NC State Baseball Suffers Blowout Loss to Wake Forest

The Wolfpack were throttled by the Demon Deacons in a 22-1 defeat on Friday.

Apr. 18, 2026 at 11:00am

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A cubist-style painting featuring sharp, overlapping geometric shapes and planes in the colors of the NC State Wolfpack and Wake Forest Demon Deacons uniforms, conceptually representing the high-intensity action of a college baseball game.A cubist interpretation of the lopsided baseball matchup between NC State and Wake Forest, capturing the raw energy and intensity of the game through a fragmented, geometric lens.Wake Forest Today

NC State baseball suffered a brutal 22-1 loss to Wake Forest on Friday, stalling the positive momentum the team had built up over the last two weeks. Wolfpack starter Heath Andrews struggled from the start, allowing 8 runs in just 1.2 innings of work as Wake Forest jumped out to a big lead and never looked back. The Wolfpack offense was held in check for most of the game, with only outfielder Ty Head recording multiple hits.

Why it matters

This lopsided defeat is a major setback for NC State, which had been playing well recently. The Wolfpack will need to quickly regroup and find a way to bounce back in the final two games of the series against their ACC rival. The team's pitching staff was also taxed heavily, with 7 different pitchers seeing action, which could impact their availability going forward.

The details

After NC State took an early 1-0 lead, Wake Forest exploded for 10 runs in the 6th inning to secure the run-rule victory. Wolfpack starter Heath Andrews struggled, allowing 8 runs in just 1.2 innings of work. The NC State offense was held in check, with only Ty Head recording multiple hits. The Wolfpack used 7 different pitchers in the loss, although most threw less than 20 pitches, helping to limit the damage to the staff.

  • The game took place on Friday, April 18, 2026.

The players

Heath Andrews

The NC State right-handed pitcher who started the game and struggled, allowing 8 runs in 1.2 innings.

Elliott Avent

The veteran head coach of the NC State baseball team.

Ty Head

The NC State outfielder who had 2 hits in the loss.

Chris Levonas

The Wake Forest ace pitcher who faced the Wolfpack.

Blake Schaaf

The Wake Forest player who hit a grand slam in the 2nd inning to blow the game open.

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What they’re saying

“Pretty decent time for your first 🚀”

— Wake Forest Baseball

“Personally, we love the celly 🕺”

— Wake Forest Baseball

What’s next

NC State will look to bounce back in the final two games of the series against Wake Forest, with junior lefty Cooper Consiglio scheduled to start on Saturday. The Wolfpack will need a strong outing from Consiglio to get their season back on track.

The takeaway

This lopsided defeat is a major setback for an NC State team that had been playing well recently. The Wolfpack will need to quickly regroup and find a way to bounce back in the final two games of the series against their ACC rival Wake Forest. Keeping the pitching staff fresh will also be a key challenge after using 7 different arms in the blowout loss.