Catcher Bennett Lee:
One of my personal favorite players from last season lands at number 11 on our top 20 2023 player rankings. Bennett Lee came over from Tulane along with Michael Massey in a move that changed the scope of this program last year and moving forward. It's difficult to find a top tier backstop in college baseball, especially one that can handle the complexities of Wake Forest's pitching staff and everything that goes into their preparation.
However, that's exactly what Lee provided the Demon Deacons with. While he got off to a slow start to the campaign, he steadily picked up the pace over the course of the season and became one of the focal points of the Wake Forest team on both sides of the ball. Coming into the season, the fan base knew how good of a defensive catcher Lee was. What we didn't expect, however, was for him to deliver possibly the clutchest hit in program history.
As I previously stated, Lee started the season off slow at the plate. Once the crucial match-up at Louisville came around, though, Lee kicked it into a different gear. His three hit performance in the first game against the Cardinals sparked confidence in our backstop that carried all the way until the final game of the season against LSU. He had three consecutive multi-hit games in a six day span against Coastal Carolina, Wofford, and High Point.
What really caught the attention of ACC foes and fans was his performance in the ACC Tournament. Through three games, Lee went 7-10 with a home run and two RBI. Against Maryland in the Winston-Salem Regional, he walked an astonishing FIVE times in the 21-6 victory. In the second game against Alabama in the Winston-Salem Super Regional, Lee hammered a three run home run, one of nine long balls the Deacs hit that game.
What cemented Lee as a Wake Forest Baseball legend, despite only playing here for one year, was his play in game one of the LSU series in the CWS. In game one, he drove in the go-ahead and eventual game-winning run in the eighth inning. He also made a spectacular scoop and tag on a runner attempting to come home and score the go-ahead run in the eighth. While the result against the Tigers in the final two games was heartbreaking, Lee without a doubt did his job and earned the respect of Demon Deacon fans around the country.
Lee was a 2023 All-ACC Academic Team Selection. At Tulane, Lee was an AAC First Team selection and Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-America selection, batting .440 with a .600 SLG%, and held a 19 game hitting streak during the 2021 season. In 2022, he hit five home runs with 92 RBI.
Lee was selected in the 6th round of the 2023 MLB First Year Player's Draft with the 170th overall pick by the Detroit Tigers. He recently finished up his first professional season with the Single-A Affiliate Lakeland Flying Tigers. He posted a .444 OBP in 90 plate appearances. The Flying Tigers were eliminated by the Clearwater Threshers on September 15th in the Divisional Series.
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