Wake Forest didn’t stay on the market long after Blake Schaaf signed a contract as an undrafted free agent with the New York Yankees. Once that middle-infield spot opened up, the only real question was how the Demon Deacons would fill it: a transfer or a flip from the prep ranks. They went the transfer route and landed Rice sophomore shortstop Cole Green.
Green arrives with a bat that took a clear step forward in his second college season. He hit .290 with an OPS just above .800, giving Rice a more productive version of the Charlotte native than the one it saw in his freshman year.
There’s some thump in there, too. Green finished with 21 extra-base hits, including seven home runs and 13 doubles, and posted a .161 ISO over the season. That kind of production gives Wake Forest another interesting option as it reshapes the roster.
He also brings defensive value. Green turned in a .938 fielding percentage in 2026, and while he logged 18 games in the outfield as a freshman in 2025, the expectation is that he’ll settle on the left side of the infield for Tom Walter’s team.
The area that still needs polish is his approach at the plate. Green drew 15 walks against 50 strikeouts last season, and his freshman line was 5 walks to 30 punchouts. That’s the part of his game Wake Forest will want to sharpen.
With the draft now finished, the 2027 roster is coming into focus. After adding Green, Wake Forest’s roster count sits at 35.
In Other News...
Wake Forest Sophomore Earns A Big Stage At Just The Right Time
Lorenzo Rodriguez found the right stage at the right moment, posting an 8-under 63 at the Wyndham Championship qualifier held at Bermuda Run Country Club. The Wake Forest sophomores round stood out in a field trying to chase a spot in the tournament, and it offered a sharp reminder that his game is already turning heads well beyond the college level.
For a program that likes to see its players competing with poise in pressure spots, Rodriguezs performance fits neatly into that picture. Qualifying rounds can be unforgiving, and producing a number like that in a Wyndham-related event gives him a valuable jolt of attention as he continues his climb through a summer that can shape momentum in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Wake Forest Fall Camp Is Already Testing Jake Dickerts Identity
Wake Forests fall camp opened with the kind of controlled pace that comes with helmet-only practices and no tackling, but there was still enough to reveal where Jake Dickert wants this team headed. The first day gave the coaching staff its first real look at how the pieces are fitting together, and both Dickert and quarterback Gio Lopez leaned into the idea that early camp is about sorting out the good from the bad while building toward a more physical standard.
Even without full contact, the defense made its presence felt by forcing four turnovers on day one, a useful early sign for a group trying to set the tone under a new identity. The bigger question now is how quickly that attitude carries over once the sessions get more demanding, because Dickerts first camp in Winston-Salem is already beginning to show that the Deacons will be judged not just by energy, but by whether the physical edge he talks about can hold up as August rolls on. [Read more 🡒]