Wake Forest Offense Struggles Again in Midweek Game vs. Coastal Carolina

The Demon Deacons once again fall short against the Chanticleers.

Apr. 8, 2026 at 4:23am

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A cubist, fragmented painting depicting a college baseball game, with players and the field broken down into sharp, overlapping geometric shapes and planes in a dynamic, abstract composition.A fractured, geometric illustration captures the intensity and drama of a close college baseball matchup between two top programs.Wake Forest Today

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons dropped another narrow midweek matchup, this time against the No. 11 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers. While Wake Forest's pitching staff gave the Deacons a chance to win, the offense couldn't find the clutch hit they needed late in the ballgame.

Why it matters

The loss to the Chanticleers marks the third time in their last six games the Deacons have dropped a one-run contest. While Wake Forest is riding the wave of two straight series wins, the defeat still stings as they now face a gauntlet of a schedule in the coming weeks against tough ACC opponents.

The details

RBIs from Coastal Carolina's Blagen Pado and Jordan Taylor were all the Chanticleers needed to secure the season series against Wake Forest. The Deacons showed life in the sixth inning with an RBI single from Matt Conte, but the rest of the lineup struggled to deliver with runners on base as Wake Forest stranded eight baserunners.

  • The last time these two teams met, the Chanticleers defeated the Deacons handily, 10-4.
  • Tuesday night's matchup, which was played in Durham, presented Wake Forest with a prime opportunity to both boost their NCAA Tournament resume and exorcise their demons from earlier in the season.

The players

Tom Walter

The head coach of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons baseball team.

Blagen Pado

A player for the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers who drove in an RBI.

Jordan Taylor

A player for the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers who drove in an RBI.

Matt Conte

A player for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons who had an RBI single in the sixth inning.

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What’s next

The Deacons will now travel to face a lethal Miami Hurricanes program that has won 11 of its last 13 games. Only days after the series in Miami, Wake Forest will match up with the Chanticleers once again in the season series finale as well. Afterward, the Deacons will face the NC State Wolfpack and the No. 3 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

The takeaway

While Wake Forest is riding the wave of two straight series wins, the loss to Coastal Carolina still stings as they now face a gauntlet of a schedule in the coming weeks against tough ACC opponents. If the Deacons can find series wins against two of their next three weekend opponents, it could make some serious noise in the ACC standings and, by proxy, the national rankings.