Wake baseball coach Walter rewarded with contract extension

Tom Walter, whose Wake Forest baseball team capped a record-setting season by taking eventual national champion Florida to the three-game limit in an NCAA Super Regional, has been rewarded with a contract extension. The new deal, which runs through the 2024 season, was announced Wednesday by athletic director Ron Wellman. Walter has led the Deacons to six consecutive winning seasons, including two straight NCAA regionals. This season’s team set school records with 19 ACC wins, eight conference series wins, nine All-ACC selections and 106 home runs. Wake’s 43-20 record was its best since 2002 and was good enough to host an NCAA regional. The Deacons then advanced to the Super Regionals, where it split the first two games with Florida before falling one victory short of qualifying for the College World Series. Seven players from the team were selected in the Major League draft, including two of the top 50 overall picks — outfielder Stuart Fairchild and first baseman Gavin Sheets. Walter is the only active head coach in the country to lead three different programs to the NCAA Division I Tournament, having also taken New Orleans and George Washington to the postseason.”I couldn’t be more pleased that Tom has accepted this contract extension,” Wellman said in a statement. “He has been a proven developer of young men on the field, in the classroom, and in life. Following an extremely successful season, we look forward to assisting Tom and the program in taking the next step forward towards their goal of a College World Series.”