Fresh off upsetting then-No. 16 Louisville, Virginia Tech continues a daunting portion of its schedule this weekend as it heads to No. 16 Wake Forest.
Game 1 will come Friday at 6 p.m. ET before a 4 p.m. first pitch on Saturday, both on ACC Network Extra. Sunday’s 5 p.m. ET contest can be found on ACC Network.
The Demon Deacons (20-6, 7-2 ACC) share the same ranking as the Cardinals had last week, but it’s difficult to say the two teams pose identical threats to the Hokies (17-8, 4-5).
Before last weekend’s 2-1 series loss at the hands of No. 6 Clemson, Wake Forest stood at No. 11, sweeping its first two ACC series. But with a five-spot drop in D1baseball’s latest rankings, you’d think it was swept by the Tigers.
Conversely, the series was hyper-competitive after the Demon Deacons fell 5-1 in Game 1. A seven-run third inning powered them to a Game 2 win. Then they scored six runs in the first two innings of Game 3, seemingly on the way to proving themselves the second-best team in the conference. Instead, Wake Forest was stonewalled through the remainder of the game while Clemson clawed back to win 7-6.
That, combined with the Demon Deacons boasting the gaudiest offensive production in the conference, means it’s ill-encouraged to believe this weekend’s challenge will equal that of Louisville for Tech.
Wake Forest paces the ACC in slugging (.575), on-base percentage (.445), home runs (51), total runs, RBI, hits… Point being, it’s top-six nationally in each of the above stats — and it gets on base at such a belligerent rate that its ACC-leading 811 at-bats is 25 more than second-place Duke.
Third baseman Kade Lewis (.461 batting average) and shortstop Marek Houston (.417) — both likely first-round draft picks in 2026 and 2025, respectively — spearhead Wake Forest’s lineup. Lewis’ OPS (1.369) is topped only by Sam Tackett (1.420) in the ACC, and his batting average (.461) surpasses the Hokies’ star after his 0-for-5 day against Radford on Tuesday. Houston is 14-of-14 on steal attempts with an ACC-topping 43 RBI.
Wake Forest center fielder and Marist transfer Ethan Conrad (1.239 OPS) didn’t play last weekend’s series, throwing his status into question against the Hokies. If he goes, he’s another high-round MLB Draft contender with the second-highest home run per game rate (33%) on the team.
Other lineup highlights include outfielders Javar Willaims (.333 batting average) and Jack Winnay (nine home runs) along with infielder Dalton Wentz (.330).
As destructive as the Demon Deacons’ offense is, Tech’s has managed to produce just slightly behind it in ACC play, thinly trailing in on-base (.435) and slugging percentage (.536).
The teams’ pitching gap is far more clear. In conference play, the Hokies have the fourth-worst ERA (7.05) and batting average against (.301) while Wake Forest posts the fourth-best ERA (4.38) and third-best batting average against (.215).
Admittedly, the Demon Deacons’ first two conference series came against Notre Dame (.197 average in ACC play) and Miami (.228), so perhaps the Hokies — who hit .302 against the still-ranked Cardinals last weekend — will defy those numbers.
If Wake Forest’s sweep of the Hokies last season — in which they scored just three and four runs in the last two games, respectively — lingers in your mind, don’t fret just yet. The Demon Deacons lost four pitchers — Chase Burns, Josh Hartle, Michael Massey and Will Gervase — to the draft last offseason.
This weekend, they’ll likely start Logan Lunceford (2.53 season ERA, 4.24 ACC) on Friday, Matthew Dallas (4.13, 5.40) on Saturday and Blake Morningstar (2.54, 3.86) on Sunday. Lunceford averages 1.75 strikeouts per inning in ACC play, comfortably the best of any starter in the league.
Morningstar (.189) and Lunceford (.139) are both top eight in the league in batting average against, but are also 13th and 8th in walks, respectively, hinting at an underlying control issue for Wake Forest this year. The staff has issued 6.8 walks per game, topping the Hokies’ 6.12 average that’s near the bottom of the league.
In ACC play, Brett Renfrow has found the most success of any starter between either team, posting a 2.55 ERA that places him ninth. Wake Forest’s starters range from 13-22 on that list, while Tech’s Game 2 arm, Jake Marciano (7.24 ERA) is 31st.
Meanwhile, Tech’s Sunday starter, Logan Eisenreich, has surrendered two earned runs in limited 2 ⅓-inning action. Head coach John Szefc said he’s slowly easing back from injury, which was clear in his quick start against Louisville that saw him struggle with control.
Wake Forest’s biggest issue this season — perhaps its only true issue — has been fielding. It holds a league-worst .961 fielding percentage and teams have successfully stolen bases 89.5 percent of the time. Its primary infielders are especially susceptible, combining for 15 errors this season.
For reference, Tech third baseman David Lewis, who was benched for freshman Harrison Lutterman largely in part to his team-leading four errors at the time, would be one of four Demon Deacons with as many blunders, and behind Kade Lewis, who has six.
Elsewhere defensively, Wake Forest’s bullpen has been solid this season, and it houses a familiar face as one of its primary arms: Hokies transfer Griffin Green. After spending four years in Blacksburg — which included a 4.83 ERA in 2022 and missing the 2024 season due to injury — he made the move to Winston-Salem.
The graduate student surrendered two earned runs in 1 ⅔ innings last weekend, but hadn’t given up more than one in any appearance before that. His 2.57 ERA is second among Demon Deacons bullpen arms with 10 or more appearances. Luke Schmolke (1.96 ERA), Zach Johnston (2.93), Josh Gunther (3.18), Haiden Leffew (6.00) and Matt Bedford (10.20) are their other frequent faces.
An underdog for the second weekend in a row, Virginia Tech hopes to contend with one of the most explosive offenses in the country. With a weak conference schedule before last weekend, though, Wake Forest’s national powerhouse identity is far from cemented. The series begins Friday at 6 p.m. ET on ACC Network Extra.