Wake Forest and Florida State Gearing Up For Massive Clash

Wake Forest’s 15-game winning streak might’ve come to an end this week at the hands of Coastal Carolina, but that’s in the past. Now it’s time to move forward and focus on the task at hand: taking down the No. 20 Florida State Seminoles in the second weekend of ACC competition.

The Demon Deacons took care of business in their inaugural ACC series versus Stanford, but this test against the Seminoles will be much more difficult. For one, Stanford is, by every available metric, the worst team in the conference. The same can’t be said for Florida State, a school that’s buzzing with baseball excitement — just like Wake Forest — and is hoping to arrive in Omaha once summer rolls around.

Both teams’ accolades so far make this series a crucial one for both sides. For Wake Forest, it hopes to build up its resume, one that’s somewhat lackluster and waiting for some top-tier wins. For Florida State, it desires to get off on the right foot in conference play, and there’d be no better way to do it than by taking down the formidable Demon Deacons.

Pitching Matchups Feature Several Quality Arms

Florida State baseball snapped its nine-game win streak in a 6-3 loss to the University of Florida Gators on Mar. 10. | Gia Ciaccio/FSView & the Florida Flambeau / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The pitching assignments for Wake Forest follow a similar beat to previous weeks, with Blake Morningstar, who was just named ACC Pitcher of the Week for his outstanding efforts versus Stanford, getting the Friday start. Chris Levonas and his nasty stuff will take the ball on Saturday, while Duncan Marsten will attempt to end the weekend with a good performance on Sunday.

Opposite those arms will be a trio of formidable pitchers for the Seminoles. Junior left-handed hurler Wes Mendes will toe the rubber on Friday for Florida State. Mendes has been exceptional through four starts so far this season. He’s 4-0 with a 0.83 ERA over 21 2/3 innings of work. He’s struck out 30 and walked seven while allowing only nine hits. There’s no doubt that he’s the ace of this rotation, and he has the capability to make the Wake Forest lineup suffer if he’s pitching at his best.

Another left-handed pitcher, Trey Beard, will throw for Florida State on Saturday. He, too, has had a good start to the season, accumulating a 2.92 ERA over 12 1/3 innings pitched. If there’s a pitcher that Wake Forest can score some runs on, it’ll be Sunday’s starter Bryson Moore, who has a 4.24 ERA over 17 innings.

Florida State Series Carries Major Implications

Wake Forest basebal — Wake Forest gather in the outfield after the loss to Tennessee in the NCAA college baseball Knoxville Regional final on June 2, 2025, in Knoxville, Tenn. | Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

As mentioned earlier, this series has some fairly large implications for both sides, particularly Wake Forest. When analyzing the Deacs’ resume, it’s difficult to find victories that stand out as exceptional. It had the opportunity to pick up one this past week but lost to Coastal Carolina, the reigning national runner-up. That’s unfortunate, obviously, but the good news is that the team will have plenty of opportunities moving forward, starting with the Florida State series.

It’s not a do-or-die series, though it is one that Wake Forest should fight tooth and nail to win. The goal is Omaha, and the simplest path to get there is to host a regional as one of the 16 best teams in the country. Beat Florida State, and that reality becomes even clearer.

What’s Next for Wake Forest Baseball?

Game one of Wake Forest’s series versus Florida State will start at 6 p.m. ET on Friday, March 13, at David F. Couch Ballpark in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. First pitch for game two will be at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 14, while the series finale will take place at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 15. Friday and Saturday’s games will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra, while the series finale will be televised on ACC Network.