wake forest arrives in Charlottesville, Va., as No. 24 for a three-game top-25 set against No. 9 Virginia at Disharoon Park, marking Virginia’s first top-25 home series since 2024. Virginia enters the weekend at 18-4 overall and 4-2 in ACC play, while Wake Forest comes in at 16-5 and 3-3 in the ACC.
What happens when Wake Forest meets Virginia in a top-25 weekend set?
The series pairs two ranked teams with defined pitching plans across the three games. The listed matchups for the weekend are:
- Game 1: Wake Forest RHP Blake Morningstar (2-2, 7. 13 ERA, 24. 0 IP, 12 BB, 30 SO) vs Virginia LHP Kyle Johnson (Season Debut)
- Game 2: Wake Forest RHP Chris Levonas (2-0, 1. 75 ERA, 25. 2 IP, 8 BB, 51 SO) vs Virginia LHP Max Stammel (2-0, 4. 37 ERA, 22. 2 IP, 9 BB, 18 SO)
- Game 3: Wake Forest RHP Troy Dressler (3-0, 4. 00 ERA, 18. 0 IP, 6 BB, 29 SO) vs Virginia RHP John Paone (1-1, 4. 79 ERA, 20. 2 IP, 5 BB, 22 SO)
Beyond the rankings, the weekend’s structure is built around those starter assignments, including a season debut for Johnson in the opener and a Game 2 featuring Levonas’ 1. 75 ERA opposite Stammel’s 2-0 start.
What if the opener’s early momentum becomes the tone-setter?
In Game 1, Virginia jumped out quickly, building a 5-0 lead after the first inning. The scoring sequence included a solo home run by Becker to make it 1-0, followed by a walk to Gracia and a single by Harris that put two runners on. An RBI double from Tiroly pushed the lead to 2-0, and a 2-RBI double from Didawick extended the advantage to 4-0. An RBI single from Perrotta added another run before the inning ended, making it 5-0 heading to the second.
Virginia’s pitching sequence in the opener also shifted early. Henry Zatkowski replaced Johnson to start the second inning. Zatkowski surrendered a leadoff home run that cut the deficit to 5-1, then recorded three consecutive outs, sending the game to the bottom of the second with Virginia still up four.
As the game progressed, Virginia maintained control. A two-out triple by Murray did not lead to additional scoring, keeping it 5-2 heading to the fourth. Wake Forest later put runners on with no outs after a walk and a single, and an error helped score Wake Forest’s second run. Zatkowski recovered to secure the remaining outs, and Virginia led 5-2 heading to the bottom of the fourth.
Virginia then widened the gap in the fifth. Jackson was hit by a pitch, Weatherspoon reached on an error, and Becker was hit to load the bases with no outs. Gracia delivered an RBI single to make it 6-2, Tiroly added an RBI groundout for 7-2, and a passed ball brought home another run for an 8-2 margin. The update sequence had Virginia leading 8-2 heading to the bottom of the fifth, with a scoreless 1-2-3 inning for Wake Forest noted in the flow of play.
What happens next as the three-game series continues?
With wake forest and Virginia set for a full weekend at Disharoon Park, the remaining games feature the listed matchups of Levonas against Stammel and Dressler against Paone. The series positioning is clear: Virginia is hosting a ranked opponent for the first time at home since 2024, and both teams’ ACC records are on the line across the three games.
The weekend’s path forward hinges on how the teams carry over the pitching plans and in-game execution from the opener into Games 2 and 3, with Wake Forest scheduled to turn to Levonas and Dressler and Virginia lining up Stammel and Paone behind the opener’s start.
