March 6, 2000

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The unseasonably-warm South Bend weather has prompted the Notre Dame baseball team to add a game to its 2000 schedule, as the Irish will play their home opener on Tuesday, March 7, versus Manchester College. The game will begin at 4:30 p.m. at Frank Eck Stadium, with free admission to the public due to the short notice.

The Manchester game serves as a quick makeup for Notre Dame’s Feb. 26th game that was rained out at the Service Academies Classic in Millington, Tenn. Notre Dame also is expected to get a look at several of its pitchers that have yet to pitch in a game setting this season, as just seven of the team’s 16 pitchers have pitched through the first six games (senior Scott Cavey and junior Aaron Heilman have combined to log 27 of the team’s 48 innings pitched).

It is undetermined whether the Manchester game will be broadcast by South Bend’s WJVA radio (also available via the internet, at und.com). The Notre Dame website (www.und.com) also tentatively will include real-time stats for the game.

Tuesday’s game will rank as the third-earliest home game in the history of Notre Dame baseball. The 1990 Irish team posted a 3-0 win over Goshen College on Feb. 5 (at old Jake Kline Field) while the ’98 Irish team defeated Central Michigan, 7-5, in a Feb. 25 home opener (at Eck Stadium).

The Manchester game will be the 2,990th officially-recorded game in the 108-year history of Notre Dame varsity baseball program, with the Irish then scheduled to play eight games during spring break at the Kennel Club Classic in Jacksonville, Fla.

The program’s 2,999th game currently is scheduled for March 22 at Eck Stadium (versus Detroit), with the 3,000-game milestone set for the first game of a March 25th doubleheader at Villanova.