Flying Under the Radar: A Look at the Kade Lewis's Hot Start

Coming into the season, Wake Forest needed to reload on offense following the departures of Nick Kurtz, Seaver King, and Jake Reinisch from the lineup. One of the big transfers brought in was Ethan Conrad, who enjoyed a monster summer in the Cape Cod League over the summer. That summer performance saw Conrad skyrocket up draft boards and people learned about him on a national level. And while the junior center fielder has been great for the Deacs to start that year, what about another big-time transfer in Kade Lewis? It feels like aside from the Wake Forest faithful, Kade Lewis, is relatively unknown. And even with the contributions of stalwarts Marek Houston and Jack Winnay, Lewis has been one of the key components of "Rake Forest" coming back with a vengeance after an inconsistent 2024.

Before This Season

Kade Lewis began his collegiate career at Butler in the Big East. He won the Big East Freshman Of The Year Award after playing in 53 games for the Bulldogs. Lewis hit .377 in his first collegiate season with a .436 OBP and a .618 SLG. Boasting a gaudy 1.054 OPS, Lewis also added 10 home runs and 51 RBI to his fantastic season all while striking out just 35 times in 234 plate appearances. His transfer, much like his play so far this season, went under-the-radar at the national level as focus remained on the likes of Ethan Conrad, catcher Jimmy Keenan, and Princeton graduate Matt Scannell.

Perhaps a big reason why he arrived at Wake Forest to little fanfare is because he was recovering from a broken foot suffered over the summer. Lewis credited the leadership of Will Ray, Houston, and Winnay in helping him and the other newcomers get comfortable and learn the Wake Forest ways.

It's our leaders, like Will Ray, Marek, and Jack," Lewis said, "being accepting of everybody to start, and especially, us transfers. I was drawn to Ray most." On a side note, it should be mentioned that Will Ray will miss the rest of the season due to injury, but he's assured the Wake Forest faithful via X that he will return next year. That being said, don't be surprised if Will Ray stays close to the team despite his injury, as his leadership is essential to this Demon Deacon squad.

Lewis knew he made the right decision in choosing to come to Winston-Salem pretty early in the preseason.

"I came in off a broken foot in the summer. I was doing all the rehab. It was pretty early on with [Wake Forest] ensuring that the way back would be difficult, but keeping me with it even when I was kind of new. It was just the care and the attention they showed."

Present Day

Wake Forest fans knew a little bit about the reigning Big East Freshman Of The Year, but even they couldn't have imagined he'd be THIS good to start his Wake Forest career. In just 18 games, Lewis is hitting to the tune of a .476 average, with a ridiculous .557 OBP, as well as a .778 SLG, for an astounding 1.335 OPS. Lewis has gotten it done in multiple ways this season, with 7 doubles and 4 home runs, to go along with 26 RBI. His 30% line drive rate leads the country and is well over the D1 average

When asked about the sweep of Notre Dame this past weekend that included two run-rule victories, Lewis said, "We showed that we can hit. [We] showed some people that might have had some doubt about our transfers being able to compete in ACC play."

The sophomore has been one of Wake's best situational hitters this season as well, with 26 RBI in 79 plate appearances. So far this season Kade Lewis' Batting Average on Balls In Play (BABIP) is an impressive .542(!) BABIP. He has also seen his walk rate more than double from last season, where he walked at a 7.7% clip. This year over 18 games it's up to a 16.7% walk rate. Combine all that with a 30% line drive rate leads the country and those numbers suggest that not only is Lewis one of the most underrated hitters so far this season, he's also among the very elite players in the nation.

"With runners on base, I am kind of trying to be simple," Lewis said in Wake's post-game press conference following the Deacs' sweep of Notre Dame. "It's just easy-- put the ball in the air, keep it off the ground, keep out of the double play, and get a run in. When it's runner on first-- trying to drive it to a gap. Simplify it instead of trying to overdo it and just get the job done."

Wake Forest has found a GEM in Kade Lewis, and it's time for the rest of the country to buy stock in the former Butler Bulldog. He has been a revelation for the Deacs in the middle of the order hitting alongside Houston, Conrad, Winnay, and freshman standout Dalton Wentz. Lewis will have at least one more year of eligibility following this season as he's only a sophomore that will not turn 21 in time to be eligible for the 2025 MLB draft. So there will be plenty of more fun times in DeacTown with Kade Lewis in the lineup. And if he keeps hitting the way he has been, it will only be a matter of time before Kade Lewis gets the national recognition he deserves.