WINSTON-SALEM – The first two volumes have been written and now it’s time for the third and final one to begin.

So how will the legend of Brock Wilken end?

Wake Forest’s junior third baseman has spent a couple of seasons with the Deacons and this is likely to be his last. Wilken enters the season as one of the top 50 position players who’s draft-eligible this summer, he was MVP of the Cape Cod Baseball League two years ago, and he’s spent two seasons shoring up the few deficiencies in his game.

A central part of Wake’s turnaround with last season’s trip to the NCAA tournament, Wilken is focused on getting the Deacons back — and into a deeper run — instead of worrying about his draft prospects or his bonus number.

“It’s one of those feelings that you never forget,” Wilken said of Wake’s last loss in the NCAA tournament. “I think it’s motivated us since that day and coming into the fall … it’s just given us an extra edge.”

That’s part of Wilken’s approach, while another is that he’s already witnessed how focusing on draft projections can poison players’ minds.

Wilken’s first season, in 2021, saw him playing the part of a freshman starter on a team loaded with a talented group that hadn’t planned on being at Wake Forest that long. When COVID-19 delayed their pro plans, it extended their careers at Wake Forest.

The Deacons went 20-27 and missed the ACC tournament, their season derailed by a COVID stoppage, injuries to key arms and a pervasive culture that coach Tom Walter addressed after the season finale.

That culture was all the example Wilken needed to know what behavior to avoid heading into this season.

“You’d see a lot of those guys and they’d just always talk about the draft,” Wilken said. “And it’s like, you get lost in it. You get lost in where do I want to go, what do I want to sign for, what’s my number? Then you’re on the field and you’re like, ‘Dang, I’m 0-for-3 with two punch-outs, my stock’s gonna go down.’

“It’s a big snowball and the more you snowball, the worse you’re going to play on the field.”

Wilken doesn’t purge social media entirely, but he does set a limit on how much he’ll consume at a time.

“That’s a little easier for myself to block out,” Wilken said. “Social media is a huge part of it, so I just set a time limit of 10, 15 minutes on social media so I don’t see it later on.”

The Valrico, Fla., native isn’t the only high-profile Deacon who’s draft-eligible this season — in fact, starting pitchers Rhett Lowder and Teddy McGraw seem likely to be higher picks.

Wilken is the one, though, who’s been a starter through the rough times and then through last season’s rise back to prominence for this program.

“I came in and I wanted to win, and we’re in a position to win now,” Wilken said. “That’s all I care about is winning. I want nothing more than to go to Omaha with these guys and set the new standard for Wake Forest.”

That would certainly make a legend of Brock Wilken.