May 7, 2009 WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - After having an eight-day layoff due to final exams, the Wake Forest baseball team returns to the field this weekend, traveling to Maryland for the final three road games of the season. Game times are scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday, 4 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday. The Demon Deacons enter the weekend with a 21-24 overall record and a 6-18 mark in Atlantic Coast Conference play. With six games left to play in the conference schedule, Wake Forest still has a chance to make the conference tournament. However, a Wake Forest loss or a Duke win this weekend would eliminate the Demon Deacons from postseason play. Wake Forest was last in action April 28-29, splitting a pair of out of conference tilts. The Deacs downed Davidson 11-3 at home on April 28, but were defeated at Coastal Carolina 18-5 on April 29. Weldon Woodall leads the Demon Deacons with a .338 batting average, eight home runs and 36 RBIs. Steven Brooks is also hitting better than .300 on the season at .317 with four round-trippers and 28 RBIs. On the mound, freshman Zach White has been the most effective pitcher for Wake Forest, posting a 4-0 record and a 3.41 ERA in a team-high 20 appearances on the season. Ryan McGrath has made 16 relief outings on the year and has a 2-1 record and a 4.32 ERA. Maryland currently has a 24-26 overall record, including a 7-20 record in conference play. The Terrapins are coming off a 10-7 victory over Towson on Wednesday night. In its most recent ACC series, Maryland dropped two of three games at Clemson. After dropping the first two games of the series, the Terps rallied to win game three 8-6. As a team, Maryland is hitting .276, while the Terrapin pitching staff has compiled a 5.95 ERA.
Mike Murphy leads Maryland in the three major offensive categories, hitting .328 with 12 home runs and 43 RBIs. David Poutier is batting .317 on the season with a team-high 63 hits. A.J. Casario ranks second on the team with nine home runs and also has 41 RBIs, while hitting .316. Dan Gentzler has made a team-high 26 appearances on the mound and has a 2-2 record and seven saves with a 2.83 ERA. Blair Delean has a 3.44 ERA and a 1-0 mark in 11 games. Weekend starter Scott Swinson has pitched a team-high 70 1/3 innings in 15 outings, including 13 starts. Brett Harman, who also will start this weekend, has struck out 65 batters in 64 2/3 innings. Junior righty Phil Negus (2-4, 8.39) will start Friday night for the Demon Deacons, while Maryland will counter with Harman (3-5, 6.26). Freshman Michael Dimock (4-3, 6.48) will start for Wake Forest on Saturday as he looks to build off his last start against Davidson, when he allowed just one run over eight innings. The Terps will throw Adam Kolarek (2-1, 4.50). Senior Garrett Bullock (1-3, 6.75) will start the series finale for the Deacs. Maryland is expected to start Swinson (3-7, 5.63) in Sunday's game. Wake Forest leads the series against Maryland 89-51-1 in games played since the 1954 season. The Deacs have won eight straight regular season series against the Terps, including taking two of three games in last year's series in Winston-Salem. Live stats and a recap of each game of the series will be available on WakeForestSports.com. Weekend Schedule (Times Eastern and Subject to Change) - College Park, Md. Friday, May 8 - 7 p.m. Saturday, May 9 - 4 p.m. Sunday, May 10 - 1 p.m. Probable Pitching Matchups (Wake Forest vs. Maryland) Friday, May 8 RHP Phil Negus (Jr., 2-4, 8.39) vs. RHP Brett Harman (So., 3-5, 6.26) Saturday, May 9 RHP Michael Dimock (Fr., 4-3, 6.48) vs. LHP Adam Kolarek (So., 2-1, 4.50) Sunday, May 10 LHP Garrett Bullock (Sr., 1-3, 6.75) vs. RHP Scott Swinson (Jr., 3-7, 5.63) Records Wake Forest - 21-24, 6-18 ACC Maryland - 24-26, 7-20 ACC Rankings Wake Forest - Not Ranked Maryland - Not Ranked Live Stats Live stats of all three games will be available on WakeForestSports.com. |
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