Self-Inflicted Errors Doom Wake Forest Against West Virginia, Ending Their Season
The Wake Forest Demon Deacons had a tied ball game with the Mountaineers going into the fifth inning. A huge sixth inning caused by a lot of self-inflicted errors on Wake's part sent West Virginia over the top. This is the third consecutive year that Wake Forest's season has ended in a regional.
Both Wake Forest and West Virginia came into this game at 1-1 on the weekend. Wake managed to keep their season alive with a commanding 12-3 victory over Binghampton yesterday. In an elimination game, it was all-hands on deck for both clubs. In the end, West Virginia got some timely at-bats and some help from Wake that led to their victory. Let's go through the highlights.
Trouble Early, Timely Reply
In the second inning, the Deacs got into some trouble when a runner scored from third base due to a Troy Dressler wild pitch. Then, a hit into the outfield was mishandled by Luke Costello and allowed two runs to score. This gave West Virginia an early 3-0 cushion.
This cushion was then promptly erased when Blake Shaaf scored in the third inning after a double, and Matt Conte hit a two-run home run in the fourth. This swung the momentum back in Wake's favor. However, the Mountaineers came back with a run scored in the fifth inning to swing that momentum right back in their favor.
Fall Apart Sixth Inning
In the sixth inning, the Deacs were up first at the plate and went three-up-three-down in only eight pitches. A few very disappointing at-bats allowed the West Virginia starting pitcher to avoid getting the pitch count up and put the Mountaineers back at the plate.
In the bottom of the sixth, it did not take long for West Virginia to strike. Troy Dressler's pitch count was running up, and he may have gotten a little tired. The bases were quickly loaded, and six hits, one error, and multiple pitching changes led to a six-run inning, and that gave West Virginia a commanding 10-3 lead that proved to be deciding.
— Wake Forest Baseball (@WakeBaseball) May 31, 2026
Big Picture
Now the attention for Wake Forest baseball turns to the offseason after being eliminated from the Morgantown Regional. The 10-game win streak near the end of the season brought a lot of promise, but ultimately, the season ended on an underwhelming note. This was a very young group for the Demon Deacons, and they should bring back many weapons for next year.
The errors and mistakes were a huge area that held Wake Forest back near the end of the season, coming mainly on the mound. Wake Forest is known for having some of the most exceptional pitchers in college baseball, so they have the talent to rebound. However, next season, the big test for some of these young arms will be limiting those mistakes in big moments. Wake Forest will finish 39-21 on the year. Thanks for following along all season, and more offseason content to come!
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Justin is a student at Wake Forest University. He is from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and aspiring finance major interested everything sports. In his freshman year, Justin completed an internship with the Wake Forest Ticketing Department where he gained some valuable insight into the sales and operations aspects of collegiate athletics. Before working with Wake Forest On SI, Justin was a contributing writer for Wake Forest’s student publication The Old Gold and Black. Currently, Justin serves as a student manager on the Wake Forest Men’s Tennis team. In his free time Justin enjoys spending time with his family and friends on the golf course and traveling.