MORGANTOWN, W.Va. Here they come. After an embarrassing opening-round loss to third-seeded Kentucky in the NCAA Morgantown Regional — a game they literally gave away — second-seeded Wake Forest came roaring back Saturday with a vengeance. The Demon Deacons crushed Binghamton 10-3 and sent the Bearcats packing. Read More: Demon Deacons rolling in Morgantown.
Now the real challenge begins.
Wake Forest has to win four straight elimination games to advance to the Super Regionals. Four. Lose once and you’re headed home. Win four and you’re still playing baseball next week.
That’s the mountain standing in front of them.
And more than likely, that path runs directly through West Virginia. Twice. In front of a sold-out crowd at Kendrick Family Ballpark. In a town that has turned into a baseball-crazed madhouse.
Good luck with that.
Wake’s Resilience
Then again, this Wake Forest team has been staring down impossible odds all season. They are the Rocky Balboa of college baseball in 2026. Knock them down. They get up. Punch them in the mouth. They punch back. Count them out. They show up the next day and win.
The Demon Deacons finished the regular season 38-19 and got scorching hot when their season was hanging by a thread. They won 10 of their final 11 regular-season games and transformed themselves from a bubble team into a legitimate postseason threat.
Related: Fan frenzy builds in Morgantown as regional heats up for day two
This isn’t a team that coasted into the NCAA Tournament. They fought their way in. In late April they were swept by Georgia Tech and looked finished. Dead in the water. Most teams would have folded. Wake Forest responded by ripping off seven straight wins.
That’s who they are.
Pitching Matters
When the Deacs get quality starts and throw strikes, they look like a team capable of playing in Omaha. When they don’t, things can unravel quickly. We saw it against Pittsburgh in the ACC Tournament. We saw it again against Kentucky — leading 3-0, in control, then suddenly watching the Wildcats celebrate while they headed to the losers bracket. But here’s what Director of Baseball Operations Ryan Hendricks and the Wake Forest staff know: this team isn’t shocked by adversity. They’ve been living in it. They’ve been playing elimination baseball for a month.
They survived a brutal ACC schedule and getting swept by Georgia Tech. They survived life on the NCAA bubble — and responded by winning 10 of 11 when every game felt like a playoff game.
That’s why nobody in that dugout is panicking. Frustrated? Absolutely. Angry? You bet. Panicked? Not a chance. Because their entire season has been built on resilience. On surviving, responding, and refusing to quit.
Now they face the biggest challenge yet — a red-hot West Virginia team, a hostile crowd, and no margin for error.
But if there’s one thing the Demon Deacons have proven all spring, it’s this: count them out at your own risk.
A pissed-off, poked bear with a chip on its shoulder awaits the winner of Sunday’s WVU-Kentucky game.
The Deacs are still standing. And they’re not done fighting.
Fasten your seat belts.
