Two Things Every Wake Forest Fan Needs to Know About NC State

The NC State Wolfpack are coming to town and the Wake Forest Demon Deacons are hoping to assert their will in a crucial ACC clash.

Wake Forest baseball team celebrates during Friday doubleheader action against LMU | Wake Forest Athletics

Are the Wake Forest Demon Deacons ready to take the next step toward making a run at a trip to Omaha? That question has been ringing around David F. Couch Ballpark for nearly two and a half months, and no one has provided a definitive answer so far. Whether it be crucial clashes against top-tier opponents like Florida State, Virginia, and Coastal Carolina, or under-the-radar matchups with squads like Miami, the Demon Deacons have failed to assert themselves as a front-runner in the ACC.

This weekend’s three-game set against NC State is where the team is going to look to change that.

The NC State Wolfpack is similar to Wake Forest in a lot of ways. Both schools enter the weekend with conference records at or hovering around .500. Both also started the season on heaters, only to cool off once some more stiff competition arrived the second ACC play commenced. Now it’s time for the Wolfpack and the Demon Deacons to meet on the diamond.

To say that this is an important series for both teams would be an understatement. In fact, some might call it the most important of them all so far. As such, it’s imperative that Wake Forest fans know what they’re getting into. Here are two things every Deacs fan should know about the NC State Wolfpack.

A Freshman Phenom Setting the Tone

When a team has a player who’s hitting over .400 — even in an age where it’s accepted that batting average isn’t the end-all, be-all of baseball statistics — eyebrows are raised, and heads are tilted. That’s certainly the case when it comes to NC State, which features Rett Johnson, a freshman outfielder from Youngsville, North Carolina. Johnson has been, for lack of a better phrase, lighting the world on fire to begin his first season at the collegiate ranks. Over the course of 118 at-bats, he’s hitting .415 with a 1.037 OPS. Power isn’t a huge part of his game — he only has one home run — but he makes up for it with a fantastic eye and great speed.

You can't get this freshman out!

Rett Johnson is 4-for-4 and now adds an RBI to his day.

B5 | Wolfpack 12, Duke 4 pic.twitter.com/dGoRGPNUkT

— NC State Baseball (@NCStateBaseball) April 11, 2026

Perhaps the most impressive statistic of Johnson’s so far during the 2026 campaign is his ability to take a free pass. He’s walked a whopping 27 times, but what’s more eye-popping is the fact that he’s only struck out on 10 occasions. He never wastes a plate appearance, making him a tough out for even the most formidable pitching staffs.

Mirror-Image Résumés

Let’s circle back and look at the schedule that NC State has gone up against and compare it to what Wake Forest has had to deal with. Both squads share several common opponents — Washington, Indiana State, Coastal Carolina, Florida State, and Liberty — with both faring about the same versus every single one of them. NC State beat Coastal Carolina in its lone meeting back on March 3, while it took Wake Forest three tries to take down the Chanticleers. Apart from that, there aren’t that many differences, which is what makes this series so tantalizing, as mentioned earlier.

So, can Wake Forest assert itself in an ACC series against a quality opponent? We’ll certainly find out soon enough.

First pitch for Friday night’s clash between Wake Forest and NC State is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET at David F. Couch Ballpark in Winston-Salem. Chris Levonas will toe the rubber for Wake Forest, while Heath Andrews will get the ball for the Wolfpack. The game will be broadcast on the ACC Network. Games two and three will start at 4 p.m. and 1 p.m., respectively, on Saturday and Sunday. Both matchups will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra.