Wake Forest Sweeps Stanford in ACC Opener

Demon Deacons extend winning streak to 15 games with dominant series victory

Published on Mar. 8, 2026

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The Wake Forest Demon Deacons continued their hot start to the 2026 season, sweeping a three-game series against the Stanford Cardinal in their ACC opener. The Deacs won the first game 7-4, then took both ends of a Saturday doubleheader 12-9 and 14-10 to complete the sweep. Standout performances came from pitcher Chris Levonas, who earned the win in game two, and slugger Luke Costello, who hit two home runs in the finale.

Why it matters

Wake Forest's dominant start to the season, including this sweep of a tough Stanford team, positions them as an early contender in the competitive ACC. The Demon Deacons are looking to build on last year's success and make a deep postseason run, and this series victory is an important early step.

The details

In the series opener, Wake Forest starter Blake Morningstar pitched the Deacs to a 7-4 win. In the first game of Saturday's doubleheader, Chris Levonas earned the win after 5 innings of 3-run ball, and the Deacs offense erupted for 9 runs in the 3rd and 4th innings to win 12-9. In the series finale, Wake jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the 1st inning and held on for a 14-10 victory, highlighted by two home runs from Luke Costello.

  • The series was played from March 6-8, 2026.
  • Wake Forest will next travel to Coastal Carolina on March 10, 2026.
  • The Demon Deacons will then host Florida State for a weekend series starting on March 13, 2026.

The players

Blake Morningstar

Wake Forest starting pitcher who earned the win in the series opener.

Chris Levonas

Wake Forest starting pitcher who earned the win in the first game of the Saturday doubleheader.

Luke Costello

Wake Forest slugger who hit two home runs in the series finale to help the Demon Deacons complete the sweep.

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What they’re saying

“We must have been doing something right to sweep a tough Stanford team like that. The guys really came together this weekend and played some great baseball.”

— Chris Levonas, Wake Forest Pitcher (Wake Forest Athletics)

What’s next

Wake Forest will look to continue their strong start when they travel to Coastal Carolina on March 10, 2026, before hosting Florida State for a weekend series starting on March 13, 2026.

The takeaway

Wake Forest's dominant sweep of Stanford in their ACC opener is an early statement that the Demon Deacons are a force to be reckoned with in the conference this season. Their combination of strong pitching and timely hitting has them off to a 15-1 start, and they appear primed to make a deep postseason run.