Baseball

Catcher Bennett Lee delivers for Wake Forest while 'trusting in God' at Men's College World Series

By Joshua Doering Jun 20, 2023
Wake Forest's Bennett Lee during a game on April 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)

No. 1 Wake Forest’s Bennett Lee delivered in the field and at the plate in the Demon Deacons’ 3-2 win over LSU at the Men’s College World Series on Monday night.

Lee and his teammates have now won both of their games in Omaha, each by a score of 3-2, and will be one of the last four teams still playing for a national championship.

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With Monday’s game tied 2-2 in the top of the eighth inning, LSU put runners on first and third with no outs. The next batter, Cade Beloso, hit a grounder down the third-base line. Brock Wilken fielded it and threw the ball to Lee, the catcher, who picked the ball out of the dirt and applied the tag in time. A double play one batter later ended the threat.

In the bottom half of the same inning, Lee stepped to the plate and drove in what proved to be the game-winning run.

Lee was pulled aside for an interview with ESPN after the victory, and he mentioned the importance of trusting God.

“It’s really fun,” he said. “We have a ton of fun the whole time and that’s what it’s really about. In these big moments you can kind of get lost in that. But trusting in God, trusting in each other, trusting in our family is what makes us get it done.”

Before his big hit, Lee paid a visit to third-base coach Bill Cilento in an attempt to calm his nerves. Asked in another on-field interview after the game about his conversation with Cilento, he again mentioned how he was encouraged to put his trust in God, who has always sustained him.

“It was just, ‘Slow down, enjoy, trust God, trust my training, trust everything and be present for one pitch,'” Lee said. “And that’s what happened.”

Lee is not shy about mentioning his faith on social media, either. His Twitter and Instagram bios both include “ADMG,” which is an acronym for a Latin phrase that means “For the greater glory of God.” Many of his posts also include references to his faith.

 

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Originally from Tampa, Florida, Lee spent two seasons at Tulane before transferring to Wake Forest last summer. He has started 41 of the team’s 64 games and is hitting .309 with seven home runs and 34 RBIs in 136 at-bats.

“Just being a workhorse, like, that’s what I’m built for,” Lee said in Monday’s postgame press conference. “That’s what I love to do. I love to be in it every single play and give my all for these guys every single day. So, that’s all I do. That’s what I enjoy. That’s why I’m here.”

The victory leaves the Demon Deacons one win away from clinching a spot in the championship series. They are the tournament’s No. 1 overall seed and have yet to lose a postseason game. Until this year, the program had not reached the MCWS since winning the national championship in 1955.

On Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET, Wake Forest will take the field against the winner of Tuesday’s elimination game between LSU and Tennessee. If the Demon Deacons were to win, they would advance to the championship series. If they were to lose, the two teams would play again on Thursday for a spot in the final.

As his team inches closer toward a national championship, Lee is trying to rely on God, stay in the moment and enjoy the experience.

“You might only come here one time, so we just really try to have a lot of fun,” he said in the press conference. “And then by having a lot of fun, you’re loose and it allows your abilities to take over. I love these guys, and it’s pretty special.”

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