The Wake Forest Demon Deacons came into the season as the No. 1 ranked team in all of college baseball. That likely won’t be the case after a shocking upset loss on Tuesday at the hands of unranked UNC Greensboro.
UNC Greensboro got out to a lead early in the game with a bases-loaded walk in the second inning.
Upset brewing in Greensboro? 👀
Back to back walks and UNCG takes 1-0 lead with bases juiced no outs pic.twitter.com/YGkPpyM6yT
— 11Point7 College Baseball (@11point7) February 20, 2024
Luckily, Wake Forest would get out of the inning with no further damage. But this would not be the end of their woes in this game.
With a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the seventh inning, UNC Greensboro would come up with a timely 2-RBI single with two outs to extend their lead to 4-1 over Wake Forest.
MAKE IT 4-1 UNC GREENSBORO
#1 Wake Forest on the ropes 👀👀👀 pic.twitter.com/ozzwb8UTeA
— 11Point7 College Baseball (@11point7) February 20, 2024
Wake Forest would do all the could to make it a game at the end. But it was ultimately not enough to stave off the upset. UNC Greensboro relief pitcher Luke Thomas was able to close the door on the Demon Deacons in the top of the ninth inning, securing a 4-3 victory.
DOWN GOES #1 🔥🔥
Luke Thomas slams the door and UNC Greensboro holds on to beat Wake Forest 👀 pic.twitter.com/KxRrgyjN0H
— 11Point7 College Baseball (@11point7) February 20, 2024
Fans took to social media to offer their reaction to the top team in the country falling in this matchup.
UNCG TAKES DOWN NO. 1❗️@UNCGBaseball delivered picking up an upset win by defeating No. 1 Wake Forest, 4-3. #NCAABaseball x 🎥 ESPN+
pic.twitter.com/hyvzFwXIEU— NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) February 20, 2024
UNCG upsets Wake Forest!
College Baseball: the people’s sport
— Noah Darling (@noahdarling_) February 20, 2024
UNCG has done it! It knocks off #1 Wake Forest for its first win over a top-ranked team in program history!
Mitchell Smith went 2-2 with 2 2Bs and 2 RBIs, while Jake Ogden went 2-3 with a 2-run 1B. Julien Peissel was excellent in his start, and allowed just 1 ER across 5 IP in… pic.twitter.com/tvkutdDihE
— Peter Flaherty III (@PeterGFlaherty) February 20, 2024
Down goes #1 Wake Forest!
In-state foe UNC Greensboro topples the Demon Deacons in a 4-3 upset! Last year Wake beat UNCG 20-2, now the Spartans flip the script!
Any given night in college baseball…pic.twitter.com/prmxuKEok6
— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) February 20, 2024
Huge upset in college baseball.
Unranked UNC Greensboro defeated No. 1 Wake Forest, 4-3. This is the Spartans’ first win against a top-ranked team in program history.
Last year, UNCG lost to the Demon Deacons, 20-2.
Any given night. #NCAABaseball pic.twitter.com/7ZJpRG4D7z
— John Sparaco™ (@JohnSparaco) February 21, 2024
For UNC Greensboro, it is a historic victory for their baseball program, as it is the first time that they have ever knocked off a No.1 ranked team before.
It has been a tough year early on for ranked teams. This loss for Wake Forest marks the fifth time this year already that a top-ten team has fallen, along with No. 2 Arkansas, No. 4 Florida, No. 6 Vanderbilt, and No. 9 Tennessee.
I guess https://t.co/Ku8iObS6BG
— 11Point7 College Baseball (@11point7) February 21, 2024
Wake Forest will likely bounce back and still have a great year. But this is further proof that truly any team can find themselves on upset alert quickly in college baseball.
