Rivers leads the team with eight home runs and 25 RBIs and is hitting at a .301 clip. Shane Brown is batting .380 on the season, while Grant Bomann is hitting .361 on the year.

In the pitching staff, Kelly McLain has appeared in a team-high 11 games and recorded a 3-1 record with a 2.01 ERA. McLain has struck out 26 batters in 22 1/3 innings. Sam Pierce has a team-high three saves, along with a 1-1 record and a 3.00 ERA.

UNC Greensboro is 7-13 on the season and 0-7 in Southern Conference play. The Spartans were swept by Samford last weekend. UNCG will face North Carolina A&T on Tuesday night before Wednesday's game in Winston-Salem. The Spartans are hitting .265 on the team, while the team's ERA currently stands at 7.40.

Offensively, the Spartans are led by Pedro Leon, who has a .308 batting average and leads the team with two home runs and 15 RBIs. Trevor Edwards and Corey Overholtzer each have 14 RBIs on the season.

Wake Forest freshman right-handed pitcher Michael Dimock will make his 10th appearance of the season on Tuesday. Dimock is 1-1 on the season with a 7.48 ERA. He has made three starts, including an impressive outing against Appalachian State in his last start on March 17. Dimock allowed one run on six hits in 6/23 innings en route to his first collegiate win. His last appearance came on March 24 at Davidson, when he retired the only batter he faced in the 11th inning to earn his second save on the season.

Charlotte is expected to counter with junior righty Patrick Lawson, who will be making his sixth appearance and fifth start of the season on Tuesday. Lawson enters the game with a 2-1 record and a 2.67 ERA. Opponents are hitting .186 against Lawson, who has struck out 21 batters in 27 innings of work. Lawson last took the mound against North Carolina on March 25, earning the win by pitching 5 1/3 innings and allowing a run on three hits, while striking out seven Tar Heels.

The Deacs will start senior Brad Kledzik on Wednesday. Kledzik has made six appearances and five starts during the season and has a 1-4 record with a 6.07 ERA. He last took the bump in the first game of the series against Duke. Kledzik suffered the loss, giving up three runs on eight hits in 5 1/3 innings.

UNC Greensboro has not announced a starter for Wednesday's game.

Live stats and recaps of both games will be available on WakeForestSports.com.