The Wake Forest Demon Deacons have produced some professional talent as of late. In fact, they are the school with the most alumni in the MLB Pipeline’s recent top 100 list. Three former Wake Forest players are listed among the top 100: Chase Burns, Rhett Lowder, and Nick Kurtz. Here is an in depth look at who these players truly are.
Chase Burns, Rhett Lowder, and Nick Kurtz are repping @WakeBaseball. 😤 pic.twitter.com/qWk05tUWII
— MLB (@MLB) January 25, 2025
Chase Burns, RHP, Cincinnati Reds (Ranked 26th in the MLB Pipeline)
To say it was a phenomenal season on the mound for Chase Burns in 2024 would be an understatement. The second overall pick in the 2024 MLB draft spent the last season of his college career with Wake Forest and finished with a 10-1 record, a 2.70 ERA, and held opponents to a combined .175 batting average.
Burns is now the Wake Forest record holder for strikeouts in a season with 191 in 100 innings last year.
That record was not the only place in the record books Burns garnered, as he also won ACC Pitcher of the Year, was named first team All-ACC, and a first team All-American.
Currently, Burns is playing at the Rookie League level in the Reds’ organization. It is safe to say that an MLB debut is in his near future with an almost top 25 prospect ranking just six months after getting drafted.
Rhett Lowder, RHP, Cincinnati Reds (Ranked 35th in the MLB Pipeline)
The Cincinnati Reds seem to like their right-handers from Wake Forest. Rhett Lowder is another big-time arm that has made his way from Winston-Salem, N.C. to the big leagues.
He spent three seasons with the Demon Deacons with his last year in 2023 being his best. That season, he finished with a 1.87 ERA in 19 starts. This led to an undefeated 15-0 record.
His win total and win-loss percentage were both single-season records for Wake Forest.
Much like Burns, Lowder hunted strikeouts with 143 in 120 1/3 innings of work. That was also the Wake Forest single-season strikeout record until Burns broke it a season later.
Also like Burns, he brought home similar accolades like being named the 2023 ACC Pitcher of the Year, was first team All-ACC, and named a first team All-American by many news outlets.
The Reds selected Lowder seventh overall in the 2023 MLB draft. In 2024, he made six starts for Cincinnati recording two wins and finishing with a 1.17 ERA.
The Reds’ rotation for 2025 is pretty stocked. Nonetheless, Lowder has a definitive spot in Cincinnati’s farm system. He could start out as the ace for the Reds’ Triple-A affiliate, the Louisville Bats. Baseball fans who just barely missed watching these two Demon Deacon legends pitch in the same rotation in college by one season can now expect to see Burns and Lowder play together in Cincinnati sometime in the near future.
Nick Kurtz, 1B, Athletics (Ranked 38th in the MLB Pipeline)
It was a spectacular three-year career for Nick Kurtz at Wake Forest. He finished with a career batting average of .333 and a career on-base percentage of .510.
During his last season in 2024, he became well-disciplined at the plate finishing with 78 walks. This made him the Demon Deacons’ single-season record holder for walks. He is also the career record holder at the school for walks with 189.
Kurtz was first team All-ACC in 2023 and 2024. He was a second-team All-American in 2024. He was an all-around well-respected player for Wake Forest as head coach Tom Walter named him the team captain last season.
The first baseman was drafted fourth overall by the Athletics in the 2024 MLB draft. Thus, he joined his teammate Burns as two Wake Forest players taken in the top five.
Currently, he is playing at the Double-A level for the Midland RockHounds. He is one of the best prospects the Athletics have and will be a good development project for the organization as they go through their many changes.
WBN NCAA: https://worldbaseball.com/league/ncaa/
Photo Credit: Wake Forest starting pitcher Rhett Lowder throws against Stanford in the first inning of a baseball game at the NCAA College World Series in Omaha, Neb., on Saturday, June 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz)
