Sports > February 27, 2003

By Jason Mazda

Assistant Sports Editor

Kyle Sleeth continued to prove that he might be the best college starting pitcher in the nation with a dominating performance in the Deacs’ 15-6 victory over James Madison Feb. 21. Sleeth, a junior, threw eight shutout innings, allowing just six hits and striking out nine and walking none. The Dukes scored all six of their runs off junior reliever Greg Russell in the ninth. Sleeth picked up the win, raising his record this season to 2-0, and adding to his ACC record with wins in his last 22 decisions and counting. He has not allowed a run in the 14 innings he has pitched this season.

“It’s always nice to feel that you have someone who’s arguably a guaranteed win, or at least gets us to the seventh or eighth inning,” Head Coach George Greer said. “I think the kids play with a lot of confidence when he’s pitching.”

The performance earned Sleeth his second consecutive ACC Pitcher of the Week honor, as well as the National College Baseball Writers Association’s National Pitcher of the Week award. Despite the constant plethora of scouts who come to Hooks Stadium to watch each of Sleeth’s starts and the near-perfect start he is off to, Sleeth is cool under pressure.

“Sometimes when I am standing on the mound, I take a step back and look at how many people are standing behind the plate with radar guns, and I just can’t believe they are there to see me pitch,” Sleeth said. “I never think about (the records) when I pitch.”

On the offensive side, the Deacs were also strong against James Madison. Senior Ryan Johnson led the Deacs with two home runs and five RBIs. Junior Steve LeFaivre and freshman Chris Getz each had two RBIs. Senior leadoff man Adam Bourassa scored four runs in the game.

“I think that one of the reasons I have not allowed a run is because our offense has been so strong and put up so many runs when I pitched in the first two games, it enabled me to relax and get into a rhythm,” Sleeth said.

The Deacs continued their mastery of the Dukes Feb. 23. After the game Feb. 22 was rained out, senior lefthander Seth Hill shut down James Madison and Wake Forest won 13-2 to sweep the series.

Hill went seven innings and allowed just two runs, one earned, on five hits. Hill struck out five. Junior Adam Hanson and sophomore Daniel Davidson each threw a shutout inning to end the game.

The Deacon offense got 12 of its 13 runs in the third and sixth innings.

The third inning was highlighted by an RBI single by Johnson and a two-run double by junior Jamie D’Antona, giving the Deacs a 3-1 lead.

In the sixth, JMU cut it to 3-2 in the top of the inning, but the Deacs came out in the bottom half and put the game away. Getz had a two-run homerun and an RBI single in the inning, and Bourassa and D’Antona each added three-run homers, putting the Deacs up by a score of 12-2.

In the following inning, D’Antona tallied his sixth RBI of the game on a sacrifice fly. It would prove to be the last run of the game, as the final score was 13-2 in favor of the Deacs.

“Our hitting is complementing the pitching very well,” D’Antona said. “I think everyone is happy with their contributions thus far.”

Greer said he has been particularly impressed with Getz, who had five RBIs in the two game series with the Dukes, and fellow freshman Steve Malinowski.

“We’re very pleased with the play of the freshmen,” Greer said. “They’ve stepped right in to fill in for the two injured players, Ryder Mathias and Nick Blue.”

Mathias, a sophomore catcher, is expected to return within 10 to 15 days, according to Greer, after offseason surgery. Greer added that Blue, however, may miss the rest of the season.

Still, the Deacs have shown early on that they have enough quality players to fill the holes caused by injuries.

“It has been a big confidence-builder for our team because we know that whoever is on the field can perform,” Johnson said.

With the two-game sweep of James Madison, the Deacs upped their record to 4-1, while the Dukes fell to 0-4. Hill (1-1) picked up the win, while Chris Cochran (0-1) took the loss for the Dukes.

The Feb. 22 rainout, coupled with a Feb. 26 rainout against High Point, were the fourth and fifth of the Deacs’ first 10 scheduled games to be canceled due to weather conditions. Greer said it has been a challenge to keep his team prepared for the games they have played.

“This has been one of the toughest years we’ve ever had preparing the team because of the weather and the fact that there’s not a large enough indoor facility (for many of the things the team needs to practice),” Greer said. “We have to run between the raindrops.”

The Deacs will face some tougher competition in the Dairy Queen Classic in Minneapolis, Minn., which will take place Feb. 28 - March 2 at the Metrodome, home of the Minnesota Twins. Wake Forest will first face off against host Minnesota, whose record is 2-2, on Feb. 28. On March 1, they will play No. 18 Nebraska. The Cornhuskers are 4-2 on the season. Finally, on March 2 they will play the 14th-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish, who will come to Minnesota with a record of 2-2.

“We have done a good job of playing in the adverse conditions and without some key players,” Johnson said. “However, it is a long season and we have set some lofty goals, so we won’t really be satisfied until they are accomplished.”