Gold Rush - January 2017

WFU FOOTBALL TEAM HEADED TO MILITARY BOWL

SO CLOSE...

Wake Forest soccer’s valiant run in the College Cup comes up just short of a national championship

JANUARY 2017

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VOL. 26 // ISSUE 4 (USPS 014-373) EDITOR

Jim Buice PHOTOGRAPHERS

Donnie Roberts, Brian Westerholt WRITERS

Sam Walker, Stephanie Hudson, Rachael Bari, Lauren Close Design & Layout

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Gold Rush is published eight times a year in August/ September, October, November/ December, January, February/ March, April, May/June and July

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CONTENTS

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// J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 7

FROM THE AD 100% COTTEN INSIDE THE DEACON CLUB

24 27 38

JIM TATUM AWARD WINNER: Wake Forest senior safety Ryan Janvion was named the recipient of the 2016 Jim Tatum Award, which is given annually in his memory to the top senior student-athlete (in athletic eligibility) among the league’s football players.

Tatum coached in the 1950s at both Maryland and North Carolina and believed strongly in the concept of the student-athlete. Janvion posted a 3.53 grade point average while earning a degree in business and enterprise management. He plans to pursue an MBA. On the field, Janvion is a fouryear starter who helped this year’s Demon Deacon squad earn bowl eligibility for the first time since 2011.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? CALENDAR COMPLIANCE CORNER

// 6 SOCCER TEAM MAKES NCAA FINALS The Wake Forest soccer team won the ACC Championship and made it a terrific run to the College Cup and the NCAA championship game before losing to Stanford in penalty kicks.

IMG College 540 N. Trade St. Winston-Salem, NC 27101 All material produced in this publication is the property of Wake Forest University and IMG and shall not be reproduced in whole or in part without permission.

// 10 BOWL-BOUND The Wake Forest football team finished with six victories to earn its first bowl bid since 2011. The Deacons, who doubled their win total from last year, will play Temple in the Military Bowl in Annapolis, Md., on Dec. 27.

POSTMASTER: Please send all address changes to the attention of Stephanie Hudson, Wake Forest Athletics, 519 Deacon Blvd. Winston-Salem, NC 27105.

The appearance of advertising in this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the advertiser and/or the advertiser’s product or service

by Wake Forest or IMG. The use of the name of the University or any of its identifying marks in advertisements must be approved by WFU and IMG.

// 14 BORN TO PLAY BASKETBALL Austin Arians, a transfer graduate student, has always been about family, and that’s one of the reasons he chose to play his final year of college basketball for the Deacons.

ON THE COVER Jacori Hayes and a senior-laden team take the Deacon soccer team on dramatic run to the NCAA championship game.

JANUARY 2017

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FROM THE A.D.

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Football, men’s soccer end on high note Dear Demon Deacons,

RON WELLMAN DIRECTOR O F AT H L E T I C S

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The holiday season is a time of the year for celebration, reflection and fellowship. I hope that you are enjoying this special time of the year with your family and friends and that you have much to celebrate.

Wake Forest Athletics has much to celebrate and anticipate as 2016 ends. You continue to support our teams, coaches and athletes in a manner that allows us to pursue excellence in everything we do, both on and off the competitive fields and courts. We could not be more thankful for your support.

This year ends on a high note, especially for our football and men’s soccer teams. Dave Clawson publicly stated this past summer that he would be disappointed if our team did not earn a bowl bid. We did… so mission accomplished. We are thrilled for the opportunity to face the Temple Owls in the 2016 Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman on Dec. 27. Yet, this year should just provide a glimpse of our very promising future as Dave and his staff are building a sustainable program that will continue to improve.

Our men’s soccer team, under the leadership of head coach Bobby Muuss, had another outstanding year with the second consecutive ACC regular season championship as well as the ACC Tournament Championship and an incredible run in the NCAA Tournament culminating in a championship-game performance that made us all very proud.

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Bobby was awarded the ACC Coach of the Year for the second consecutive year. He’s two for two in that category as he has only been our head coach for two years. That is quite an achievement to be named the Coach of the Year two consecutive years in the best college soccer conference in the nation…and he’s done it his first two years.

Congratulations, Bobby!

Congratulations are in order for Jacori Hayes as well. A senior midfielder on the soccer team, he was named as the 2016 Men’s Soccer Senior CLASS Award winner. The prestigious award, chosen by a vote of Division I men’s soccer coaches, national soccer media and fans, is given annually to the most outstanding senior student-athlete in Division I men’s soccer. To be eligible for the award, a studentathlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements

in four areas of excellence: classroom, community, character and competition.

Also, congratulations to Ryan Janvion, who is a senior football player, for being honored as the 2016 Jim Tatum Award recipient, which recognizes the top senior student-athlete (in athletic eligibility) among the ACC’s football players. Ryan was also one of 12 finalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy awarded by the National Football Foundation & College Football Hall of Fame. The Campbell Trophy recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholarathlete in the nation.

As a finalist, he received an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship.

As we welcome 2017, Demon Deacons have every reason to anticipate an exciting year. Our teams hold much promise and a number of them will chase ACC championships and national honors. Our athletes continue to excel not only athletically but also academically while giving back to our community in so many different ways. Our coaches could not be better representatives of this fine University.

We in the Athletic Department recognize what a privilege it is to represent Wake Forest, its alumni and fans. You have given us the opportunity to excel and we take that responsibility seriously. We intend to make you proud in 2017!

Go Deacs!

Ron Wellman

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JANUARY 2017

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CHAMPIONSHIP

QUEST

LED BY JACORI HAYES AND SENIOR-LADEN TEAM, DEACS MAKE AMAZING RUN TO NCAA TITLE GAME 6

GOLD RUSH MAGAZINE

By Andrew Wilson

P

rogram goals are set with high hopes, none higher than Wake Forest’s lofty intentions.

When every team is 0-0 at the start of a season, each program is tied for first in the nation. The good win a few. The greats win a lot. And the elite win seemingly every time, no matter the year. It’s not a sprint from start to finish, but a marathon.

Wake Forest men’s soccer made a terrific run back to the College Cup and the national championship game in 2016. And though it had one hand on the trophy, leading 4-3 in penalty kicks against defending national champion Stanford following a scoreless 110 minutes of regulation and overtime, the marathon was not completed on Dec. 11 in Houston as the Deacons ultimately lost 5-4 in penalty kicks.

But what is clear is the program has taken steps going from one of the great teams to one of the elites, evident of back-to-back runs into the national quarterfinals while going the distance this year against a team that was in the exact same shoes it was a season ago playing for the national title.

Nine seniors combined to lead the 2016 edition of Wake Forest soccer, each one playing an important role.

“We knew our collective group of seniors had to step up and lead this group,” head coach Bobby Muuss said when looking back at the start of the season. “We returned a lot of guys but lost a lot of important pieces.

Even with Alec Ferrell being in and out of the lineup at points during the beginning and end of the season, now what these seniors have done to lead this group has been nothing short of incredible.”

Coming off a run to the Elite Eight in 2015, the deepest run in an NCAA Tournament since reaching the College Cup in 2009, the Demon Deacons lost MLS SuperDraft No. 1 overall pick Jack Harrison, fan-favorite Michael Gamble, overqualified backup goalkeeper Andrew Harris and a big role player off the bench in Philip Parker.

Goals came early and often in 2015, 47 of them in 22 games to be exact. But goals weren’t coming at the onset of the 2016 season.

The Demon Deacons opened the campaign with two scoreless exhibitions against Furman and UNCW, then dropped the regular-season opener at Spry Stadium to visiting Saint Louis. Though it could defend with the best in the nation, Wake Forest knew it needed offensive firepower

somewhere to achieve its goals.

“At the beginning of the year we were looking at a lot of different places trying to see who was going to score goals,” Muuss said.

“There was a point in the season saying, ‘Man, where are wins going to come from? Where are goals going to come from?’ To sit here today and think about what we’ve

accomplished, it’s remarkable.”

Leaning heavily on his senior-laden team, Muuss needed a goal scorer. Harrison proved to be the go-to guy when Wake Forest needed a goal in 2015, but who was it going to be in 2016?

One of three senior captains, Jacori Hayes stepped up to become not just one of the best players in the ACC, but one of the premier student-athletes across the nation. A walking banner for what it means to be a student-athlete at Wake Forest University and winner of the 2016 Senior CLASS Award – an honor only bestowed upon the very best in college athletics both on and off the field – Hayes recognized the challenge ahead of the group and saw his opportunity to take his game to a new level after exploding onto the scene in 2015 with five goals after scoring just two his first two seasons.

“Last year, I did not expect to be a goal scorer,” Hayes said. “This year? We lost a lot of the goal scoring we had last year and the creative assisting. So I was just like, ‘You know what, I’m going to have to pick up some of that slack.’ ” Wake Forest knew Hayes was a standout talent, one who could take over a program and lead it to new heights.

“Every preseason, the first day of preseason we talk about our goals for the year,” Hayes said. “ACC regular season, ACC Tournament and National Championship. A lot of times, it can go in one ear and out the other because it’s easy to sit there and think, ‘Nah, that’s so hard, it’ll never happen.’ But I felt as a team we needed to say that every season at Wake Forest. These are our goals, and we know we have what it takes here to chase them every year.”

Throughout the season, Hayes stepped up with game-winner after game-winner to the point even the coaching staff joked the Bowie, Md., native only scored game-winners. Over the course of his final two seasons with the Demon Deacons, Hayes scored 13 goals with 10 of them going down as game-winners.

“I think Jacori scored in almost every spring game we played,” Muuss said. “That’s where I think we started saying ‘OK, he can be that guy.’ ” In two seasons under longtime Wake Forest head coach Jay Vidovich, Hayes played a deeper role on the field that held him back a little bit from expressing his creative freedom. But when Muuss arrived, he and the coaching staff decided to move him up the field a little bit more. In his first two seasons, Hayes scored two goals. In his final two? 13.

“Whenever you play deeper on the field, you can express yourself but only to a certain extent,” Muuss said. “We asked him to show us a different gear this year moving up the field. He’s a lot quicker, a lot more athletic, and he’s one of the most agile players I’ve ever been around.

“But it’s the freedom he’s had to express himself higher up the field. You can see it with he and Ian Harkes going farther up the field because of the confidence we have in guys like Brad Dunwell and our back line. Jacori’s freedom to play higher up the field gives him confidence in that attacking role knowing guys like Brad, Kevin Politz and Sam Raben in the middle defensively allow more of an attack.”

After 17 regular-season games facing different levels of adversity with each passing outing, Wake Forest achieved its first goal of winning the ACC regular season title for the second season in a row after claiming the trophy in 2015.

But it was the ACC Tournament where Hayes proved even more value to the program. Across Wake Forest’s three games in eight days, Hayes JANUARY 2017

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notched the game-winning goal in the 75th minute of the ACC Quarterfinals against seventh-seeded Notre Dame.

One week later in the ACC Championship game against a cold, driving rain in Charleston, S.C., Hayes again struck with the game-winning tally in the 35th minute that sealed Wake Forest’s first ACC Tournament trophy in more than two decades, a 3-1 victory over fourth-seeded and eventual national quarterfinalist Clemson.

“You have to pinch yourself when you talk about the first trophy in 27 years,” Muuss said. “And this program even went to fourstraight Final Fours from 2006 to 2009 and won a national championship in 2007 without winning an ACC Tournament title. To see the teams we’ve had here, you can never compare one team to another, but the talent has been here individually and collectively, the teams and culture that’s been here and amount of pros that have come from Wake Forest, to think it hadn’t been done in 27 years is almost unthinkable.”

For Hayes, the ACC Tournament championship meant another step in the right direction for the program.

“Last year we won the ACC regular season and we knew how hard it was going to be to go into the tournament as the No. 1 seed and be able to win three games against some of the best competition in the country night in and night out in a short period of time,” Hayes said. “To have not just the talent but the ability to beat Notre Dame in the quarterfinals after tying them during the regular season, to beat Louisville in overtime after they score in the 90th minute to tie it and to come out and do what we did against Clemson after getting shutout by those guys in the regular season, it speaks volumes to where this program has come over the last few years and what we can do moving forward.”

After winning the ACC Tournament title, Wake Forest earned the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and went on to claim victories over Coastal Carolina – a game Hayes scored the game-winner in – SIUE,

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Virginia Tech and Denver. In the national championship game, both Wake Forest and Stanford had its opportunities to claim the title in regulation and overtime. But that heartbreaking defeat in penalty kicks on Dec. 11 at BBVA Compass Stadium might have signified a changing of the guard for the Demon Deacons.

Hayes, Ferrell and Harkes were all voted NSCAA First Team All-Americans in the week leading up to the College Cup, marking the first time in program history three players earned First Team All-American status. None of them will be back next August when the Deacons return to the pitch at Spry Stadium taking aim again at their lofty goals. With Ferrell injured and unable to play in the national championship, freshman Andreu Cases Mundet stepped up and made five saves to earn his fifth shutout in eight games serving as the backup to Ferrell. But what doesn’t show up on the scoresheet is Cases Mundet’s diving saves in regulation when Stanford seemed like it had finally broken the tie not once, but twice. And in overtime when the Barcelona product figuratively stood on his head to keep the game scoreless in sending it to penalties.

The legacy Hayes and the rest of the outgoing seniors leave is one of hard work and winning. They have drawn new blueprints for success, and the men’s soccer program at Wake Forest has proved in the notso-distant past a national championship can be won.

In 2015, winning the ACC regular season title broke one barrier. In 2016, winning both the regular season and the ACC Tournament title shattered another. It’s not a sprint to the end goal, but a marathon. Muuss and Hayes know Wake Forest will be back to finish that marathon.

Whether it’s in 2017, 2018, 2019 or beyond, one thing is for certain…

“We’ll be back at work on Monday trying to get back,” Muuss said.

“Each and every one of these guys, our administration and Wake Forest University know that’s the commitment they have.”

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GOING BOWLING 10

GOLD RUSH MAGAZINE

DEACONS TAKE BIG STEP FORWARD IN HEAD COACH DAVE CLAWSON’S THIRD SEASON

By Sam Walker

D

ave Clawson came with a reputation of building successful programs quickly, and that’s what he was brought to Wake Forest to do – make the football program a relevant force in the ACC and ultimately into a championship contender.

The first step was to get the Deacons back to a bowl game, and they’re there.

Wake Forest (6-6) will play No. 23 Temple (10-3) on Dec. 27 at 3:30 p.m. in the Military Bowl in Annapolis, Md. The Deacons have a chance for their first winning season since 2008 with a bowl game victory. The bowl game, what it means to get there and the chance to win it, is an opportunity for a marked moment in Wake Forest football.

“It’s nice to know we’ve got six (wins), and we’re bowl eligible,” Clawson said. “It’s a great feeling. It’s not always pretty, not how you script it, but we have the six wins, and I’m proud of our guys. Six is a magic number.”

Junior quarterback John Wolford said that it’s exciting to be going to a bowl game, especially for the seniors.

“It’s cool to look around that locker room, see those seniors and guys that have been in the program for a while experience that feeling,” Wolford said. “We’ve worked very hard for that, and it’s great to see it pay off. Obviously that (six wins and bowl eligibility) was a big goal for us this year, but we couldn’t ever be satisfied.

“It’s just a process. You get stronger, you get faster, you get smarter, you get more

experienced, you learn how to win, and I think it’s a mixture of both physical and mental that builds upon itself.”

Linebacker Marquel Lee, one of those seniors, said that the Deacons were hungry to get that sixth win and make a bowl game.

“We pride ourselves in going to work every week and not backing down from anybody,” he said. “We focus on 1-0 every week. Guys are a lot more mentally into the game, watching film and getting extra from coaches. And it’s great to see that guys have really bought into the system. I feel like we’ve grown throughout the years.”

The 2016 team has equaled the wins of the previous two seasons under Clawson, and Wake Forest secured bowl eligibility with a 27-20 victory over Virginia on Nov. 5. But even loftier goals have been what Clawson has preached since he got to Winston-Salem.

“The greatest thing about this whole thing was that locker room,’’ Clawson said after the Virginia victory that clinched bowl eligibility. “You have some kids in there who have really busted their butts and put a lot into this program for three, four, five years.

“People say `Why do you coach?’ Ask my wife. I don’t sleep. `Why do you do this to yourself?’ The high of enjoying moments like that is why you keep going at it. There’s no feeling in the world like that to share that with your team. And so that’s what keeps you going.”

During his first year at Fordham, Clawson went 0-11 but went 7-4 in his third season, and his team was 10-3 in year four.

At Richmond, he went 3-8 during his first year, but won nine games in his second, six in his third and 11 in his fourth.

At Bowling Green, it was the fourth

GAME PREVIEW:

MILITARY BOWL PRESENTED

BY NORTHROP GRUMMAN The Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman, benefiting the USO, today announced on Dec. 4 that Temple University will play Wake Forest University in this year’s game. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m.

EST on Tuesday, Dec. 27 at NavyMarine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Md. The game will be televised on ESPN. No. 23 Temple (10-3) is coming off a 34-10 victory over then-No. 20 Navy in the American Athletic Conference championship game, earning its first conference title since 1967. This will be the third time in five years that the Military Bowl features a team that is nationally ranked.

Wake Forest (6-6) finished tied for fourth in the ACC Coastal Division, earning its first bowl bid since 2011.

The Demon Deacons got off to a strong start and stayed competitive down the stretch against a tough schedule that included three ranked opponents.

“What a terrific matchup,” Steve Beck, Military Bowl president and executive director, said. “I attended The American’s championship game and both Temple’s team and fan support were impressive. And I am

MILITARY BOWL MATCHUP WHO: Wake Forest (6-6) vs. No. 23 Temple (10-3) WHEN: Dec. 27, 3:30 p.m.

WHERE: Annapolis, Md. TICKETS: www.wakeforestsports.com or Call 336-758-DEAC (3322) TV: ESPN WHO TO WATCH: Wake Forest – Passing: John Wolford, 1,591 yards, 7 TD.; Rushing: Matt Colburn, 566 yards, 1 TD; John Wolford, 523 yards, 6 TDs; Tabari Hines, 35 receptions, 401 yards, 2 TDs; Cortez Lewis, 32 receptions, 415 yards, 1 TD. Temple – Passing: Phillip Walker, 2,899 yards, 20 TDs; Rushing: Ryquell Armstead, 918 yards, 14 TDs, Jahad Thomas 918 yards, 13 TDs; Receiving: Ventell Bryant, 43 receptions, 744 yards, 4 TDs; Keith Kirkwood, 36 receptions, 567 yards, 4 TDs JANUARY 2017

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quite familiar with Wake Forest and Coach Dave Clawson and look forward to welcoming them to the National Capital Region. I am sure we will have another great crowd on gameday.”

This will be the second appearance in the bowl for both teams. Wake Forest beat Navy, 29-19 in the bowl’s inaugural game in 2008, while Temple lost to UCLA, 30-21, in 2009.

The game was then known as the EagleBank Bowl and played at RFK Stadium in Washington.

Temple and Wake Forest have met just once; a 36-0 Temple victory in Philadelphia on Nov. 1, 1930. Under fourth-year coach Matt Rhule, the Owls have established themselves as one of top programs in the American Athletic Conference, winning two consecutive East Division titles and posting backto-back 10-win seasons for the first time ever. Temple features standout defensive lineman Haason Reddick, star running back Jahad Thomas and dynamic quarterback Phillip Walker.

Clawson, in his third season at Wake Forest after a strong run at Bowling Green that included a Military Bowl bid in 2012, has the Demon Deacons back in the college football postseason for the first time in five years. Wake Forest features All-ACC kicker Mike Weaver, All-ACC linebacker Marquel Lee and third-team All-ACC defensive end Duke Ejiofor.

Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets by visiting www.wakeforestsports.com or calling 336-758-DEAC (3322). For the latest updates please visit militarybowl. org, follow on Twitter @MilitaryBowl or like the Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman on Facebook.

year before the team made the big step of winning eight games, and the next year ended with a 10-3 record, including a MAC Championship. That set up the pattern of success to make him the guy to lead the next era of Wake Forest football.

In December 2013, Clawson took on the challenge of Wake Forest.

“We will have standards for our program in the classroom, outside the classroom and on the football field,” Clawson said when he was introduced as Wake Forest’s 32nd head coach. “I know if our players strive for those standards, our vision is to win championships here. When people say `what is your goal,’ I think if you set your goal any lower than being a champion, you’re setting the standard too low. So our goal is to be champions. We know it’s going to take a lot of work. But I believe wholeheartedly that can be done at Wake Forest. We will work relentlessly to that goal until it’s accomplished.”

Since arriving at Wake Forest, Clawson hasn’t stopped working to attain that objective, and much around the program

has changed. The 2015 recruiting class was considered to be the school’s best in school history, until 2016 proved to produce an even better-rated class. Major facility improvements are also having a huge impact.

But at the core of the evolution is the players who have bought into Clawson’s proven program building procedures.

Three years in, the time, tools and talent are creating a recipe for Wake Forest football success.

“It was a little bit of a leap of faith,’’ true freshman running back Cade Carney said of his decision to sign with Wake Forest, which had just completed back-to-back 3-9 seasons.

“But I had all the trust in the world that they (the coaches and program) were going to be there to catch me. These guys, they sold it in a way that I bought into it.

I believed in them, and just watching this team over the past five years — I’ve been a fan growing up — and watching the tide turn as much as it did when they got in here, I knew that something was coming.

A storm was brewing. I’m just excited to be where we’re at.”

Wake Forest Football Bowl Game History YEAR 1945 1948 1979 1992 1999 2002 2006 2007 2008 2011

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BOWL Gator Bowl Dixie Bowl Tangerine Bowl Independence Bowl Aloha Seattle Orange Meineke Car Care Bowl EagleBank Bowl Music City Bowl

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SCORE W 26-14 L 20-7 L 34-10 W 39-35 W 23-3 W 38-17 L 24-13 W 24-10 W 29-19 L 23-17

OPPONENT South Carolina Baylor LSU Oregon Arizona State Oregon Louisville Connecticut Navy Mississippi State

LOCATION Jacksonville, FL Birmingham, AL Orlando, FL Shreveport, LA Honolulu, HI Seattle, WA Miami, FL Charlotte, NC Washington DC Nashville, TN

HEAD COACH Peahead Walker Peahead Walker John Mackovic Bill Dooley Jim Caldwell Jim Grobe Jim Grobe Jim Grobe Jim Grobe Jim Grobe

Redshirt junior tight end Cam Serigne said that a big difference has been a change in the mindset for the players, “If we do our jobs as a unit, we’re going to be successful,” he said. “That’s been our mentality. We’ve never quit, never given up, trusted all the work we’ve done. We’ve put in so much work to get to this point the past three years, and you can never settle on that. I think we’ve done a good job to push to do more and more. It starts in the heart, and the coaches stress it starts in each player, and I think we’re finally getting that here.”

Clawson said at the beginning of this season he would be disappointed if the Deacons were not preparing for a bowl game at the end of the regular season, and except for losing a home game to an inspired Army team, the Deacons have done exactly what many thought was possible with their schedule.

“We’re past the moral victory stage of our program, which I think is a major step,” Clawson said of his team the week following a 44-12 loss at Louisville. The Deacons led the fifth-ranked Cardinals 12-3 at halftime and 12-10 entering the fourth quarter.

After Wake Forest’s 35-13 loss to Clemson, Clawson commented on the measuring stick that the ACC champion Tigers provided and the tough end of season schedule presented.

“This is an honest assessment of our football team,” Clawson said. “We have clearly made progress and we are clearly a better football team. There are a couple of teams in the ACC that are elite, nationally ranked teams, and we are not at that level right now. We played two of the top five teams in the country in seven calendar days, What’s interesting is there’s not one player in our locker room who has played a meaningful game in November before this year. The fact these games are more competitive and we battle back – we’re making progress, but we’re not at their level. We want to get there, but we’re not there yet.”

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FAMILY MATTERS BASKETBALL IS MORE THAN A SPORT FOR AUSTIN ARIANS. IT’S FAMILY

By Erin Meyer

A

ustin Arians can’t remember the last time he was without a basketball.

“I’ve played for as long as I can remember,” Arians said with a quiet chuckle. “I’ve had a basketball in my hands since I began walking.”

He’s sitting in his practice jersey outside of the Miller Center waiting excitedly for another Wake Forest men’s basketball afternoon practice to start. Just another day in the life.

Basketball has been everything for the 23-year-old: his escape, his fun and, well, his family.

His mother, Jen Arians, played basketball at Wyoming and Loyola Chicago while his father, Andy Arians, played at St. Norbert College and Wisconsin. His brother, Alex, will play at South Dakota State next season.

“Playing basketball was never expected, but I’ve been doing it for as long as I can remember,” Arians said. “I can’t imagine life without it.”

Arians attended Madison Edgewood High School in Madison, Wis. There, he averaged 17.2 points per game as a senior on his way to gathering Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Division 2 All-State and Associated Press Honorable Mention All-Divisions All-State honors.

Arians was recruited out of high school to play at Milwaukee. Being close to home was a major benefit for the forward, since

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his family could come watch him play.

However, it was then-head coach Rob Jeter and the team that determined Arians’ decision: Milwaukee felt like family.

“There was a family atmosphere that I really wanted in a school,” Arians said. “Family is important to me. It’s important to have people you can trust, especially in your coaches and teammates. I felt that at Milwaukee.”

Arians immediately made friends with his new teammates, but there was one player that glued the squad together. Demetrius Harris was a senior when Arians arrived as a freshman, leading to an estranged relationship due to the age gap. However, Harris had a way of making the team feel like family. He brought the Milwaukee team even closer when he was picked up as a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs.

“You get close to guys like that,” Arians said of Harris. “Seeing him at the NFL combine and getting workouts with teams was really cool. It was really inspiring to us that he reached his goal.”

While Arians may not have a NFL career ahead of him – an idea he quickly waived off – he’s working on one in basketball.

AUSTIN Arians POSITION: Forward HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6-6, 230 CLASS: Graduate Student MAJOR: Liberal Studies HOMETOWN: Stoughton, Wis. FAVORITE FOOD: Brats FAVORITE ATHLETE: Michael Jordan FAVORITE MOVIE: Hoosiers FAVORITE WAKE FOREST MOMENT: “Currently in progress”

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AU S T I N A R I A NS

Arians appeared in 64 games for the Panthers, starting in 36 of those, over two seasons. He totaled 577 points and a .435 field goal percentage while scoring double-digits in 28 games. He led the team with 17 points against Villanova in the NCAA Tournament in the 2013-14 season. He had a promising career ahead of him, until a preseason, season-ending ankle injury forced him to redshirt the 2014-15 season and put that career on hold.

“It’s always tough to be injured,” Arians said. “When things aren’t going great on the court, you want to be out there helping and when things go well, you want to be out there to enjoy that.”

ARIANS SPENT THE SEASON IMPROVING HIS PLAY AND THE TEAM’S PERFORMANCE WITHOUT STEPPING ON TO THE COURT FOR A SINGLE MINUTE. WHEN HE WAS FINALLY CLEARED TO PLAY, HE PICKED UP RIGHT WHERE HE LEFT OFF. HE STARTED ALL 33 GAMES FOR THE PANTHERS DURING THE 201516 SEASON WHERE HE AVERAGED 11.4 POINTS AND 3.8 REBOUNDS PER GAME. HIS TEAMMATES WERE WITH HIM EVERY STEP OF THE WAY. But overall, being injured may have been a blessing in disguise.

Arians became a part of the scout team and an extra set of eyes on the bench.

“It was nice to sit back at a coach’s perspective and just learn even more about the game and the team,” he said.

Arians spent the season improving his play and the team’s performance without stepping on to the court for a single minute.

When he was finally cleared to play, he picked up right where he left off. He started all 33 games for the Panthers during the 2015-16 season where he averaged 11.4 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.

His teammates were with him every step of the way.

“My family helped me through the injury but the most support came from my teammates,” Arians said. “They really pushed me and I continued to get better. I wanted to play with them. I wanted to be with them.”

However, he would not finish out his eligibility with the Panthers. After Jeter was fired, Arians asked for his release. Within a day, he heard from Wake Forest head coach Danny Manning and associate head coach Randolph Childress.

“When you see that someone has graduated from a university with a degree, you assume he will bring a certain amount of maturity to a young team,” said head coach Danny Manning about his initial interest in Arians. “He had success in college and

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understood what college is about. Sure, I looked at his field goal percentage and things he is capable of doing out on the court, but overall I think he has been a great fit for us.”

Arians came on one visit before he committed to Wake Forest.

“When I got here, I felt that same family atmosphere that I did at Milwaukee,” he said. “That was really important to me. Family atmosphere is obviously a huge draw to me.”

But Arians’ decision to transfer to Wake Forest wasn’t based on his thoughts alone.

“I came with my parents and siblings, and they all said to come here,” he said with a laugh. “They told me I had no choice, I had to come here.”

That safe, encouraging environment that mimics an actual family is exactly what Wake Forest basketball strives to be.

“We like to feel comfortable with our guys and spend time with them,” Manning said. “In the recruiting world, people say this and people say that and you don’t know what will happen until you get there and experience it. For us, as a staff and program, we do try to foster that type of environment all the time.

“Well, except when we’re on the practice court,” Manning continued, jokingly. “When they step on the court, we don’t want the nice, young men we recruited. We want assassins. Only on the court though.”

Arians has found his success so far in wearing No. 34 for the Demon Deacons. He has started in every game while holding a .500 field goal percentage and averaging 8.7 points per game.

Arians finds his home away from home within his coaches and teammates. The team can often be found doing just about everything together. Most of the time, that means eating.

“We all really like steak,” Arians joked.

Arians is excited for what the 2016-17 season holds for Wake Forest basketball. As for looking ahead, he has one pretty simple goal.

“I want to play basketball for as long as possible,” he said.

“Whoever takes me, it doesn’t matter. I just want to keep playing basketball and keep doing what I love.”

And his family, teammates, coaches and more, will be with him every step of the way.

Winston-Salem Downtown 125 S. Main Street

336.714.2800

Proud to be a Demon Deacon!

JANUARY 2017

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100% COTTEN

// S TA N C O T T E N

Double Barrel

S TA N COTTEN VOICE OF THE DEMON DEACONS

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The calendar has turned from November to December, and Wake Forest is still playing football. And that’s just fine with me. As I write this, it’s been just a few hours since the news that the Deacons would be headed north to Annapolis two days after Christmas to face the Temple Owls in the Military Bowl. The five years it’s been since the Deacs last went bowling in Nashville at the 2011 Music City Bowl have gone quickly – as have the three seasons it’s taken Dave Clawson to get Wake bowl eligible again after identical 3-9 records in his first two seasons as head coach.

So as Wake Forest prepares for just its second-ever meeting with Temple, I get to start figuring out how I can cover both the Military Bowl on Dec. 27 and then the Wake Forest – Florida State basketball game the next day on the 28th. And wouldn’t you know it – that’s the ONLY game on the Wake basketball schedule without a determined tip time yet. Just one of the hurdles

GOLD RUSH MAGAZINE

I’ll have to jump, or not, depending on the time. Hey, I just got a text – more on that a few lines down!

And so the double barrel overlap of football and basketball continues into December with planes, trains, automobiles and other modes of transportation all on standby as I try to make all of the games and not have to hand off to someone else to call a game. It’s something I feel strongly about, and if all of the pieces fall into place, even if I have to cram a few square pegs into round holes, if the Deacs are playing so am I. There’s hardly a stranger feeling for me than to have to miss a game because of tight scheduling and then have to sit and listen to someone else call a Wake Forest game on the radio. It just doesn’t feel right! This scenario has and always will be in basketball, because if there’s a conflict I will always choose football since its season began first.

The scheduling seems to get crazier every year – with basketball seemingly starting earlier and earlier creating more and more scheduling challenges. And the challenges have almost become a game of sorts for me each season. I wrote about it in this space about this time a year ago when in a little over a two- week span I was in North Carolina, Indiana, Pennsylvania, back to North Carolina, South Carolina, Hawaii, back to North Carolina and New Jersey without missing a game. It took cars, buses, private planes, chartered planes, commercial planes and taxis to get it done. But it got done, and that’s about the time I felt that if I could make that stretch happen I might not ever have to miss another game again. Of course, you can’t be in two places at once, and

sometimes games are too far apart in terms of distance and too close in terms of game times to make it happen.

We’ve already been able to jump some hurdles this season. Thanks to Wake alum Johnny Foster and Skytech (for the second year in a row), I was able to call Wake’s basketball opener with Radford on the Friday before the WakeLouisville football game and hop a ride with Johnny Saturday morning in time to make the football game and then back home on the football charter and call Wake-Bucknell in basketball the next day.

And then the next week, it was just a lot of time in the car burning up the interstate to call Thursday and Friday basketball against UTEP and Villanova in the Charleston (SC) Classic before sprinting home for football with Clemson on Saturday before hurrying back to Charleston for more basketball on Sunday against the College of Charleston.

Roughly 1,300 miles and 18 hours in the car got that one done, dragging Steve Kirkland of media relations with me. Those kinds of trips demand a good wing man.

And so this season, the annual game moves into December. And I just got some breaking news from my aforementioned wing man – a text revealing the Wake-FSU basketball game has been set for 5 p.m. on the 28th, making the hurdle a tad higher depending on flight times into Tallahassee from either Baltimore the day after the Military Bowl (is there a late connection somehow out of Baltimore down to the Florida capitol that night after the game? Doubt it…) or perhaps Charlotte the day after if I hitch a ride on the football charter right after the game and head for Florida from North Carolina the next day.

Confused? I am too really. But one way or another, I feel confident I can make it work and cover back- toback games in Maryland and Florida for Wake football and basketball in just slightly over 24 hours.

Staring down two barrels usually isn’t a good thing. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.

GO DEACS…

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INSIDE THE DEACON CLUB

Deacon Club Donation Deadline Moving to May 31

BA R RY FA I R C L O T H SENIOR A S S O C I AT E AT H L E T I C DIRECTOR, DEVELOPMENT

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Since the launch of the Wake Will June 30 to May 31 – beginning with May Campaign in 2013, our donors have 31, 2017. made a commitment to invest in In reviewing this matter with Wake Forest Athletics at a level never our Board of Directors and Athletic before seen.

Advisory Council, these fellow donors The results are clear: enhanced facilities immediately identified growth completed or underway for every program opportunities that will now arise as part and forward momentum across our of this transition. We have heard from department. With the extension of the donors intending to make contributions Wake Will Campaign through 2020,

by June 30 that they unfortunately our focus expands to missed deadlines due improving other areas to summer vacations SINCE THE LAUNCH of the student-athlete and activities taking experience such as precedence in their OF THE WAKE WILL academic resources, lives. The CAMPAIGN IN 2013, OUR personal nutrition and sports May 31 deadline will DONORS HAVE MADE help alleviate these medicine. To fulfill our potential in each area, concerns. Additionally, A COMMITMENT TO we have analyzed how due to the volume INVEST IN WAKE to best position our of gifts previously budgets to maximize the FOREST ATHLETICS received Universityresources we provide for wide in late June, we AT A LEVEL NEVER our student-athletes. would frequently hear As we strive to from donors that our BEFORE SEEN. continue providing acknowledgements a premier experience, we have and gift receipts were sent weeks later, increasingly made larger investments oftentimes after the gift was a distant in summer school programming each memory. Our intention is that this year. With students now arriving on change will allow us to steward and campus to start their college careers thank each donor for their contribution in June and July rather than July and in a more efficient and timely manner.

August, we are now providing the Like with all changes, we recognize resources for nutrition and strength that you may have questions as we training one month earlier than in past transition this renewal deadline, and years. This transition has identified we invite you to please contact the an area of improvement: to finalize Deacon Club so that we can address our annual budgets earlier. To uphold these questions. As always, we thank our responsibility to budget and invest you for your trust in us and for your the contributions our donors make continued investment in improving the to the Deacon Club, we realized our experience of our student-athletes in best option is to move our annual the pursuit of excellence. membership renewal deadline from Go Deacs!

GOLD RUSH MAGAZINE

INSIDE THE DEACON CLUB

RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YEAR-END TAX BENEFITS Now is the perfect time to make your gift count by renewing your Deacon Club membership. You will not only be supporting Wake Forest student-athletes, but you can take advantage of the potential tax benefits associated with your year-end charitable giving. Make a gift by Dec. 31, 2016 in order to be eligible for deductions on your 2016 taxes. Gifts can be made online at deaconclub.com/donate or by calling (336) 758-5626.

Keep up with the Deacon Club on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!

For the latest news and information from the Deacon Club and to connect with other members, be sure to find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram! @WFUDeaconClub Facebook.com/DeaconClub @WFUDeaconClub | @DeacOnTheRun | @BarryFaircloth

IS WAKE FOREST ATHLETICS IN YOUR WILL?

DEACON CLUB DONATION DEADLINE

Planned giving ties your legacy with the future of Wake Forest Athletics. To learn more about the many ways you can support Wake Forest Athletics through planned giving, please contact Paul Kennedy at (336) 758-3875 or kennedpj@wfu.edu.

In an effort to finalize our annual budgets earlier, the Deacon Club annual membership renewal deadline will be moved from June 30 to May 31 — beginning with May 31, 2017. If you have questions as we transition to this new renewal deadline, please contact us at (336) 758-5626 or deacclub@wfu.edu.

DEACON CLUB APPRECIATION DAY

4, MOVING TO FEBRUARY 2017

MAY 31

We invite you to join fellow Deacon Club members, Wake Forest coaches and staff in celebrating your generous support of Wake Forest Athletics on Saturday, Feb. 4, prior to the men’s basketball game vs. Georgia Tech at 3 p.m. More information will be provided via email. We hope to see you there!

JANUARY 2017

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DONOR PROFILE

// B I L L FA I R C L O T H

Always a Deacon: WFU football icon retiring; he has been a part of 451 consecutive Wake Forest football games

A

n icon is defined as a person regarded as a representative symbol of something. Bill Faircloth, Coach Fair, or “Big Daddy” as some of you may refer to him, has undoubtedly established himself as an icon of Wake Forest football.

Genuine, compassionate and extremely humble, Coach Fair found a home at Wake Forest dating back to his undergraduate years. While choosing to attend Wake was a last minute decision for Bill, it ended up being a decision that would shape his entire future; a decision that he would describe as one of the best he ever made.

Bill grew up in Clinton, N.C., where he and his twin brother, Wilbert, both played football. Bill and Wilbert’s original plan was to attend the University of North Carolina, where they were accepted as students and walk-on players for the football team. Much to their surprise, however, there was a completely different plan in the works. “You wouldn’t believe the way things worked out,” Bill said.

Bill was slated to play in an All-Star football game the summer before heading off to college. Dr. Walt Kitchin, the local surgeon in Clinton, whose father happened to be a former President of Wake Forest, told the coaches about the Faircloth brothers and suggested that they make the trip to the All-Star game to see Bill play.

After a well-played game, the Wake coaches became very interested and invited the brothers to visit campus. Bill and Wilbert made the trip to WinstonSalem at the beginning of August, just prior to school starting, where the coaches ultimately offered the duo a one-year scholarship. It was at this point that both brothers decided to attend Wake Forest, earning full scholarships as time went on.

Bill received three varsity letters as an offensive lineman and served as a

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team captain during his senior season, in addition to being an All-ACC Academic selection. He graduated from Wake Forest in 1964 with a degree in physical education. While many people struggle to determine exactly what they want to do after they graduate college, Bill had zero doubts. Despite being told by some to choose a different path, he knew he wanted to be a football coach and he set out to make that dream a reality.

As Bill embarked on his journey toward becoming a coach, there was never any question about where he wanted to end up. “I always wanted to come back and coach at Wake Forest and be a part of the university that did so much for me.” In the meantime, however, it was necessary to keep an open mind and seek out any

available opportunities, which led him to pursue his master’s degree in education at the University of Alabama.

During his time at Alabama, Bill was able to attend the football team’s practices and spend time with the coaching staff, which proved to be an invaluable learning experience. Upon completion of his master’s degree, he landed his first coaching job at Catawba College, having been recommended by former teammate Dr. Alan White (’62). Bill started by serving as an assistant coach for both football and track and field, in addition to teaching two health courses. He remained at Catawba for 10 years, serving as the head football coach for the last three years, prior to moving on and becoming an assistant football coach at Duke.

After his second season with the Blue Devils, former teammate and then head coach of Wake Forest, John Mackovic (’65, P ’97), extended an offer to Bill to join the Wake coaching staff. This was exactly the opportunity Bill had been waiting for. Without hesitation, he accepted the position and officially joined Wake Forest as an assistant coach during the 1978 season and has been here ever since.

Aside from being an assistant coach, Bill has held various roles during his

tenure at Wake, including running Piccolo and Palmer dorms, being in charge of video for the football team, serving as the Head of Academic Counseling for football and basketball, as well as his current position of Assistant Athletic Director for Football. “I’ve done a little bit of everything,” Coach Fair said.

Wake Forest and the football program mean everything to Bill. “Next to my family, Wake Forest football has been my life,” he said.

Having the ability to help young people is what he cites as his greatest achievement, and he loves that they help keep him young. “Seeing these young guys mature, graduate and come back with a good job and a good family…you have to look at it and be glad that you had a little bit to do with their success,” he said.

Coach Fair notes how much things have changed from the time he was a player here, taking special notice of the resources and state-of-the-art facilities our student-athletes have access to.

Seeing how much of an impact this type of support can have, Bill has been an active Deacon Club member for 38 years, helping to invest in our student-athletes and providing them with the tools they need to be successful. “The Deacon Club provides these kids with amazing opportunities. The student-athletes work

incredibly hard, but without the Deacon Club we wouldn’t be able to equip them with everything they need to succeed,” Bill said.

Currently in his 38th season with the Deacs, Coach Fair has experienced a plethora of highs and lows. With that said, he has created countless memories.

Some of the moments that stand out most to him are beating Auburn at home in 1979, winning the ACC Championship with a win over Georgia Tech in 2006 and hearing Arnold Palmer talk to the 2006 team at the Orange Bowl. Bill also says that he’ll always remember this year’s win over Virginia to become bowl eligible, knowing that he wanted the team to go to one more bowl before he retired. After this season’s bowl game, Coach Fair will indeed retire.

Bill was able to achieve his career goals of coming back to coach at Wake and helping to build the football program into what it is today, but he couldn’t have done it without the constant support of his loving family.

“I’m the luckiest man alive,” he said.

Bill has been married to his wife, Becky, for 51 years, and they have three sons, Scott (’89, MBA ’94), Barry (’93) and Woody (’90), all of whom graduated from Wake Forest. Coach Fair’s twin brother was always a big supporter of his, as

well, and was a major influence on him growing up. Wilbert was diagnosed with leukemia 25 years ago and underwent a bone marrow transplant with Bill being the bone marrow donor, evincing the true importance of family.

The Nov. 26 game against Boston College included two very special milestones for Coach Fair: it was the 451st consecutive Wake Forest football game he attended, and it was the second time that he was recognized as the Open the Gate Honoree. Aside from Arnold Palmer, Bill is the only person to receive this honor twice.

As he retires and moves on, Coach Fair knows that he’ll miss the team and helping the players learn and grow, but he looks forward to spending time with his family, especially his 10 grandchildren.

While he still plans to continue his streak of consecutive Wake Forest games attended, Bill looks forward to tailgating and enjoying the games from a different perspective. “I may not be on the sideline, but I’ll be there,” he said.

Coach Fair has had an incredible career with Wake Forest and he is loved by so many. Although he may not be around the team and his former players every day after he retires, he will always be there to support them. “If ever I can help you with anything, just get in touch with Big Daddy.”

deacon club photos Deacon Club members are encouraged to submit photos for publication in the Gold Rush. Send your photos in digital format to deacclub@wfu.edu. Submission of a photo does not guarantee that it will be published. Thanks for showing off your Demon Deacon pride!

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1 Deacon Club and Parents’ Athletic Council members Clara and Ray Osterhage (left and right), along with their son Wyatt (center), cheer on their son Patrick, a Wake Forest football redshirt sophomore, at the Wake Forest vs. Army West Point Homecoming football game.

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2 Women’s soccer alum and Deacon Club member Rebecca Macsovits (’96) (far right) enjoys being back on campus during Homecoming with her children Guion, Hoke and Rae (left to right).

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3 D eacon Club member Susan Milanak (left) and son Spencer (’20) (right) at Game 4 of the World Series in Chicago.

JANUARY 2017

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WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

//

WILL HESMER

I

n each issue, Where Are They Now showcases a former Wake Forest student-athlete. One of the top goalkeepers in Wake Forest history, Will Hesmer played for the Demon Deacons from 2000-03 and earned AllACC honors three times, including first-team recognition in 2002 and 2003. A native of Wilson, N.C., Hesmer ranks in the Top 10 in program history in almost every goalkeeper category and boasts the second-lowest career goals against average for a Wake Forest goalie at 0.82. He was selected 17th overall by the Kansas City Wizards in the 2004 MLS SuperDraft and later went on to star for the Columbus Crew, leading the team to the Supporters Shield and the MLS Cup championship in 2008. He also became only the second goalkeeper in MLS history to score a goal himself, doing so against Toronto FC in 2010.

William Russell Hesmer, Jr. When did you graduate from Wake Forest? 2003 What was your major and/or minor? History What does being a Demon Deacon mean to you?

There is a special, almost indefinable bond amongst Demon Deacons. Simply put, it means that I am part of a hardworking, smart and loving group of people for life.

Why are you still involved in Wake Forest Athletics?

I care passionately about the future of the University and more specifically the futures of our current student-athletes.

Why do you feel it is important to give back to the University?

Without others before me who gave their talents, time and treasure, I would not be the person I am today or have had the amazing life experiences to date. I want to continue to make those

Live Where You Vacation!

before me proud by extending their legacies, as well as ensuring that future students are equally, if not better, equipped to tackle all challenges ahead.

What is your current occupation?

Investment Advisor and Financial Planner What is your favorite memory of your time at Wake Forest?

Leading our soccer team to back-to-back canned food drive championships, which won our entire team front row tickets to the 2003 men’s basketball double-overtime victory over Duke.

What makes you most proud of Wake Forest?

The sterling reputation. Wake Forest has never wavered in its mission of educating and developing the whole person.

When you come back to Wake Forest, you always…

Stop in to say “hello” to the many coaches, academic counselors, administrators, athletic trainers and equipment staff that worked so tirelessly for my well-being while in school.

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GOLD RUSH MAGAZINE

I was there when…

The 2000 Presidential Debate was hosted in Wait Chapel.

Who is your favorite coach at Wake Forest, current or past?

Because I cannot choose between Jay Vidovich and Bobby Muuss — they have done more for me than perhaps anyone outside of my parents — I will say Jim Caldwell. Coach Caldwell opened my eyes to Wake Forest. I was actually a football recruit before I was a soccer recruit and, ironically, it was on the football visit where I knew Wake Forest was where I belonged.

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Track Camel City Invitational

Men's Basketball vs. Georgia Tech 3pm

Men's Tennis vs. Georgia State/ Auburn

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Deacon Club members at or above the Deacon Bench level may present their 2016-17 membership cards for free admission to Olympic Sport events (immediate family only).

Olympic Sport single game tickets and season passes are available at WakeForestSports.com or by calling (336) 758-3322.

SPORTS MARKETING (336) 758-5011 TICKET OFFICE (336) 758-3322 GROUP TICKETS (Football & Basketball) (336) 758-4030 DEACON CLUB (336) 758-5626 www.deaconclub.com deacclub@wfu.edu

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Women's Basketball vs. Georgia Tech 2pm

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Men's Basketball vs. Miami 8pm

Women's Tennis vs. College of Charleston 10am, Winthrop 2:30pm

14 Men's Tennis vs. North Florida 10am, East Tennessee State 6pm

11 Women's Tennis vs. William & Mary 10:30am, Liberty 3pm Men's Basketball vs. NC State 12pm

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18 Women's Tennis vs. Clemson 11am, App State 3:30pm Track UCS Invitational

RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YEAR-END TAX BENEFITS Now is the perfect time to make your gift count by renewing your Deacon Club membership. You will not only be supporting Wake Forest student-athletes, but you can take advantage of the potential tax benefits associated with your year-end charitable giving. Make a gift by December 31, 2016 in order to be eligible for deductions on your 2016 taxes. Gifts can be made online at DeaconClub.com/donate or by calling (336) 758-5626.

SAVE THE DATE FOR DEACON CLUB APPRECIATION DAY ON FEBRUARY 4 Mark your calendars for our annual Deacon Club Appreciation Day which will take place on Saturday, February 4.

Email invitations will be sent in the coming weeks. We hope to see you there!

12/2/16 1:17 PM

BASEBALL FIRST PITCH DINNER

Jim Abbott will be keynote speaker for First Pitch Dinner It won’t be long now before the Wake Forest baseball team is back on the field at David F. Couch Ballpark preparing for the first pitch of the 2017 season. With opening day just over a month away, the Demon Deacons have a lot to look forward to.

Barring any unexpected construction delays, the team is scheduled to move into its new player development center by midFebruary. The $10.5 million facility features a new locker room, team lounge, training room, equipment room, new home dugout and bullpen and a state-of-the-art pitching lab. The building also includes additional unfinished space for coaches’ offices, a team auditorium and a heritage area that will be completed in a future phase of the project.

On the field, the Deacons will open the season on the road Feb. 17-19 in Houston, Texas. Looking ahead, head coach Tom Walter is encouraged by what the future holds.

“With the group we have returning and the additions we have made in the off-season, this should be the best club we’ve had in more than a decade,” Walter said. “The guys have worked incredibly hard in the weight room and in their skills sessions to ready themselves for a historic season.”

To kick off what will surely be an exciting season, Wake Forest Baseball will host its third biennial First Pitch Dinner on Thursday, Feb. 9. Jim Abbott, the famed Major League Baseball pitcher who played despite having been born without a right hand, will be the keynote speaker at the event.

“Jim Abbott is the perfect person to kick off our season,” Walter said. “He is the epitome of every message we try to drive home with our players. Throughout his amazing career he has dealt with adversity, proven the doubters wrong and taken ownership of his career.”

As a boy, Abbott dreamed of being a great athlete, but he faced the unique challenge of being born without a right hand. Raised in Flint, Mich., Jim’s parents saw his condition not as a disability but as an extraordinary opportunity and always encouraged him to try things and helped him acquire confidence.

At an early age, Abbott had a passion for baseball. Like most kids, he learned the game by playing catch with his dad in the front yard, but unlike most kids, he had to learn to field and throw with one hand. He used to throw rubber balls against the side of his family’s house pretending to be his favorite pitchers and then catch the balls on

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the rebound. His father helped him develop the technique for handling his glove-hand switch, which allowed Jim to throw and catch the ball with the same hand. Over the years he continued this drill, moving closer and closer to the wall and making the glove transition faster and faster.

Jim joined a Little League team at the age of 11 and threw a no-hitter in the first game he pitched. Despite his early success, he continued to encounter doubters at every step, but time and time again, Jim proved them wrong. A two-sport standout in high school, Jim was the starting quarterback on the football team that went to the finals of the Michigan state championship. On the baseball diamond, he showed enough promise as a pitcher to be drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays shortly after graduation, but instead elected to attend the University of Michigan on a baseball scholarship.

Abbott himself admitted to having some initial doubts about his ability to play college baseball, but they were quickly dispelled. As a freshman, he was named Most Courageous Athlete for 1986 by the Philadelphia Sportswriters Association after posting a record of six wins against two losses.

During his years at Michigan, Abbott compiled a career record of 26 wins and eight losses. Michigan won two Big Ten Tournaments and two regular-season conference titles and reached the NCAA Tournament in each of his three seasons. As a member of Team USA in 1987, Abbott became the first American pitcher in 25 years to beat a Cuban team on Cuban soil. The team won a silver medal at the Pan-American Games and Abbott won the US Baseball Federation’s Golden Spikes Award as the best amateur player in the country. In 1987, he became the first baseball player to win the Sullivan Award as the nation’s outstanding amateur athlete. Abbott was the first baseball player named Big Ten Athlete of the Year in 1988, and in the 1988 Olympics, he was the winning pitcher in a 5-3 victory over Japan that brought the US its first gold medal in baseball.

Abbott decided to forgo his last year of college eligibility, and he was selected by the California Angels with the eighth pick in the first round of the amateur draft.

Once again, questions arose about whether

or not a player with one arm could perform at the MLB level, and once again, Abbott proved the doubters wrong.

Joining the Angels’ starting rotation as a rookie in 1989 without playing a single minor league game, Abbott posted a 12-12 record with an ERA of 3.92. The Angels finished the season in third place, and Abbott was voted the club’s Rookie of the Year. He was also named the Most Inspirational Player by the Anaheim chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America. His best season came in 1991 when he went 18-11 with a 2.89 ERA and finished third in Cy Young voting.

In December 1992, Abbott was traded to the New York Yankees. The next fall, in the heat of a pennant race, Abbott threw a nohitter for the Yankees against the Cleveland Indians in a 4-0 victory on September 4, 1993.

The Yankees traded Abbott to the Chicago White Sox early in 1995, and he returned to the Angels by mid-season. After a disappointing season in 1996, Abbott retired for a season, only to rebound and try again with the White Sox in 1998. But always, even during the difficult years, he remained an inspiration to countless children and their parents, many of them with disabilities like his, who would often wait for him outside the clubhouse doors, seeking consultation and advice. It has been said that Abbott had as much of an impact as any player who played the game, giving renewed hope to thousands with disabilities.

“My experiences, added up, make me feel like I’ve had a Hall of Fame career,” Abbott said when announcing his retirement from the game in 1999.

Abbott now lives in California with his wife, Dana, a former University of California-Irvine basketball player. They have two daughters, Ella and Maddy. Today, in addition to often being a Guest Pitching Instructor during Spring Training for the Los Angeles Angels, Jim Abbott is a motivational speaker.

For more information or to buy tickets to the 2017 Wake Forest Baseball First Pitch Dinner, please visit WakeForestSports.com/baseball.

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COACHES/MLS FRONT OFFICE

Laura (Philo) Diaz LPGA Played in 21 tournaments in the 2015 season Jean Chua Symetra Played in 16 events in 2016, best finish t-11th at Island Resort Championship Nannette Hill LPGA Played in 14 tournaments in 2016, qualified for U.S. Women’s Open Natalie Sheary Symetra Played in 22 tournaments in 2016, won W.B. Mason Championship in May Michelle Shin Symetra Played in 13 events in 2015 Cheyenne Woods LPGA Played in 20 events in 2016 Marissa Dodd Symetra Played in 18 events in 2016 with two top-30 finishes Olafia Kristinsdottir LET Plays on the Ladies European Access Tour Allison Emrey Symetra Played in 21 events in 2016, had first top-10 at Tullymore Classic in July

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After one of the most exciting fall seasons in recent memory, the Deacs have two teams involved in postseason play. As I write this, the men’s soccer program — fresh off its first ACC championship since 1989 — is enjoying a successful run in the NCAA tournament while the football team is preparing for its 11th bowl game in program history.

The NCAA has a number of rules specific to postseason play that are intended to enhance the experience of the student-athletes who participate in NCAA championship events and bowl games.

In addition to per diem, which may be provided to student-athletes when they are required to remain on campus during vacation periods in preparation for postseason events, the NCAA allows student-athletes to receive $30 per

day in incidental money once they depart for the competition site. Additionally, NCAA rules allow for student-athletes to receive up to six complimentary tickets to postseason events, versus the regular season during which the limit is four. Student-athletes are also allowed to receive NCAA championship and bowl gifts, both from the NCAA or bowl as well as from the institution. Finally, while the NCAA does not permit institutions to provide travel expenses to a student-athlete’s parents, an institution may secure lodging at a special reduced rate for parents wishing to attend a postseason event in the student-athlete’s sport.

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