No. 17 Wake Forest Baseball 2025 College Top 25 Preview

Image credit: (Photo courtesy of Wake Forest Baseball)

Last season: 38-22 (15-15 ACC); eliminated in Greenville Regional
Final 2024 ranking: NR
Coach (record at school): Tom Walter (456-361-1, 16th season)

You can find our complete 2025 preseason Top 25 ranking here.

The Good News

Though Wake Forest lost a great deal of production on both sides of the ball from its 2024 team, 16th-year head coach Tom Walter is reasonably confident that the Demon Deacons will emerge more balanced and complete in 2025 thanks to infusion of talent from the transfer portal and high school ranks plus a handful of key returners. Former Marist outfielder Ethan Conrad, former St. John’s catcher Jimmy Keenan, former Princeton outfielder Matt Scannell and former Butler infielder Kade Lewis are all expected to start, as is freshman infielder Dalton Wentz.

Walter is hopeful that Wake Forest’s offense will produce more even numbers between its home runs hit and bases stolen, a balance he said the program has gotten away from in recent years with more power-first lineups. On the mound, Walter expressed confidence that though his staff might not have a Chase Burns superstar type, the group is deeper and features a weekend rotation that will likely be comprised exclusively of newcomers to the team: Tennessee transfer Matt Dallas, Missouri transfer Logan Lunceford and freshman Duncan Marsten.

The Bad News

Walter didn’t attempt to sugarcoat the potential pitfalls facing his team this year. The Demon Deacons lost three first-round picks in the 2024 draft, starter Chase Burns (Reds), first baseman Nick Kurtz (Athletics) and shortstop Seaver King (Nationals), talents their former head coach described plainly as “irreplaceable.” Pitchers Josh Hartle, Michael Massey, Will Gervase were also selected in the draft. As a result, Wake Forest is depending heavily on new pieces, including its entire projected rotation and a significant portion of its starting lineup, to catch fire. Keenan and Lewis are the only newcomers who hit double-digit home runs last season while Jack Winnay is the only returner who accomplished the feat. It’s why achieving a better balance between power and a more base-to-base approach will be so key.

Player To Know

Viewed as one of the top shortstops in the country this season, Marek Houston is one of the most polished defenders at his position and coming off a breakout offensive campaign that saw him hit .326/.434/.516 with eight home runs, 16 doubles, 39 RBIs and more walks (38) than strikeouts (33). Houston showed off some stolen-base potential in the summer following his sophomore season as he swiped seven bags on eight attempts in Cape Cod League.

Path To Omaha

If the Demon Deacons can be as well-balanced as their head coach hopes they will be, they’re going to have a chance to make a considerable amount of noise in the NCAA Tournament. Wake Forest has several very promising offensive pieces and a rotation brimming with high-caliber stuff. The Demon Deacons have reached the postseason in three-straight seasons and a successful return this year would set a new program-high for consecutive tournament appearances.

Projected 2025 Lineup

Pos	Player	Year	AVG	OBP	SLG	AB	HR	RBI	Note
C	Jimmy Keenan*	Jr.	.335	.403	.615	218	12	57	St. John’s
1B	Kade Lewis*	So.	.377	.436	.618	207	10	51	Butler
2B	Antonio Morales	So.	.294	.406	.494	85	3	21
3B	Dalton Wentz	Fr.							Amherst County HS – Amherst, Va.
SS	Marek Houston	Jr.	.326	.434	.516	221	8	39
OF	Javar Williams	So.	.228	.395	.290	114	0	16
OF	Ethan Conrad*	Jr.	.389	.467	.704	226	9	52	Marist
OF	Matt Scannell*	Sr.	.277	.403	.500	170	8	21	Princeton
DH	Jack Winnay	Jr.	.297	.393	.649	222	20	58
Pos	Player	Year	GS	IP	ERA	WHIP	SO	BB	Note
SP	Matthew Dallas*	So.	2	17.0	4.76	1.24	22	10	Tennessee
SP	Logan Lunceford*	Jr.	13	60.2	6.97	1.63	53	26	Missouri
SP	Duncan Marsten	Fr.							Harvard-Westlake HS – Studio City, Calif.
RP	Will Ray	Jr.	0	44	3.68	1.30	37	24
RP	Zach Johnston	Jr.	0	36.2	3.93	1.58	46	28