April 12, 2017
By Michael Scholl
NOTRE DAME, Indiana — Notre Dame baseball head coach Mik Aoki has announced the addition of a pair of games to the 2017 schedule. The Irish will play host to Northwestern on Tuesday, May 2, and Western Michigan on Tuesday, May 16.
Both games will take place at Frank Eck Stadium. First pitch against the Wildcats is set for 7:05 p.m., while the contest with the Broncos will begin at 6:05 p.m.
The Irish were originally scheduled for 55 games. With the loss of the exhibition game with the South Bend Cubs leaving the team at 54, the addition of Northwestern and Western Michigan brings the team back to the maximum 56 contests.
Northwestern and Western Michigan are among Notre Dame’s most common opponents, with the Irish and Wildcats having met 131 times, while the Irish have taken on the Broncos 136 times.
Notre Dame and Northwestern last met in the 2015 Alamo Irish Classic, and 7-3 Irish victory. The Irish visited Northwestern in 2012, winning a 9-4 ballgame, while they only other meeting since the year 2000 came in 2009 at what is now Guaranteed Rate Field, home of the Chicago White Sox. Northwestern won that contest, 5-1.
Western Michigan and Notre Dame also last met in 2015, an 8-3 Irish victory at Frank Eck Stadium. The 2016 season marked just the second time since 1996 the two teams did not meet (2010). All but one game in the series since the year 2000 have been played at The Eck.
Although the Western Michigan contest is now scheduled to be the final home game of 2017, senior day festivities will still take place during the three-game series with Austin Peay at The Eck May 12-14.
— ND —
Michael Scholl joined Fighting Irish Media in August 2016, coordinating communications for the baseball program and assisting with the football team at his alma mater. The South Bend native earned a degree in political science from the College of Arts & Letters in 2009 before going on to work in athletics communications at Providence College, Vanderbilt and Cincinnati.