Wake Forest Baseball Offseason News and Storylines
The Wake Forest Demon Deacons' baseball squad ended their 2026 campaign over three weeks ago, but there has been no shortage of news over the past couple of weeks. From staff changes to transfer portal updates to schedule announcements, there is a lot to unpack. We will try to get into these key stories below so Wake fans can stay up to date.
New Hitting Coach Incoming
A seismic shift at the start of the offseason came when hitting coach Bill Cilento announced his departure from Winston-Salem to take the same job at South Carolina. Cilento had been with the program for 17 years and had built a solid foundation that produced one of the highest-powered offenses in the ACC. Multiple Demon Deacons, including Nick Kurtz, were drafted under his watch.
His loss will definitely be felt, as seen in the ripple effects that are discussed in detail below. Now Wake will be tasked with hiring a new hitting coach to lead the offense. No announcement has been made yet, but fans should expect one in the near future. This hire will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of Wake baseball.
Transfer Portal Casualties
With the loss of a hitting coach, the Deacs were bound to take some hits in the portal, but I do not think fans expected the level of movement we are seeing. Highly touted freshman JD Stein was the first to announce his departure after just one season in Winston-Salem. He was a key piece in the field and showed much improvement offensively throughout the season. He would have been the sure-fire starting shortstop for the 2027 squad.
Another talented freshman, Andrew Costello, announced he was transferring to South Carolina, following Bill Cilento. Costello showed immense potential at a young age and would have been another starter lost to the transfer portal.
The biggest blow may be that Andrew's brother, Luke Costello, announced his decision to enter the transfer portal as well. This one is a little more nuanced, as there is still a good chance Luke gets drafted anyway, but it's still a blow to Deac fans. Luke led the team in RBIs and hit 17 home runs this past season. All of these losses combined amount to pretty significant changes coming to the Deacs' 2027 lineup. They have already picked up a few transfers earlier on, but we will do a later article when the dust settles, breaking down the incoming transfers. it's
Going Down to Texas
Wake Forest will head to Globe Life Field March 5th-7th as they will take part in the AmegyBank College Baseball Series.
— Andrew Kube (@AndrewK13_) June 23, 2026
Fun weekend of games and was hopeful they’d play in one of these with the recent success of the program. pic.twitter.com/eetOA4lMN3
The one positive announcement we have gotten recently is that Wake Forest will head down to Texas next season to take part in the Amgey Bank College Baseball Series. The games will take place at Globe Life Field, home of the Texas Rangers, on March 5-7. Other high-powered teams highlight the field as well, including 2026 regular-season #1 UCLA and a team coming off a College World Series appearance in Ole Miss. Dallas Baptist, Mississippi State, and Penn State also help fill out the field for an event that will give the Deacs a good chance to showcase their brand.
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.