It was considered a marquee matchup between two top teams in the ACC, and boy, it delivered. Virginia took game one, and Wake Forest took game two, thanks to an electric start from Chase Burns. The series had an incredible ending, with Virginia’s Casey Saucke hitting a game-tying home run on the last strike to send the third game into extra innings, which Virginia eventually won. On top of being an exciting series, there was plenty of talent on the field for both the 2024 MLB Draft and the 2025 MLB Draft. Below are insights and videos from the series. Enjoy!
Wake Forest - 2024 MLB Draft
RHP CHASE BURNS
It’s hard to add much to what has already been said about Chase Burns's ability. He was just as electric in this one as he has been all season. He struck out 13 over seven innings on Saturday night. His fastball was 95-99 and topped at 100. He was sitting 97-99 in the first three innings. The velocity was more than 95-97 later in the game, but he could pop at 98 or 99 when needed. I only could think of one word to describe the slider… diabolical. In the video below, you’ll see an at-bat where he threw three straight sliders at Virginia’s Griff O’Ferrall (also a top draft prospect). O’Ferrall just stood there and watched all three. Granted, the shadows played a factor, but the depth and bite of Burns’ slider are really nice.
He often went to the slider, especially late when he lost a bit on the fastball. The pitch was disgusting and sat around 87-91. He flashed a changeup as well that hit 93 mph at one point. I saw a lot of comments comparing Skenes’ effort on the mound compared to Burns. Burns for sure has a bit more effort on the mound, especially when he needs some extra velo late, but it isn’t overly concerning. He is pretty effortless on the mound to get his velocity early on. Overall, it was just insane stuff and a whole lot of fun to watch in person.
SS/OF SEAVER KING
The best way to sum up Seaver King is an athlete. While he didn’t do a ton at the plate in the two games I saw him, he tries to make things happen on all sides of the ball. Even when he was struggling at the plate, he laid down a bunt where he used his speed to beat it out for a single. A lot of his struggles at the plate come from his approach. He’s a bit overly aggressive which leads to some swing-and-miss and chasing out of the zone. He doesn’t walk a ton because of that. He makes up for his aggressiveness with his bat speed. When he’s able to make contact, he hits the ball far. He struggled a bit with barrel control in this series.
Defensively, he looked great in centerfield. He has tremendous range and can track balls with ease. He gets great jumps and gets to balls quickly thanks to his speed. The speed is most definitely a plus. He can wreak havoc on the basepaths. He’s going to do whatever it takes to try to beat out a ground ball and get out of the box quickly. This was obvious with his bunt single. He found an opportunity to make something happen with his speed and took full advantage. The power and speed combination plus his defensive versatility, will have teams calling on day one of the draft. That, on top of his makeup and maturity, makes him one of the best prospects in the draft class.
OF/1B JACK WINNAY
Barely qualifying for the 2024 Draft, Jack Winnay is the player I came away most impressed with from this series. Nick Kurtz went down on Friday with an injury and Winnay took over at first base. He did his best Kurtz impression by hitting three home runs over the weekend. Winnay has a pretty simple swing and does a good job at getting the barrel to the ball. When he makes contact, the ball is LOUD off his bat. He’s got a thicker frame with tons of strength in his legs where he can generate his power. There have been some concerns about swing-and-miss in the past, but he showed really good plate discipline in this one. He had a good feel for the strike zone and would wait on his pitch to drive it.
The biggest concern teams might have on draft day is where he might play defensively. He has played mostly in left field for the Demon Deacons and has been average there. He’s had some time on third base as well, but he is expected to get a lot of action at first, with Kurtz out for a good amount of time. He will have to continue to hit if he wants to improve his draft stock as a possible first-base-only type player. Regardless, the bat seems like it will play as long as he continues to make improvements on his ability to not chase offspeed out of the zone.
Wake Forest - 2025 MLB Draft
SS MAREK HOUSTON
Marek Houston is just a hit machine. Houston has more of a line-drive, spray-the-ball-all-over-the-field type approach over power. He tallied four hits in the two games I saw him, and they were all singles. Houston’s strength comes from his ability to make contact and not chase out of the zone. Those contact rates have earned him the leadoff spot in what is a very loaded Demon Deacons lineup. He’s walked (10 BB) almost as much as he’s struck out this year (12 K).
Houston is a natural shortstop. He’s got exceptional range at the position and made Jeter-esque plays in this series. His throws from shortstop were for the most part accurate and very strong. He’ll easily throw out good runners. He is an average runner on the base paths. He’s got good instincts and is smart on the base paths, but isn’t a guy who’s going to blow you away. He will likely steal a few bags, but isn’t going to be your typical base stealer. If Houston continues to hit and grows into a little more power, he could find his way into the top 40 college draft prospects for 2025.
Wake Forest - 2026 MLB Draft
LHP HAIDEN LEFFEW
Leffew got the start for an injured Michael Massey who usually throws on Sundays. Watching the lefty, you can see why some really like his stuff and the possible projection for the future. The 6’1, 225lb Leffew has a stockier build compared to most pitchers. He’s got a strong lower half and broad shoulders. His body looks to be mostly filled out and there isn’t likely much more room for growth there.
His fastball was 91-93 and topped out at 94. It had some late life to it, and he wasn’t afraid to work it at the top or bottom of the zone. However, his command and control of the pitch need much improvement. A lot of wild pitches. He has three secondaries he’d go to in his changeup, cutter, and curveball. The changeup (83-86) was obviously his bread-and-butter pitch. It has good, solid depth to it and he went to it the most when he needed to generate Whiff. He also had a cut fastball (86-88) which he threw a bit and mostly worked in on righties. He only flashed a curveball (75-78). It had some bite to it, but he definitely lacked command of it and didn’t go to it often.
His command and control of his entire arsenal need quite a bit of work, but he’s still young, and there is plenty of time for the Wake Forest Pitching Lab to work its magic. He could potentially grow into more velocity as he matures and will likely be a part of the Wake Forest rotation in the future.
Virginia - 2024 MLB Draft
SS GRIFF O’FERRALL
O’Ferrall is very mature and polished at the plate. I’m sure when a pitcher sees him come to the plate, they know it’s going to be a grind to get him out. He just battles and will foul off pitches until you find a way to put him away. His bat-to-ball skills are insane, and there is not a ton of swing-and-miss to his game. Defensively, he looks good at shortstop. He has the range and quick hands for the position, but his lack of arm strength is likely going to move him to second base eventually.
I talked about this in my live looks earlier, but he reminds me of a Matt Shaw-light. In some sense, he is sort of like Nick Loftin. A guy who is a some-of-all-parts type player who does everything right, but doesn’t necessarily possess that one go-to carrying tool. He’s got decent speed, a great hit tool, good defensive ability, and a little bit of power he can tap into once in a while. Everything is about average across the board. He likely makes for a good utility player at the next level and teams will be likely going after O’Ferrall on day two.
OF CASEY SAUCKE
The biggest question coming into the year is whether or not Saucke would be able to tap into his power a bit more. The Virginia right fielder only hit four home runs last year and he is already up to seven this year. The 6’3, 193lb outfielder has a well-built frame and gets a lot of strength from his legs. At the plate, he’s able to get good loft with his swing and can drive the ball all over the field. He does a ton of damage pull side with his power, but also has the ability to drive the ball over the fence the other way as was seen when he hit a clutch home run into the right field bullpen to tie the game on the last strike.
Defensively, Saucke possesses a strong arm in right field. He gets a ton of carry on his throws and they are typically on the line. He’s a below-average runner but can make the routine plays and isn’t a clog on the base paths because of it. Saucke is a gamer and a key piece to this Virginia lineup. Teams will likely be looking at him on day two.
C ETHAN ANDERSON
Not too much to add about Ethan Anderson from when I saw him against UMass earlier in the month. He still seems to be struggling with the same timing issues, which is leading to bad contact in the zone. He’s hitting the ball on the ground quite a bit and grounded into nearly three double-plays in two games. The issues, as I stated before, aren’t related to chasing out of the zone. He’s still making contact and not striking out at a high clip. He’s still hitting for a decent average and has an OBP near .400. There just might need to be some minor adjustments to his swing so he can get the ball in the air more and tap into the power he’s known for. Defensively, he looks decent behind the plate. Does a good job at keeping the ball in front of him, and the arm strength is definitely average. He’s likely still an early day two guy as a team might hope they can tap into his power potential and that he can stick behind home plate.
Virginia - 2025 MLB Draft
INF HENRY GODBOUT
Hard to think of another word other than impressive to describe Henry Godbout. It was one of the most advanced approaches at the plate I’ve seen. That is coupled with a simple and compact swing. You can really see it in the first clip in the video when he turns on 99 mph up in the zone from Chase Burns. Godbout doesn’t chase at almost anything out of the zone. His strikeout rate is only 5.6%. When he makes contact, it is solid and loud. He sprays the ball all over the field. He’s been playing a ton of second base, but given his size, he could end up at third base. The bat is very very good. He still needs to find a way to tap into more power, but that could come as he continues to grow. All-in-all, Godbout was the most impressive this weekend outside of Wake Forest’s Jack Winnay. He could see himself easily skyrocketing up draft boards if he continues this production deeper into ACC play.
1B HENRY FORD
Just like Ethan Anderson, I don’t really have much more to add on top of my analysis of Ford from the series earlier in the month. The kid can flat-out hit and hit for power as well. He’s come into Virginia as a freshman and easily became the most productive hitter in this lineup. So much so that he’s hitting clean-up for the Cavaliers. The 6’5, 220lb Ford is a presence in the batter's box with his tall, built-out frame. He’s got easy power in the box and does a great job already tapping into it. He has a short swing that helps him get the barrel to the ball with ease. When he makes contact, the ball is loud off his bat so I’m sure the exit velocity numbers likely match. Ford will be a fun one to continue to monitor as the season rolls on. If he keeps up this production, he might find himself in the top 15 college prospects for the 2025 draft.