Wake Forest Projected to Open NCAA Baseball Tournament in SEC Country
Postseason baseball is here. Teams completed the regular season over this past weekend, and now, conference tournaments are underway across the nation.
The Wake Forest Demon Deacons (38-18, 16-14) earned the No. 6 seed and a first-round bye in the ACC Baseball Championship, which is being played at Truist Field in Charlotte this week. All 16 ACC teams will compete in a single-elimination championship.
After conference tournaments this week, we move into the NCAA postseason tournament, with Regionals starting May 29.
Where will the Deacs land?
D1Baseball's Latest Projection: Wake Forest No. 2 Seed in Auburn Regional
A spot in the tournament is not guaranteed for the Deacs, but unless they just lay a big egg in Charlotte, they should easily be one of the at-large teams. We won't know the destination until the Selection Show on Monday afternoon. Until then, expect lots of rumors and projections.
Could Wake Forest host a Regional? Perhaps. However, for this to happen, they will have to make a decent run in the ACC tournament. They are definitely on the cusp. Currently, the Deacs have an RPI of 17, which is one of the factors the selection committee considers. Their RPI has gone up in recent weeks.
More likely, though, the Deacs will secure a No. 2 seed. If we look at D1Baseball.com's latest projections (May 18), Wake will head to Auburn, Alabama. Recent projections have Wake heading to other SEC destinations, such as Gainesville, Starkville, or College Station, all of which remain possibilities.
In this latest projection, Auburn is the No. 7 national seed. Wake's first game would be against the No. 3 Ragin' Cajuns from Louisiana, and Auburn's first game would be against North Florida. The Ospreys would be the only automatic bid in this Regional, as they are projected to win the Atlantic Sun Conference.
ACC Well Represented with Nine Teams Projected in Field
In addition to the Demon Deacons, eight other teams from the ACC are in D1Baseball's current projections. The nine teams from the league is second, only behind the SEC with 12 teams.
Three teams are projected as top-16 national seeds, which means hosting a Regional - No. 2 Georgia Tech, No. 4 North Carolina, and No. 11 Florida State. Based on their seeds, Georgia Tech and North Carolina would also be in line to host a Super Regional if they advance out of the Regionals.
The SEC is projected to have the most national seeds, with seven teams projected to host Regionals - Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi State, Texas, and Texas A&M. The Big Ten, like the ACC, is projected to have three national seeds - Nebraska, Oregon, and top-seed UCLA. The Big 12 would have two, Kansas and West Virginia, and the Sun Belt would have one, Southern Miss.
Other ACC teams in the projected field of 64 include:
- Boston College - No. 2 seed in the Austin Regional
- Miami - No. 2 seed in the Athens Regional
- NC State - No. 3 seed in the Gainseville Regional (also one of the last four teams to make the tournament)
- Virginia - No. 2 seed in the Los Angeles Regional
- Virginia Tech - No. 3 seed in the Morgantown Regional
What's Next for Wake Forest Baseball?
The Demon Deacons earned a first-round bye in the ACC Baseball Championship. They will play the winner of No. 11 Louisville/No. 14 Pittsburgh on Wednesday, May 20, at 9 p.m. ET. The ACC Network will carry the game.
If the Deacs win their first game, they would face No. 3 seed Florida State in Friday's quarterfinal game at 7 p.m.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Barry is the managing editor/publisher of Wake Forest Demon Deacons On SI sites. He oversees a team of 12+ writers and photographers covering all sports at Wake Forest. He writes on football, basketball (men’s and women’s), baseball, men’s tennis, and other sports as needed. His weekly articles include ACC Power Rankings and Poll Watching during the football, basketball, and baseball seasons. Barry is a member of the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA), and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA). He has covered the 2022 Fiesta Bowl, the 2023 College Football National Championship, the 2023 College World Series, the 2024 NCAA Men’s Tennis National Championship, ACC Kickoff, and ACC Tipoff. He is an avid sports fan and traveler, and he loves any opportunity to see a sporting event in person. He has been to 18 of the 30 MLB ballparks, experienced game day at 25 college football stadiums, seen 21 NFL stadiums, and been to 16 bowl games.