Baseball Game Preview: Heritage Huskies vs. Wake Forest Cougars

For the second straight game, Heritage will face off against Wake Forest. The Huskies will look to defend their home field on Friday against the Cougars at 7:00 p.m. Heritage is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.8 runs per game this season.

Heritage barely beat Wake Forest the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Huskies blew past the Cougars 13-4 on Tuesday. The game was the first time the Huskies have beaten the Cougars on their field since May 10, 2022.

Holden Kafes looked comfortable as he tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He is becoming a predictor of Heritage's success: when he allows at most one hit the team is 5-1 (and 4-7 when he doesn't).

Jack Merrell

Runs Batted In (Career)

04/08/25 @ Wake Forest	7
03/26/25 @ Pinecrest	3
04/02/25 vs Orange	2
03/01/25 vs South Central	2
04/27/24 @ Cary	2

On the hitting side, Jack Merrell was a standout: he fired off two home runs and seven RBI while going 3-for-4. Those seven RBI gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Tyler Abbe, who scored four runs and stole two bases while going 3-for-4.

Heritage always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .558. They are a perfect 4-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.

Wake Forest's defeat was their fourth straight at home, which dropped their record down to 11-5. Even worse, they were so close so many times: the losses came by an average of only 3.5 runs. As for Heritage, they now have a winning record of 9-8.

The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Heritage has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.8 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Wake Forest struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 3.8 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.