The Wake Forest Demon Deacons have lots of key returners in their lineup for the 2026 college baseball season.
In 2025, the Demon Deacons went 39-22 overall and were 16-14 in Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) play.
Wake Forest made the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight season and were the two-seed in the Knoxville regional.
The Tennessee Volunteers knocked them out of the NCAA Tournament in the regional final. The Demon Deacons won three games in the Knoxville regional against Miami (Ohio), Cincinnati, and Tennessee.
Kade Lewis is the marquee returner for Wake Forest next season. He was the Demon Deacons’ leading hitter in 2025 with a .376 batting average. He also had a .482 on-base percentage, 18 doubles, 11 home runs, and 59 RBI.
Lewis was also named second-team All-ACC.
Dalton Wentz is also a big-time hitter returning to Wake Forest in 2026. In 2025, he had a .316 batting average, a .393 on-base percentage, 14 doubles, 13 home runs, and 50 RBI.
Two catchers, Matt Conte and Jimmy Keenan, are making their return to Wake Forest. The two players combined for 51 hits, 12 home runs, and 40 RBI.
Luke Costello and Austin Hawke are returning for another season at Wake Forest. Both players were in double figures in home runs with 10 apiece. Hawke had a .303 batting average while Costello had a .290 batting average.
The two players combined for 64 RBI.
Javar Williams is another talented returner coming back for Wake Forest. In 2025, he had a .271 batting average with four home runs and 32 RBI. Williams had the second-most stolen bases (16) for the Demon Deacons last season as well.
In 2025, Wake Forest led the ACC in home runs with 116 as a team. With tons of returners coming back from that team, the Demon Deacons look to be a massive power-hitting team once again.
Wake Forest was also a top five team in the ACC a season ago based on team batting average.
Wake Forest Beginning 2026 College Baseball Season in Puerto Rico
The Wake Forest Demon Deacons will begin next season playing in the 2026 Puerto Rico Challenge.
They will play against the Houston Cougars, Washington Huskies, and Indiana State Sycamores from February 13-15, respectively.
The game against Houston will begin at 10:30 a.m. EST on February 13. The game against Washington will begin at 8 p.m. EST on February 14. Then, the game against Indiana State will begin at 3:30 p.m. EST on February 15.
NCAA News: https://worldbaseball.com/league/ncaa/
PHOTO: Wake Forest’s Dalton Wentz (1) makes a throw during an NCAA baseball game on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025, in Winston-Salem, N.C. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)
