Wake Forest Seeking Strong Finish Against Duke
It’s finally here. The end of college baseball’s regular season has finally arrived.
It was a long, thrilling three months of baseball — and now it all concludes with one final series.
The Wake Forest Demon Deacons have battled throughout those three months. After starting the season on a tear not seen in quite some time, the team struggled for a stretch before righting the ship. Now it’s in a position to cement its spot as a high seed — not necessarily a regional host — in the NCAA Tournament.
Tobacco Road Rivalry Closes Regular Season
What better way to end the baseball season than with a series against the Duke Blue Devils? Wake Forest and Duke obviously go back a long way. The two schools have played one another in baseball since 1897, with the Demon Deacons holding a 169-140-3 advantage in the series.
Based on what’s occurred so far in 2026, this battle between the two Tobacco Road neighbors won’t be the most enticing, at least as it pertains to the grand scheme of everything. Wake Forest is locked into the postseason, while Duke, due to a disappointing season filled with mostly despair, will not be making a run to Omaha barring an absolute miracle in the ACC Tournament. As such, this series — at least on paper — doesn’t have a lot to offer.
Anyone who claims that Wake Forest and Duke won’t be ready to compete, however, is misinformed. Rivalries elicit fantastic competition. Rivalries create tension where there otherwise wouldn’t be any. Rivalries, in every sense, are the best thing about college sports.
In the best world, that’s what we’ll see this weekend in Durham.
Chris Levonas, Troy Dressler, and Cameron Bagwell — the three probable starters for Wake Forest this weekend — are going to try their hardest to deliver Demon Deacons fans exactly what they want: a series victory over the Blue Devils. Peter Lemke, Aidan Weaver, and Andy Leon — the three men tasked with shutting down Wake Forest — will be trying to do the exact opposite.
Wake Forest is currently 14-13 in ACC play, which is good enough for sixth in the conference. Barring something strange, it’s unlikely that the Deacs make a drastic climb up the standings. Nevertheless, a series win — or even a sweep — would go a long way toward building momentum heading into the postseason.
How to Watch Wake Forest vs. Duke
Game one of the series will begin at 6 p.m. ET in Durham, North Carolina. The second game of the series will also start at 6 p.m. ET on Saturday. Those two contests will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra. The series finale will begin at 3 p.m. ET and will be televised on ACC Network.
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Seth Dowdle is a 2024 graduate of TCU, where he earned a degree in sports broadcasting with a minor in journalism. He currently hosts a TCU-focused show on the Bleav Network and has been active in sports media since 2019, beginning with high school sports coverage in the DFW area. Seth is also the owner and editor of SethStack, his personal hub for in-depth takes on everything from college football to hockey. His past experience includes working in the broadcast department for the Cleburne Railroaders and at 88.7 KTCU, TCU's radio station.
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