Wake Forest Opens ACC Play Against Stanford

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons couldn’t be entering conference play on a better note. After faltering in the opening game of the season against Houston, the Deacs have reeled off 12 consecutive victories, the latest being a thrilling 9-8 triumph over Appalachian State on March 4. It was a win that set the tone that this team, no matter the opponent and no matter the score, is going to bring its all to the diamond day in and day out. It’ll need that mentality as it sets its sights on ACC play.

The ACC is a weird conference. Wake Forest, a university in the heart of North Carolina, will battle Stanford, a university in the San Francisco Bay Area, in a three-game series to start off ACC competition. If you had told a Deacs fan that 30 years ago, they would’ve thought you were out of your mind. They might have even called the police. But little did they know that reality is a fickle thing, and now Wake Forest and Stanford are conference mates and are set to duel in what should be an entertaining slate of games this weekend.

Wake Forest pitcher Blake Morningstar (4) pitches during a NCAA regional baseball game between Cincinnati and Wake Forest at Lindsey Nelson Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., on May 30, 2025. | Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Stanford’s baseball program has a lot of hides it can display throughout its history, but that success has been hard to come by so far in 2026. The Cardinal are 5-7 and are coming off a series loss to Fresno State, as well as a midweek defeat to Nevada. Just three years ago, this program was in Omaha competing in the College World Series. Now it’s fighting for its life against schools from the Mountain West.

Wake Forest will be looking to capitalize on that ineptitude. With Blake Morningstar finally hitting his stride on the mound — he delivered a fantastic seven-inning outing against Loyola Marymount on Feb. 27 that saw him strike out nine hitters and allow zero runs — as well as other stars like Chris Levonas, Jackson Miller, Dalton Wentz, Kade Lewis, and Javar Williams all pulling their weight, the Demon Deacons should be in good shape.

Stanford's Youth and Inexperience Evident

Feb 28, 2025; Stanford, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal infielder JJ Moran (1) before the game against the Xavier Musketeers at Sunken Diamond. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Stanford’s offense lives and breathes off the air that JJ Moran provides. A sophomore from San Diego, Moran has come out of the gate on fire to start 2026. Through 12 games, he’s put up a 1.105 OPS with three home runs and nine RBIs. Of his 18 hits, nine have been for extra bases (five doubles, one triple, one home run). He’s a stud, and Wake Forest will need to be careful with him at the plate.

The same can be said for sophomore Charlie Bates. Just like Moran, Bates’ production to begin the campaign has been otherworldly. While he doesn’t possess the same slug as his teammate, he’s consistently getting on base, making him a valuable asset at the top of the lineup.

But that’s where the offensive firepower ends for Stanford. Yes, there are other potent hitters — Rintaro Sasaki, despite a measly .211 batting average, is hitting for a ton of power with three home runs and three doubles so far — but anybody other than Moran or Bates hasn’t shown a ton of consistency. That plays directly in Wake Forest’s favor. If the pitching can continue to slice and dice through lineups like it’s been able to do over the past couple of weeks, and the lineup can keep up its torrid pace, then this first slate of ACC contests should be no problem for Wake Forest.

Game one of the series is on March 6, with first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m. Game two will be at 2 p.m. on March 7, with the series finale taking place on March 8 at 1 p.m.