Bennett Lee on being Wake Forest's workhorse: 'That's what I'm built for'
Tulane transfer Bennett Lee has been a huge part of the success for the Wake Forest baseball team this season.
The junior is hitting .309 with seven home runs and 34 RBIs in his first year with the Demon Deacons, and he has regularly come up clutch at the plate in big situations.
Lee is also a difference-maker behind the plate as he works with the Wake Forest pitching staff, which is one of the best in the country. He takes pride in being a player his teammates can count on.
“Just being a workhorse, that’s what I’m built for. That’s what I love to do,” Lee said. “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.”
Lee has helped Wake Forest get off to a 2-0 start in Omaha. He came up big Monday night against LSU, going 2-for-3 with an RBI and a walk. The catcher drove in what turned out to be the winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning, singling to left to score Danny Corona.
Bennett Lee also helped lead a pitching staff that held an explosive LSU offense to only two runs.
“A lot of credit goes to Moose and the analytics guys. They’re the ones who call the game,” Lee said. “And then [pitchers Camden Minacci and Josh Hartle] right here, I can’t speak enough about them, as humans and as pitchers. And makes my job really fun and really easy to work for these guys.”
Bennett Lee explains his two clutch plays in the eighth inning vs. LSU
Speaking of Lee, the junior made a pair of crucial plays on both offense and defense in the eighth inning of Monday’s 3-2 win against LSU.
With the game tied at 2 entering the inning, the Tigers quickly got a pair of players on base as the Demon Deacons started to feel the pressure. Tre’ Morgan soon found himself in scoring position at third base, and darted toward home after Cade Beloso hit the ball toward third baseman Brock Wilken.
Wilken acted quickly, slinging the ball toward Lee in attempt to throw Morgan out. It reached the catcher’s glove just in time as he tagged Morgan what seemed like mere milliseconds before he touched home.
“Brock did a great job staying with that ball,” Lee said postgame on ESPN. “It was like a cue ball spinner and he did a great job just to even make a play at home. I’ve done a ton of training on picks and it just took over.”
That was only the first out of the inning, however, and LSU still had runners on first and second. But Wake Forest recorded a double play right after, setting the stage for Bennett Lee to again come through with another clutch moment.
After Danny Corona doubled in the bottom of the eighth, Lee stepped up to the plate with a chance to drive in the go-ahead run. Before hitting, however, he called timeout to talk things over with associate head coach Bill Cilento.
Cilento’s message seemed to be exactly what Lee needed to hear, as he sent a ball to left field for an RBI single. That was all Wake Forest needed as the defense forced LSU to go three up, three down in the top of the ninth to end the game.
“I actually called the timeout just to slow down,” the catcher said. “Billy’s like a father figure to all of us and I wanted a little bit of comfort there. He just told me to grind and find a way and luckily we got it done.”