Wake Forest assistant baseball coach leaving for South Carolina

Bill Cilento, who has been helping build the Wake Forest baseball program into one of the most consistent in the country, is leaving for South Carolina.

Cilento has been the righthand man for Coach Tom Walter for the last 17 seasons. Walter hired Cilento when he arrived at Wake Forest.

According to reports, Cilento will join Kevin Schnall, who was just hired at South Carolina as the head coach.

The news was first reported by Kendall Rogers of D1Baseball and confirmed by Deacons Illustrated.

A source inside the Wake Forest program confirmed the news about 9 a.m. on Friday that Cilento is leaving.

"I just want to thank Bill, Jen (Cilento's wife) and the entire Cilento family for all the hard work, sacrifice and love they have poured into the Wake baseball program these last 17 years," Walter said Friday morning. "Billy is one of the best there is in our business and he will be deeply missed. I know he will go on to do great things, and we will see him in Omaha."

Cilento was promoted to associate head coach in January of 2019 by Walter, and by 2023 the Demon Deacons were playing in the College World Series.

He has helped 64 players get drafted or sign professional contracts. The first rounders include Chase Burns, Nick Kurtz, Seaver King, Rhett Lowder and Brock Wilken.

The College World Series team set program highs in home runs (130), walks (424), RBIs (541), and runs scored (591).

The Demon Deacons have made it into the NCAA Tournament the last five seasons, one of only five programs in the country to accomplish that feat.

Walter has said throughout the years that Cilento has been a big component to the success of the program.

"Cilento is the lifeblood of our program," Walter said when Cilento was promoted in 2019. "He is a relentless recruiter, a gifted teacher and the consummate professional. Most importantly, he is a wonderful father and an incredible example to our student-athletes of what a kind, empathetic, and loyal Deac looks like."

Walter worked with Cilento at New Orleans for two seasons. When Walter was hired at Wake Forest he brought Cilento with him.

"Having worked with Bill for two years at the University of New Orleans, several things stood out to me," Walter said a few years ago. "Bill has a passion for college baseball that is exemplary and is a tireless worker and relentless recruiter. He is also able to quickly and easily develop a mutual respect and unique rapport with his players."

As a player, Cilento was a four-year starter at Siena and was a member of two MAAC regular season championship teams. He was part of the 1999 Siena team, which competed in an NCAA regional at Wake Forest Baseball Park on campus.

A native of Brookeville, Md., Cilento graduated from Siena College in 2003 with a degree in accounting.

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This story was originally published June 12, 2026 at 9:34 AM.