WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (Interstat) — Two teams with identical 32-17 records collide Friday night when Western Carolina visits Wake Forest in a nonconference baseball matchup at Gene Hooks Field at Wake Forest Baseball Park. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. under cloudy skies with temperatures near 58 degrees.

The Catamounts and Demon Deacons enter the contest riding momentum from midweek victories. Western Carolina defeated UNC Asheville 4-1 on Tuesday, getting 3.0 innings of one-run relief from right-hander Davis Wright, who scattered two hits and struck out four. Wright will be a key figure out of the bullpen for the Catamounts. The junior has been inconsistent this month, allowing seven earned runs in one inning against Mercer on April 11 before bouncing back with three scoreless frames at VMI on April 18.

Wake Forest beat Louisville 7-5 on Saturday, powered by a dominant relief outing from Zach Johnston. The right-hander threw 3.0 shutout innings, allowing no hits and striking out five. Johnston has been nearly untouchable over his past six appearances, covering 5.2 innings without allowing an earned run while striking out 10. His command will be critical for a Demon Deacons bullpen that has been tested in recent series.

Both teams are coming off challenging conference weekends. Western Carolina dropped two of three at Wofford, losing 6-1 on May 1 before rallying for 3-2 and 7-5 wins on Saturday and Sunday. Wake Forest won two of three against Louisville, taking the series opener 9-8 in 10 innings on April 30 before splitting a doubleheader May 1-2.

The Catamounts have shown offensive firepower, scoring at least seven runs in seven of their past 10 games. Western Carolina averaged 9.6 runs per game during a four-game winning streak from April 21-26 that included a 14-10 win over East Tennessee State and an 18-5 rout at VMI.

Wake Forest counters with a deep pitching staff that held Louisville to five runs or fewer in all three games last weekend. The Demon Deacons are 9-1 in their past 10 home games.

Interstat’s game simulator projects an 8-6 Western Carolina victory, though the same service gives Wake Forest a 78.5% probability to win based on its ELO system.

This is the first of a three-game weekend series between the programs, with games scheduled Saturday and Sunday before both teams resume conference play next week.