May 8, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format 
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Wake Forest returns from an eight-day layoff for the final homestand at Gene Hooks Stadium. The Demon Deacons will host the Duke Blue Devils in the last three games to be played at the facility. Wake will be moving to Ernie Shore Field starting in 2009 and thus will bid farewell to Hooks Stadium. A ceremony on Saturday will honor Dr. Gene Hooks, the stadium's namesake, and the venue that has been the home of Deacon baseball since 1981. Wake Forest comes into the weekend at 19-27 overall and 8-15 in the ACC. The Deacs have won three straight, but they have also been off for more than a week due to final exams. Duke comes in at 34-14-1 overall and 8-14-1 in conference play. The Blue Devils have won five straight and seven of their past eight contests.
Quickie Notes
Wake Forest is coming off an eight-day layoff due to final exams ... The Deacs are riding a three-game winning streak, which matches their season-long ... Wake is percentage points behind Duke for the eighth and final spot in the upcoming ACC Tournament ... Allan Dykstra's next walk will tie the school's single-season record (57) that he set last year and co-holds with Matt Antonelli (2005) ... Dykstra leads the country in walks and ranks eighth nationally in on-base percentage ... Mike Murray is riding a five-game hitting streak, the longest current streak on the team ... Murray has had a hit in 18 of his last 19 games ... The Deacons have stolen a combined eight bases over their last two games ... Wake Forest is ranked sixth nationally in Strength of Schedule, according to WarrenNolan.com.
Scouting the Blue Devils
Duke enters the weekend having lost just one game since April 19. The Blue Devils picked up three non-conference wins this week, moving their record to 26-0 outside of the ACC. As a team, Duke is hitting .301 on the season. Nate Freiman leads the team at .389 with nine homers and 42 RBIs. Gabriel Saade has 15 steals in 16 attempts. On the mound, the Blue Devils have a staff ERA of 3.50. Jonathan Foreman leads the way with a 1.68 ERA in 10 appearances. Alex Hassan has five saves in 14 relief outings.
On Deck
Wake Forest will play its final non-conference game of the season when it travels to Elon on Tuesday for a 2 p.m. showdown with the Phoenix. The Deacons will then wrap up ACC action May 15-17 at Boston College. The ACC Tournament is set for May 21-25 in Jacksonville, Fla. The top eight teams in the conference qualify for the postseason tournament.
The Last Stand at Hooks Stadium
With the Wake Forest baseball program set to move into Ernie Shore Field for the 2009 season, the Demon Deacons will bid adieu to Gene Hooks Stadium this weekend. The Wake Forest Athletic Department will commemorate the final games at the facility with ceremonies on Saturday and Sunday.
Dr. Gene Hooks, the namesake of the stadium, and his family will be in attendance on Saturday. A ceremony honoring Dr. Hooks will begin at approximately 12:30 p.m. Dr. Hooks will also assist in Wake Forest's Senior Day presentations on Saturday. The Deacons will honor their 10 graduating seniors prior to the game that day.
The national anthem will be performed live on both Saturday and Sunday. Dr. Kevin Bowen, Wake Forest's Director of Bands, will perform on Saturday, while Sergeant Frank Thomas is set to perform on Sunday.
Wake Forest will also give out special t-shirts to commemorate "The Last Stand" at Hooks Stadium.
Wake Forest is purchasing Ernie Shore Field from the City of Winston-Salem. The Winston-Salem Warthogs, the current tenant and a minor league affiliate of the Chicago White Sox, are in the process of building a new ballpark in Winston-Salem. The Warthogs are vacating Ernie Shore after the 2008 season. The Deacons' new home is adjacent to BB&T Field and across the street from the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Ernie Shore was the home of Deacon baseball prior to the opening of Hooks Stadium in 1981.
Layton Field at Gene Hooks Stadium
The home of Demon Deacon baseball was dedicated on April 18, 1981, as Layton Field. It was re-dedicated as Hooks Stadium on April 23, 1988. The facility is named in honor of Dr. Gene Hooks who spent 42 years at Wake Forest as a player, coach, faculty member and administrator.
The stadium is on the site of Layton Field, which is named in honor of former grounds superintendent Melvin Layton -- a man who spent two-thirds of his life as an employee at Wake Forest University.
Wake Forest has gone 507-229-3 in 28 seasons at the venue. The Deacons' 5-3 defeat of Clemson on March 9 this season was the program's 500th win at Hooks Stadium.
Prior to the opening of the stadium in 1981, the Deacons played their games at Ernie Shore Field. Wake Forest is purchasing Ernie Shore and will be moving back to the facility prior to the 2009 season.
Dr. Gene Hooks to be Honored
Prior to Saturday's game, Dr. Gene Hooks will be honored for his 42 years of service to Wake Forest University and Demon Deacon athletics. Dr. Hooks has been an integral part of the University as a player, teacher, coach and administrator.
As a player, Dr. Hooks led Wake Forest to a runner-up finish at the 1949 College World Series. He was named an All-American in 1949 and 1950. He returned as head coach of the Demon Deacons from 1957-59, leading Wake to winning records all three years.
Dr. Hooks spent 28 years as Wake Forest's Director of Athletics, taking the department to new heights during his tenure. He spearheaded the expansion of the department into what it is today by overseeing the establishment of women's athletic programs in the 1970s. Under his direction, Wake Forest teams won a combined 22 ACC titles and three national championships. The Deacon men's golf program flourished during Hooks' tenure, winning 14 ACC titles and three national titles including back-to-back championships in 1974-75.
Individual Career Stats vs. Duke
Allan Dykstra has hit .500 with two doubles, three homers and 10 RBIs in six career games against the Blue Devils ... Dykstra has slugged 1.091 and reached base at a clip of .517 during those contests ... Willy Fox has six RBIs and has gone 7-for-14 in three games ... Dustin Hood has hit .560 with seven runs, five doubles and five RBIs in six games ... Ben Hunter has a 2.89 ERA in 9.1 innings over three outings ... Hunter has struck out 14 and walked just one Blue Devil batter ... Charlie Mellies has a 1.12 career ERA against Duke, pitching 16.0 innings over three appearances ... Evan Ocheltree has hit .444 with four home runs and eight RBIs in six games ... Eric Williams has gone 5-for-11 with two runs and two RBIs in three games.
Wake-Duke Last Meeting
Wake Forest swept Duke for the third straight season, earning wins of 13-6, 4-3 and 8-2 April 27-29, 2007, at Hooks Stadium. The Deacons trailed just once in the series, 2-0 in the first inning of Friday's game. However, Wake scored six in its half of the first and didn't look back the rest of the weekend.
The Deacs were solid in every aspect of the game against Duke. Wake Forest hit .360 as a team with 11 extra base hits. The Deacon hitters struck out just 11 times on the weekend. The pitching staff had a 2.57 ERA for the series, allowing just eight earned runs in 28.0 innings. In the field, Wake committed four errors, compared to six for Duke.
Individually, Dustin Hood led the hitters with a .538 average (7-for-13) on the weekend. Hood had the game-winning hit in the bottom of the 10th on Saturday. Willy Fox hit .500 (7-for-14) and drove in six runs, while Allan Dykstra also hit .500 (6-for-12) with four RBIs. Ben Hunter made Sunday's start on short notice but still managed to pick up the win with 6.1 strong innings. Hunter struck out 10 and walked just one in the win. Garrett Bullock received a no-decision on Friday despite pitching a stellar 7.2 innings.
Deacons' Last Time Out
Wake Forest has been off since April 30 due to final exams. The Deacons swept their pair of mid-week games last week, following a 1-2 showing at Georgia Tech two weekends ago. Wake Forest downed UNC Greensboro, 11-6, on Tuesday, April 29, before shutting out Davidson, 10-0, the following afternoon at Hooks Stadium.
At Greensboro, the Deacs got a grand slam from Allan Dykstra and four stolen bases from Steven Brooks to sweep the season series with the Spartans. After falling behind by a run in the first, Wake Forest took a big lead in the second, scoring six runs in the frame, the final four of which came on Dykstra's grand slam.
Dykstra finished the evening 2-for-4 with four RBIs, a double and a homer. Brooks went 2-for-4 with two runs, two RBIs and four stolen bases. Andy Goff also had a pair of hits for the Deacons, going 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run. Willy Fox extended his hitting streak to 10 games with his single in the seventh.
Brandon Johnson (2-1) picked up the win with three innings of spotless relief. The freshman righthander gave up just one hit and one walk on the day after entering the game to start the fifth inning.
Starter Ryan McGrath did not qualify for the win, pitching four innings on the day.
At home against Davidson the following day, Charlie Mellies, Matt Hammond and Brad Kledzik combined on a four-hit shutout to lead the Deacons over the Wildcats.
Mellies (2-5) earned the win, stifling the Wildcats over five innings. He allowed just two hits with six strikeouts and no walks. Mellies let just one runner reach scoring position, and he retired each of the final six batters he faced.
Kledzik picked up his fourth save of the year with three innings of relief. He gave up one hit, a two-out infield single in the ninth, while striking out three.
At the plate, five Deacons turned in multi-hit performances. Dustin Hood led the way, going 3-for-5 with a run and an RBI. Steven Brooks, Allan Dykstra, Andy Goff and Evan Ocheltree each tallied a pair of base hits on the day. Ocheltree drove in three runs, two of which came on a fifth-inning home run, his fifth of the season. Brooks and Mike Murray had two RBIs apiece, while Ocheltree and Dykstra scored twice each.
Willy Fox had his 10-game hitting streak come to an end, going 0-for-3 before being pinch hit for in the seventh inning. Courtney Morgan recorded his first collegiate hit in the second inning.
