News

May 09, 2023

Wake Forest Baseball Super Regional look at Alabama

Both teams went through their final paces — batting practice, positional

Both teams went through their final paces — batting practice, positional drills and even media responsibilities, as both Wake Forest (50-10) and Alabama (43-19) got set for game one of the Winston-Salem Super Regional at noon Saturday at David F. Couch Ballpark.

Both teams are just one simple step away from a trip to Omaha to compete in the College World Series, but their paths couldn't be that much more different.

For Wake Forest, they started the season with massive expectations, and have somehow found a way to exceed those every step of the way. The Demon Deacons entered the season ranked No. 6 in the country by D1Baseball and finished the season with the No. 1 ranking and top seed in the NCAA Tournament after winning every weekend series of the season. Wake Forest embraced every challenge the season placed in front of them and passed with flying colors, advancing 3-0 out of the Winston-Salem Regional while outscoring their opponents 48-7.

The Crimson Tide has a slightly different path, starting the season ranked 20th, but found themselves in the middle of the pack in the SEC with a 9-12 conference record after getting swept by LSU in late April. Just four days later Alabama coach Brad Bohannon was fired for involvement in a betting scandal. Since then, interim head coach Jason Jackson has led the Tide to 13 wins in their last 17 outings, including a three-game sweep in the Tuscaloosa Regional, with wins over Nichols, Troy and Boston College.

For Wake Forest, Omaha has been the ultimate destination all season. For the Crimson Tide, it was a season teetering on the edge with just three weeks left in the regular-season.

"They have a lot of momentum and are playing really well," Wake Forest coach Tom Walter said. "They came from behind to win the first two games of their regional, and those teams are dangerous. When you feel like you’re never out of a game, that is a dangerous club. And they’re talented and battle tested. You don't get to the final 16 of this thing without having a great club."

"They’re pitching really well. For both clubs, it starts with pitching. I don't think either team can expect to come out here and score double-digit runs this weekend. It's going to come down to clutch hitting and who gives away less. Winning the freebie war will be key."

During the mid-season tumult, it was the veteran leadership that soothed the waters for the Crimson Tide.

"It's our veteran leadership and the maturity on our team," Jackson said. "We played well the bulk of the year, so there wasn't some big change. We started coming out on the good end a little more often. We were a little snakebitten early, and maybe couldn't hold a lead or finish out games. We had to work some things out in the bullpen that changed that."

Alabama was definitely tested during the regular season, dropping a trio of SEC series against teams still competing this weekend (Kentucky, LSU and Florida), while nabbing a late-season series victory over Vanderbilt.

"We’re both well-rounded teams," Jackson said. "We have some guys who can thump, we got some guys who can run and we both have depth with power arms. You have two really good teams and I think it’ll be a good series.

"It's a great opportunity. Our guys have earned the opportunity to go on the road and play the team that's ranked No.1 in the country. They’re excited about it."

Rhett Lowder will get the start for Wake Forest Saturday, with Josh Hartle slated to toe the rubber Sunday. It's still to be determined who would start in the if-necessary game Monday.

"Seth Keener and Sean Sullivan both will be available out of the pen tomorrow," Walter said. "It just depends on the length we get out of Lowder. It just depends on Lowder and we’ll build it from there. We like our top seven arms. And they’re all different from each other, so we can throw different looks at you."

With tickets having sold out before even becoming available to the general public, a wild environment is expected at The Couch Saturday afternoon.

"We’ll have an electric environment," Walter said. "Our Deacon Nation has been steadily building since that Miami series in March. As we’ve won more games and our ranking has gotten higher, Deacon Nation has come out in groves. It's exciting to see tailgating.

"It's going to be a long 20-some hours. It's been a long week already. Last week heading into the regional kind of felt like forever and this week feels the same. It's been crawling along, but we’re finally here. We’re close."

Walter reflected on the different circumstances the two teams encountered on their path to this Super Regional.

"Alabama is coming in here on a little bit of a freeroll," he said. "They weren't expected to be here. They’re coming in here loose, and if you win, it's a cherry on top of a great year. For us, if we lose, we’re going to feel like this year was a disappointment. That's a great thing to say about a program. I’m proud of that, but it adds pressure. Our guys feel that."