The Demon Deacons will open their 2023 Men’s College World Series against Stanford on Saturday, June 17 at 2 p.m. ET inside Charles Schwab Field Omaha.
(You are going to get a load of information right here…More than you have probably seen so far.)
from Ryan Sosic, at www.godeacs.com
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – After going a perfect 2-0 in the Winston-Salem Super Regional last weekend, No. 1 overall seed Wake Forest heads to the Men’s College World Series for the third time in program history and the program’s first appearance in the MCWS since 1955.
The Demon Deacons will open the 2023 Men’s College World Series against No. 8 overall seed Stanford on Saturday, June 17 at 2 p.m. ET inside Charles Schwab Field Omaha.
The winners of the Wake Forest and Stanford matchup as well as LSU and Tennessee will meet on Monday, June 19 at 7 p.m. ET while the losers will face off at 2 p.m. ET on Monday, June 19.
All games will be broadcasted on ESPN.
Wake Forest Side of the Men’s College World Series Bracket
Game One: No. 1 Wake Forest vs. No. 8 Stanford | Saturday, June 17 | 2 p.m. ET | ESPN
Game Two: No. 5 LSU vs. Tennessee | Saturday, June 17 | 7 p.m. ET | ESPN
Game Three: Loser of Game One vs. Loser of Game Two | Monday, June 19 | 2 p.m. ET | ESPN
Game Four: Winner of Game One vs. Winner of Game Two | Monday, June 19 | 7 p.m. ET | ESPN
Wake Forest outscored the Crimson Tide by a combined tally of 27-9 in the Winston-Salem Super Regional, hitting an NCAA Tournament record-tying nine home runs to pace their 22 runs on Sunday, which was one run shy of the NCAA Super Regional record.
Additionally, Wake Forest became just the second team to win four NCAA Tournament games by 10-plus runs (LSU, 1997) and the +59 run differential (75-16) going into the Men’s College World Series is the highest run differential going into Omaha all-time.
Wake Forest earned the No. 1 overall seed in the 2023 NCAA Tournament and went a perfect 3-0 in the Winston-Salem Regional, its first time hosting since 2017, with victories over Maryland and George Mason (twice) to host Winston-Salem’s first ever super regional.
With its win over George Mason to clinch the regional title, the Deacs became the first team in program history and the nation to reach the 50-win mark.
Pregame Tailgate
On Saturday, June 17, Wake Forest will be hosting a pregame DEACTOWN Tailgate at DJs Dugout. Get ready to kick off the 2023 Men’s College World Series with food, drinks, and good times for all! Register here.
Pregame Events
Wake Forest will be at the Blur Tailgate at Hilton Omaha every day during the Men’s College World Series. The Blur Tailgate is open from 10:30 a.m. until 12:00 a.m. for the full tournament. Make sure to get your tickets using the link below to receive a Wake Forest discount! For planning and capacity purposes, Wake Forest highly encourages fans to purchase Blur tailgate tickets as soon as possible.
Gameday Sendoffs
Join your fellow Demon Deacon fans in a daily send off celebration each day that Wake Forest plays! Fans are encouraged to gather at the Hilton Omaha to cheer on the Diamond Deacs an hour before they depart for Charles Schwab Field each game day.
On Saturday, fans are encouraged to arrive at the Hilton Omaha at 9:15 a.m. CT
Know Before You Go
Fan Fest
There’s so much to do at the FREE Men’s College World Series Fan Fest! Spend some time at the batting cages, sip on a cold beverage, and enjoy fan contests and giveaways from the Fan Fest Main Stage!
Gear up for the Tournament
Get the official Wake Forest Omaha Merchandise at WakeForestShop.com. Make sure to check back to find out when merchandise is released!
Clear Bag Policy
Don’t get surprised at the gate! Make sure that your bag fits within the clear bag policy.
Parking and Event Maps
There are many places to park near the stadium. With Park Omaha and the ParkMobile App, game-goers can reserve parking in advance of any Men’s CWS game.
Know Your Route
Driving to the event? The Omaha Police Department, in partnership with the Nebraska Department of Transportation and the City of Omaha, will direct motorists to take the following recommended routes before the games.
More Information
Learn all you need to know before you go to the 2023 Men’s College World Series by visiting the Championship Homepage
Men’s College World Series Information
Men’s College World Series
The eight winners of the super regionals head to the MCWS in Omaha. They are split into two double-elimination brackets, consisting of four teams each.
Men’s College World Series Finals
The winners of the two MCWS brackets meet in the MCWS Finals, a best-of-three series to decide the NCAA champion.
2023 Memorable Moments
Wake Forest starts season 13-0 for just the second time in program history (March 5)
The Deacs claim eighth Big Four series victory over Duke in Coach Walter’s tenure (March 11)
Wake Forest Sweeps Miami for first time ever (March 26)
Deacs sweeps back-to-back ACC series for the first time in 21 years and posts its first sweep of Clemson since 2012 (April 1)
Wake Forest posts third-straight perfect ACC weekend against NC State (April 9)
Wake Forest Baseball Hosts Epilepsy Awareness Game to Benefit the Epilepsy Alliance of North Carolina against NC State (April 9)
Deacs claim first series ever at Louisville (April 15)
Nick Kurtz and Justin Johnson combine for program-record 17 RBIs at Pitt (April 22)
Coach Walter earns 400th win as Wake Forest head coach (April 23)
Brock Wilken Becomes Wake Forest Home Run King
Career Home Run Record (April 25)
Single-Season Home Run Record (May 20)
Wake Forest ranked No. 1 for the first time in program history (May 8)
Team 109 becomes the fastest team in program history and the first team in the nation to reach the 40-win mark (May 9)
Wake Forest clinches its first ACC regular season title since 1963 (May 13)
The Deacs set program record with 43rd regular season win (May 16)
Wake Forest becomes first team since 2017 to win all 10 ACC series in a single season (May 19)
The Deacs break single-season win record with 48th victory of the season (June 2)
Coach Walter Named ACC Coach of the Year (May 22)
Rhett Lowder becomes second player earn to earn back-to-back ACC Pitcher of the Year awards (May 22)
Program-record tying and league-leading nine Deacs receive All-ACC honors (May 22)
The Demon Deacons punched their ticket to the Super Regional round for the third time since super regionals began in 1999 (1999 and 2017) after going a perfect 3-0 in the Winston-Salem Regional (June 4)
Clinching victory also marked the first time a Wake Forest ballclub reached the 50-win mark
Rhett Lowder claims nation-leading and program-record breaking 15th win of 2023 and 30th victory of his career (June 10)
NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
• This is the Demon Deacons’ 15th all-time NCAA Tournament appearance and the only time in program history Wake Forest has been selected as the No. 1 overall seed.
• Wake Forest has now made three College World Series appearances, highlighted by winning the program’s first national championship in 1955. Overall, the Demon Deacons hold a 50-31 record at the national tournament.
• Additionally, the Deacs are the first ACC team to be selected as the No. 1 overall seed since 2013 (North Carolina) and are the eighth ACC team to be the No. 1 overall seed in the national tournament since 1999.
14 Years of Success
A proven program builder and player developer, Tom Walter is in his 14th season as the head coach of Wake Forest baseball in 2023.
With 418 wins as the Demon Deacon skipper, he sits as the second-winningest coach in program history, trailing only George Greer (608 wins).
Wake Forest’s 17-1 win against Pitt on Sunday, April 23 marked the 400th win of Walter’s tenure at the helm of the Demon Deacon baseball program.
Walter was named the 2023 Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year, becoming the third Demon Deacon skipper to receive Coach of the Year honors (George Greer and Marvin Crater) after leading the 2023 Wake Forest ballclub to a historic regular season.
On April 10, 2022, Walter picked up the 350th win at the helm of the Demon Deacon baseball program as Wake Forest swept Big Four rival Duke for the first time since 2008.
Walter has helped 44 players get drafted or sign pro contracts over the last eight years, including six Deacs drafted among the top 50 picks and back-to-back first rounders in 2021 (Ryan Cusick) and 2020 (Jared Shuster).
#ProDeacs in the major leagues include Gavin Sheets (2021), Stuart Fairchild (2021) and Nate Mondou (2022), Jared Shuster (2023) who all have made their MLB debuts in the last two seasons.
In addition to Sheets, Fairchild, Mondou and Shuster reaching the Major Leagues, active professional players Walter coached at Wake Forest include Parker Dunshee (AA, Giants), Connor Johnstone (AAA, Braves), Jared Shuster (Braves), Morgan McSweeney (AAA, Orioles), Ryan Cusick (AA, A’s), Patrick Frick (AA, Mariners), Colin Peluse (AAA, A’s), Will Simoneit (AA, A’s), William Fleming (High A, Royals), Shane Muntz (High A, Diamondbacks), Bobby Seymour (High A, Rays), Antonio Menendez (High A, Rays), Brendan Tinsman (High A, Angels), Michael Turconi (High A, Blue Jays) and Eric Adler (Royals).
Season Highlights
Wake Forest outscored the Crimson Tide by a combined tally of 27-9, hitting an NCAA Tournament record-tying nine home runs to pace their 22 runs on Sunday, which was one run shy of the NCAA Super Regional record.
Additionally, Wake Forest became just the second team to win four NCAA Tournament games by 10-plus runs (LSU, 1997) and the +59 run differential going into the Men’s College World Series is the highest run differential going into Omaha all-time.
Wake Forest Sunday Home Runs
Nick Kurtz- Two-run home run (first inning)
Brock Wilken- Solo home run (first inning)
Tommy Hawke- Two-run home run (second inning)
Brock Wilken- Solo home run (third inning)
Danny Corona- Three-run home run (third inning)
Bennett Lee- Solo home run (third inning)
Marek Houston- Grand Slam (eighth inning)
Brock Wilken- Solo home run (ninth inning)
Danny Corona- Three-run home run (ninth inning)
Led by the program-record 15th win of the season from Rhett Lowder and three solo home runs, the No. 1 Demon Deacons secured game one in the best-of-three game Super Regional on Saturday against No. 16 Alabama, putting the Deacs on the precipice of their first trip to Omaha since winning it all in 1955.
Rhett Lowder captured his program-record 15th victory of the year as he improved to 15-0 on the season and the Deacs moved to 17-0 when Lowder has taken the mound this season.
In the Deacs first home regional since 2017, Wake Forest totaled 48 runs, struck out 50 batters, and allowed just seven runs in three consecutive regional wins as the Deacs punched their ticket to Super Regional weekend.
The Deacs 48 runs scored over the course of the regional is the second-highest total in the opening rounds in their NCAA Tournament history:
50 in four games (1999)
48 runs in three games (2023)
Most runs per game in NCAA opening round history (16.0 runs/game).
44 in five games (2001)
37 in four games (2002)
33 in four games (1998)
The 2023 Deacs have broken the program record for regular season wins, ACC wins, ACC series wins and overall wins this season. Additionally, the Deacs became the first team in Wake Forest history to have 50 or more wins in a single season last week.
Became the first No. 1 seed to successfully advance out of pool play since the ACC switched to its current championship format in 2017 after going a perfect 2-0 in the opening games of the tournament against eighth-seeded Notre Dame and 12th-seeded Pitt.
Posted the eighth 40-win season in program history
The 2023 Deacs are just the second team in program history to reach the mark in the regular season (2002).
Became the first team since North Carolina in 2017 to run the table and win all 10 ACC series in a season
Clinched the program’s first Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title since 1963
ACC Regular Season Championships
2023
1963
1962
1955
Clinched its first ever ACC Atlantic Division title
Became the fastest team in program history and the first team in the nation to reach the 40-win mark with its 14-4 win against UNC Greensboro on May 9
Finished with the third-highest conference winningest percentage in program history (.759)
Finished regular season No. 1 in the RPI
After taking two out of three against Duke and Notre Dame to open ACC play, Wake Forest posted three-straight perfect weekends against Miami (first time ever), Clemson (first time since 2012) and NC State (second-straight season). The Deacs earned its first ever series win in Louisville and became the first team since 2021 to win a series at Jim Patterson Stadium. Wake Forest won its fourth-straight series against Pitt, outscoring the Panthers, 40-5, in its two wins. Two weekends ago, the Deacs claimed its third series over a top-25 opponent, taking two out of three from Boston College before claiming its second-straight series in Tallahassee this last weekend. This weekend, Wake Forest earned its first series win over the Hokies since 2019.
Deacon Nation showed tremendous support at David F. Couch Ballpark in 2023 as this year’s season attendance of 57,814 fans set a new program record.
Deacon Nation has sold out The Couch four times during the NCAA Tournament run, highlighted by back-to-back attendances of 3,903 in the Winston-Salem Super Regional against Alabama, the highest-attended games in program history.
Broke weekend attendance records three times, highlighted by its regular-season weekend attendance record of 8,096 fans to close out the regular season
Broke single-game attendance record against Virginia Tech (May 19) with an attendance of 3,023
Led nation in virtually every pitching category:
ERA
Hits-per-nine innings
WHIP
Strikeouts-per-nine innings
Strikeout-to-walk ratio
Strikeouts
Ranked in the top six in the ACC in every offensive category
Wake Forest Honors
Pierce Bennett
Winston-Salem Regional All-Tournament Team
Adam Cecere
ACC Player of the Week (Feb. 27)
Danny Corona
Winston-Salem Regional All-Tournament Team
Josh Hartle
2023 NCBWA First Team All-American
2023 ABCA Second Team All-American
2023 Collegiate Baseball Second Team All-American
Golden Spikes Award Semifinalist
2023 First Team All-ACC
Golden Spikes Midseason Watch List
Perfect Game Midseason All-American
D1Baseball Midseason All-American
Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week (March 6)
Tommy Hawke
2023 Second Team All-ACC
Winston-Salem Regional All-Tournament Team
Perfect Game Midseason All-American
Justin Johnson
2023 First Team All-ACC
Winston-Salem Regional Most Outstanding Player
Winston-Salem Regional All-Tournament Team
Seth Keener
2023 NCBWA Third Team All-American
Winston-Salem Regional All-Tournament Team
2023 Third Team All-ACC
Nick Kurtz
2023 ABCA First Team All-American
2023 NCBWA Second Team All-American
Golden Spikes Award Semifinalist
2023 Collegiate Baseball Third Team All-American
2023 First Team All-ACC
Winston-Salem Regional All-Tournament Team
2023 ACC All-Tournament Team
ACC Player of the Week (April 24)
Perfect Game Midseason All-American
D1Baseball Midseason All-American
ACC Player of the Week (Feb. 20)
D1 Baseball Player of the Week (Feb. 20)
Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week (Feb. 20)
Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List
D1Baseball First Team Preseason All-America
Perfect Game Second Team Preseason All-America
Baseball America Third Team Preseason All-America
Perfect Game Preseason All-ACC
Rhett Lowder
2023 ACC Pitcher of the Year
2023 Dick Howser Trophy Finalist
2023 ABCA First Team All-American
2023 NCBWA First Team All-American
2023 Collegiate Baseball First Team All-American
2023 First Team Academic All-American
2023 Pitcher of the Year Finalist
2023 NCBWA District 4 Player of the Year
Winston-Salem Regional All-Tournament Team
Golden Spikes Award Semifinalist
2023 First Team All-ACC
2023 ACC All-Tournament Team
2023 ACC Pitcher of the Week (May 9)
2023 ACC Pitcher of the Week (April 17)
Golden Spikes Midseason Watch List
D1Baseball Midseason All-American
Perfect Game Midseason All-American
2023 ACC Pitcher of the Week (March 27)
2023 Perfect Game Pitcher of the Week (March 27)
Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List
Collegiate Baseball First Team Preseason All-America
D1Baseball First Team Preseason All-America
NCBWA First Team Preseason All-America
Perfect Game First Team Preseason All-America
Baseball America First Team Preseason All-America
D1Baseball Preseason ACC Pitcher of the Year
Perfect Game Preseason ACC Pitcher of the Year
Perfect Game Preseason All-ACC
Teddy McGraw
Perfect Game Third Team Preseason All-America
Prospects Live Third Team Preseason All-America
Perfect Game Preseason All-ACC
Michael Massey
Winston-Salem Regional All-Tournament Team
Camden Minacci
2023 NCBWA Second Team All-American
NCBWA Stopper of the Year Finalist
Third Team All-ACC
D1Baseball Third Team Preseason All-America
Perfect Game Third Team Preseason All-America
Sean Sullivan
2023 NCBWA Second Team All-American
2023 Collegiate Baseball Second Team All-American
First Team All-ACC
Golden Spikes Midseason Watch List
Perfect Game Midseason All-American
D1Baseball Midseason All-American
ACC Player of the Week (Feb. 27)
Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week (Feb. 27)
ACC Pitcher of the Week (Feb. 20)
Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week (Feb. 20)
Tom Walter
2023 ACC Coach of the Year
Perfect Game National Coach of the Year
Brock Wilken
2023 ABCA First Team All-American
2023 NCBWA Second Team All-American
2023 Collegiate Baseball Third Team All-American
Second Team All-ACC
Perfect Game Midseason All-American
Collegiate Baseball Second Team Preseason All-America
NCBWA Second Team Preseason All-America
Perfect Game Second Team Preseason All-America
Prospects Live Second Team Preseason All-America
Baseball America Third Team Preseason All-America
Perfect Game Preseason All-ACC
About Wake Forest University
Wake Forest has ranked inside of the top 30 national universities on the U.S. News & World Report list for the last 28 years.
The Reynolda Campus was named the most beautiful campus in the country during the fall by College Values.
Wake Forest is also ranked in the top 25 by the U.S. News & World Report for best undergraduate teaching and best value schools.
The median starting salary of Wake Forest alumni is $55,900 according to U.S. News & World Report.