Wake Forest Seeking ACC Momentum vs. Virginia

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons — after losing four straight games in mostly debilitating fashion — finally got off the schnide this past week with an 11-0 beatdown of the Liberty Flames. It was a much-needed reprieve from what had been a miserable stretch of baseball. But even though the winning ways have returned to Winston-Salem, the going doesn’t get any easier in ACC play.

The No. 9 Virginia Cavaliers are on deck. Virginia, which has, for the most part, steamrolled through its competition so far this season, best showed its prowess on the national stage with series victories against North Carolina and Virginia Tech, with its most recent triumph being a 14-12 thriller over Liberty on March 18. The Cavaliers enter this series with Wake Forest seeking to solidify themselves as the cream of the crop in the ACC. For Wake Forest, however, this matchup is all about creating momentum and righting the ship after last weekend’s Florida State debacle. Which side will prevail in its goals? We’ll just have to wait and see.

Wake Forest Looks for Stability on the Mound

Wake Forest RHP Blake Morningstar was named the ACC Pitcher of the Week after his fantastic performance versus Stanford on March 6, 2026. | Wake Forest Athletic

The pitching for Wake Forest has been fairly solid all season, though recent days would suggest otherwise. Blake Morningstar will toe the rubber for the Deacs on Friday, hoping to recapture a bit of the magic from a couple of weeks ago. Because while Morningstar has been a formidable arm for the majority of his tenure in Winston-Salem, he’ll most likely want to forget everything that happened against Florida State. He allowed nine runs — eight earned — through four innings of work, walking three and striking out two along the way. It was, well, not good.

The same can’t be said for Chris Levonas, who will pitch for Wake Forest on Saturday. He’s been absolutely nails all year long. His emergence has been so fun to watch — Wake Forest just hopes that he can keep it up against a Cavaliers team that has some bona fide stars in the lineup.

For Virginia, the weekend’s rotation will feature the season debut of Duke transfer Kyle Johnson. Johnson, a sophomore from Leesburg, Virginia, showed flashes of brilliance last year in Durham but struggled to find consistency. After being held out at the beginning of this campaign due to an injury, he’s finally ready to get back on the mound. He’ll face a Wake Forest lineup that’s eager to prove itself, making this matchup between pitcher and hitter an interesting one.

The rest of the weekend will see sophomore LHP Max Stammel (2-0, 4.37 ERA) and freshman RHP John Paone (1-1, 4.79 ERA) go for the Cavaliers.

Cavaliers Bring Firepower to the Plate

Jun 14, 2024; Omaha, NE, USA; Virginia Cavaliers third baseman Eric Becker (21) slides back into first base against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the fourth inning at Charles Schwab Filed Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

If a team wants to slow down Virginia’s offense, it must find a way to stymie both Harrison Didawick and Eric Becker.

Didawick, a senior, has been one of the best hitters in the entire ACC to date. He’s slashing .364/.452/.523 with two home runs and 23 RBIs. His 32 hits and 13 walks both lead the team. Becker’s abilities at the dish are also something to be wary of if you’re the Demon Deacons. He loves to hit for extra bases — he’s collected 10 doubles and three homers so far this season — but he is susceptible to striking out. In fact, both Didawick and Becker are. Still, both players present fantastic tests for the Wake Forest pitching staff.

What’s Next for Wake Forest Baseball?

Game one of Wake Forest’s series against No. 9 Virginia will commence March 20 at 6 p.m. ET at Davenport Field at Disharoon Park in Charlottesville, Virginia. First pitch for Saturday’s clash is at 4 p.m. ET, while the series finale will start at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.

The first two games will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra, while the finale will be on ACC Network.