Welcome to ACC play!
With the arrival of league play, we’re going to try something a little different with our live look pieces. Each day, I’ll compile notes on players from that day’s game (or games) and give readers a quick glance at what I saw at the ballpark. It won’t be too in-depth and will give everyone a chance to read about players that won’t be involved in the Deep Drives installment that will come later in the week. That said, you can expect one or two of these players to be included in Deep Drives.
First up on the docket was an exciting first game in the series between Wake Forest and Duke. Wake Forest has one of the most stacked rosters in the country, especially on the pitching front. Duke is coming off a series win against Princeton and is not far removed from a historic offensive showing against Baylor two weeks ago, so expectations were high and they did not disappoint. Here are some notes on players from tonight’s game.
RHP Rhett lowder, wake forest*
Line: 5 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 1 HBP, 98 Pitches
Tonight’s outing was not necessarily one to write home about for Wake Forest ace Rhett Lowder, as he had some inconsistent command and gave up some hard contact, particularly on his fastball. That said, there were some positives to take away from the start, especially with the way he bounced back in the latter half of his outing.
The fastball had solid run and sink and held in the 91-94 MPH range, touching 95 MPH at least once later on in the outing. The slider was in the low-80’s with some sweep that he tried to get chases with from righties, though it was a bit inconsistent with feel and shape and struggled to get chases. The mid-80’s change-up that Lowder possesses had its usual fading shape and life, though he struggled to harness the command of the pitch. He just did not have it early, becoming sporadic around the zone at times. It was tough to get a glove-side call throughout the outing, too. That said, it’s just an off-night for Lowder and you should expect him to bounce back next week against Notre Dame.
LHP Jonathan santucci, duke
Line: 4.1 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 11 K, 93 Pitches
While Lowder’s outing started out rough, Santucci’s was the complete opposite. Much like his start against Baylor, Santucci came out of the gate hot, striking out seven of the first nine batters he faced before he began to run into some problems with command.
The fastball/slider duo was as advertised. He started out 94-96 MPH on the gun before dialing it back to the 91-94 MPH range as the outing progressed, showcasing solid ride and run. The command to start was great, though it wavered in the fourth inning. The slider proved nasty when down thanks to sharp depth and bite in the low-mid 80’s and he sprinkled in his change-up at times, sitting in the 86-90 MPH range with solid fading action that garnered a couple of whiffs. He ultimately got eighteen whiffs, much like what he got against Baylor, just not the same results.
Wake’s hitters ultimately began to work long counts on Santucci and once his command began to waver, they took advantage on the basepaths. He’d give up a two-run home run to Adam Cecere in the fourth and was pulled with one out in the fifth after Nick Kurtz singled and became the tying run on base. He’ll return to the mound next weekend against Clemson.
RHP Michael Massey, Wake Forest
Line: 2.2 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 47 Pitches
A former Tulane arm that found his way to Winston-Salem via the transfer portal, Massey began the year as a starter before being reverted to a long relief role in the bullpen. He’s an intriguing arm who won’t be eligible until the 2024 draft.
The body reminds me of Caden Dana, to an extent. He’s more filled out than Dana was last year, but it’s still a barrel-chested, extra large frame on the bump for Massey. It’s a short arm swing behind the back, which caused some issues with command in the outing, particularly with his fastball. He was 92-95 MPH early with good life, though he had trouble finding the zone at times. The slider was his primary secondary throughout the outing, relying on it heavily in the low-mid 80’s with good depth and was reliable for chases. He flashed a change-up at 87, though he only threw it once or twice. As the outing went on, he grew tired rather quickly, sitting in the 89-92 MPH range before being taken out after giving up a pinch-hit home run to Devin Obee in the eighth inning.
Massey figures to be one of Tom Walter’s heavily used pitchers this year and profiles as a starter next year, but expect a big role out of the right-hander with Teddy McGraw now out of the year.
3B Brock Wilken, wake forest*
Line: 2-4, HR, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 2 R, 2 K
Wilken has long been a force in Wake Forest’s lineup, as he’s now over the fifty career home run mark with the school and he’s started 2023 in freakish fashion.
Power and bat speed are the big things of note when you first see Wilken at the plate. His first hit of the night was a back-side single to the opposite field gap and he’s shown more ability to use all fields and has also shown better plate discipline, too. Then came the seventh inning, where Aidan Weaver left a hanging slider to Wilken, who proceeded to hammer it on a line to left field, taking the lead with a three-run home run, his nation-leading twelfth of the year. The exit velocity on the home run was an astounding 108.6 MPH and he lit up the Demon Deacon dugout as a result.
Defensively, there are some improvements at the hot corner. While there’s still a belief that he may eventually move off the position, he showed good poise and control there tonight and showed off a solid arm. It’s one game, and I am not here to make the assumption that that is all I need to say he stays there, but it’s certainly a good sign that he looked better than our previous live look last spring. He could very well propel himself into first-round conversation should he continue this hot streak to start the year.
Honorable mentions: Adam Cecere, Nick Kurtz, Aidan Weaver, Camden Minacci