Wake Forest Begins Quest for ACC Tournament Title

The final push before the hunt for the College World Series begins in Charlotte.

Wake Forest Baseball following their 15–1 win over the Siena Saints, February 22, 2026. | Wake Forest Athletics

College baseball’s postseason is finally here, but one step remains before the Wake Forest Demon Deacons can officially begin their march to Omaha and the College World Series.

The ACC Baseball Championship, which is set to begin on May 19 and run through May 24 at Truist Field, is the final hurdle for the Demon Deacons. Not only is it a fantastic opportunity to compete against the best the ACC has to offer, but it’s also a great chance for the Deacs to improve their résumé one last time before the selection committee completes the NCAA Tournament bracket.

The best way to do that is to go out and win the whole thing.

Wake Forest’s Path Through the Bracket

Ryan Bosch exits the mound after 1.2 innings. | Wake Forest Athletics

In order to take the ultimate prize and claim an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament, Wake Forest will have to win four games against some staunch competition. As the No. 6 seed — Wake Forest finished tied with Miami at 16-14 in ACC play but lost the head-to-head tiebreaker — the Demon Deacons received a bye into the second round. They’re set to face the winner of No. 11 Louisville and No. 14 Pittsburgh, two teams Wake Forest should definitely have a good shot at taking down. That game is set to begin at 9 p.m. ET on Wednesday, May 20.

If the team can win that game, then a battle with No. 3 Florida State awaits on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET. Wake Forest already had the misfortune of playing the Seminoles earlier this season, getting swept in embarrassing fashion from March 13-15. It was the first time during the 2026 campaign that the Demon Deacons looked vulnerable. In the months since, Wake Forest has improved, but so has Florida State — D1Baseball now has the Seminoles ranked as the 11th-best team in the country. It’ll be a tough test, that’s for sure.

Waiting for Wake Forest in the semifinals would most likely be No. 2 North Carolina. The Tar Heels have an argument to be ranked No. 1 in the entire country, though that doesn’t really matter here. What matters is that North Carolina is awesome and has a great chance to win the tournament if it so chooses.

But if Wake Forest can weather that storm and emerge victorious, then an appearance in the championship game on May 24 awaits. Any team could be there, with No. 1 Georgia Tech being the likeliest candidate. Demon Deacons fans are well aware of what the Yellow Jackets bring to the table, and facing them again would be a frightening endeavor.

History Isn’t on Wake Forest’s Side

Wake Forest hasn’t won the ACC Tournament in 25 years and is 57-77 overall in the event. That’s the bad news. The good news is that the team is 3-2 in the tournament since it was moved to Charlotte.

History says that Wake Forest doesn’t have a great chance of pulling this off. The strength of the competition also suggests that the Deacs are going to have a rough go of it. Regardless of pre-tournament expectations, though, Tom Walter’s squad is going to go out there and fight its tail off for this tournament championship. Demon Deacons fans would have it no other way.