Image credit: (Photo by Brian Westerholt/Four Seam Images) Wake Forest came into the season as the top-ranked team in the country, fresh off an ACC title and its first College World Series appearance since 1955. The Demon Deacons had a star-studded roster, featuring five players with legitimate first-round aspirations this year. It was easy to dream of another special season ending in Omaha.
Instead, Wake’s season came to an end Saturday in the Greenville Regional. The Demon Deacons lost, 7-6, to East Carolina in walk-off fashion. Their loss meant Wake is the second Preseason No.
1 team not to win a regional–or reach the CWS–in the last decade, joining 2021 Florida. “It’s a disappointing end of the season, but we’re proud of this team and our guys,” coach Tom Walter said. The season started with immense promise for Wake.
First baseman Nick Kurtz was one of the favorites to be drafted first overall. Seaver King , a Division II transfer who spent the summer with USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team, added dynamism to the lineup that also returned shortstop Marek Houston . On the mound, its rotation of righthanders Josh Hartle , Chase Burns and Michael Massey was expected to be the best in the nation, with veteran Cole Roland ready to take over at the back of the bullpen.
Wake had more star power than any team in the nation. It would need to find some role players to step up, especially with the loss of all-time program greats like Rhett Lowder and Brock Wilke.