WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Wake Forest head baseball coach Tom Walter announced the 56-game 2018 schedule on Wednesday afternoon.
The slate includes a total of 26 games against 2017 NCAA Tournament teams, as well as 30 games played at David F. Couch Ballpark.
“When building a schedule there are two things you try to accomplish: battle test your freshman on the road prior to conference play, and build an RPI that allows you to host an NCAA Regional and/or receive an at-large bid should you play well,” Walter said. “Our non-conference schedule accomplishes both those goals.”
Wake Forest opens the year at home against Georgetown, a 37-win Navy team and Gardner-Webb from Feb. 16-18. Then, the Deacs travel to the West coast for a three-game series at Santa Clara from Feb. 23-25 before returning home for another three-game series March 2-4 against Central Connecticut, an NCAA Regional qualifier in 2017.
The non-conference slate also includes two games each against NCAA Super Regional qualifier Davidson, NCAA Regional opponent UNCG, 2016 NCAA Champion Coastal Carolina, as well as area rivals Charlotte, High Point, Elon and Liberty, plus one home game against Radford.
The always-tough ACC slate includes home series against Florida State (March 9-11), Louisville (March 16-18), Duke (April 6-8), Clemson (April 20-22) and Virginia (May 17-19), plus treks to Notre Dame (March 23-25), North Carolina (March 30-April 1), Boston College (April 13-15), Georgia Tech (April 27-29) and NC State (May 11-13).
“Our conference schedule also sets up well for us as we have most of the perennial ACC favorites at the Couch,” Walter said. “The ACC is always a true test, and we look forward to battling for another trip to the NCAA Tournament.”
The 2018 ACC Baseball Championship also returns to North Carolina, and is slated for May 22-27 at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park, home of the AAA squad Durham Bulls.
