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Wake Forest receives No. 1 National Seed in NCAA Baseball Tournament

The Demon Deacons are the first ACC team to be selected as the No. 1 overall seed since 2013.

INDIANAPOLIS — The Wake Forest baseball team was selected to the 2023 NCAA Baseball Tournament as the No. 1 national seed, as announced on ESPN2 on Monday afternoon.

"To be the No. 1 national seed is a tremendous accomplishment for our program." head coach Tom Walter said. "To do that, you have to demonstrate both consistency and toughness.  We have battled through four season-ending injuries on the mound, four temporary injuries to key position players and rebounded quickly from tough losses. Our Deacon Nation has shown up for this team in droves during the second half of this season. Friday night will be an electric atmosphere.  We look forward to seeing everyone at The Couch!"

This is the Demon Deacons' 15th all-time NCAA Tournament appearance and the only time in program history Wake Forest has been selected as the No. 1 overall seed.

Wake Forest has made two College World Series appearances, highlighted by winning the program's first national championship in 1955. Overall, the Demon Deacons hold a 45-31 record at the national tournament. 

Additionally, the Deacs are the first ACC team to be selected as the No. 1 overall seed since 2013 (North Carolina) and are the eighth ACC team to be the No. 1 overall seed in the national tournament since 1999. 

On Sunday night, Wake Forest and Winston-Salem were picked by the NCAA Division I Baseball Selection Committee as one of 16 regional hosts for the 2023 NCAA Baseball Tournament for the first time since 2017. 

In addition to the top-seeded Demon Deacons (47-10), the Winston-Salem Regional will include No. 2  seed Maryland (41-19), No. 3 seed Northeastern (44-14) and No. 4 seed George Mason (34-25).

Wake Forest will open NCAA Tournament play against the Patriots on Friday, June 2 at 7 p.m. on ESPN+ in the second game of the regional. The Terrapins and Huskies will open the regional at 1 p.m. 

The Winston-Salem Regional is paired with the Tuscaloosa Regional. The winners of those two regionals will play in a Super Regional the following weekend (Friday, June 9-Monday, June 12). In addition to No. 16 national seed Alabama, the regional features Boston College, Troy and Nichols State.

Winston-Salem Regional

1.    Wake Forest- 47-10 (ACC)

2.    Maryland- 41-19 (Big Ten)

3.    Northeastern - 44-14 (CAA)

4.    George Mason - 34-25 (A10)

Winston-Salem Regional Schedule

•    Game 1: No. 2 Maryland vs. No. 3 Northeastern | Fri. June 2 | 1 p.m.| ESPN+

•    Game 2: No. 1 Wake Forest vs. No. 4 George Mason  | Fri. June 2 | 7 p.m. | ESPN+

•    Game 3: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser | Sat. June 3 | TBD  | TBD

•    Game 4: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner | Sat. June 3 | TBD | TBD

•    Game 5: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 loser | Sun. June 4 | TBD | TBD

•    Game 6: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner | Sun. June 4 | TBD | TBD

•    Game 7*: Game 6 winner vs. Game 6 loser | Mon. June 5 | TBD | TBD 

 *-Game 7 will only be necessary if the winner of Game 5 also wins Game 6.

2023 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament Schedule

•    Regionals: Friday-Monday, June 2-5

•    Super Regionals: Friday, June 9- Monday, June 12

•    CWS opening celebration day: Thursday, June 15

•    First day of MCWS games — Friday, June 16

•    MCWS Finals — Start Saturday, June 24 (best out of 3)

Demon Deacons in the NCAA Tournament

This is the Demon Deacons' 15th all-time NCAA Tournament appearance and the only time in program history Wake Forest has been selected as the No. 1 overall seed. 

Wake Forest has made two College World Series Appearances, highlighted by winning the program's first national championship in 1955. Overall, the Demon Deacons hold a 45-31 record at the national tournament. 

In 2017, Wake Forest hosted West Virginia, Maryland and UMBC at David F. Couch Ballpark. After going a perfect 3-0, the Deacs advanced to the Gainesville Super Regional, where Wake Forest fell in three games to the eventual national champion Gators. 

This year's opening tournament game against George Mason marks the first time the Deacs and Patriots have faced off in the NCAA Tournament. 

Additionally, Wake Forest has never faced off against the Huskies in postseason play. 

Last season, the Demon Deacons were selected to the College Park Regional and faced off against Maryland in its final game of the 2022 season. 

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