March 31, 2016

By Russell Dorn

Midweek Game #3: Oregon
March 31, 2016
6:05 p.m. (All ET)
Frank Eck Stadium (Notre Dame, Ind.)

Team Information:
Notre Dame: 12-10, 4-5 ACC (37-23, 17-13 ACC In 2015)
2015 Postseason: 1-2 @ ACC Tourney & 1-2 @ NCAA Champaign Regional

Oregon: 11-9, 2-4 Pac-12 (38-25, 16-14 Pac-12 In 2015)
2015 Postseason: No Pac-12 Tournament Held / 1-2 @ NCAA Springfield Regional

Rankings: Oregon – #30 – NCBWA

Game Coverage (Links on UND.com/NDBaseball)
Live Video: ESPN3
Live Audio: WatchND or WHME 103.1 FM in South Bend (Chuck Freeby, pbp)
Live Stats: Gametracker
Twitter Reports: @NDBaseball

Projected Pitching Matchups: LHP Michael Hearne (2-0, 3.13 ERA) vs.
RHP Isaiah Carranza (1-0, 3.18 ERA)

Weather Report (as of Wednesday, March 30):
Thursday, March 31: 64/36 & Thunderstorms/Wind

Series History: First Meeting
Aoki vs. Oregon: 0-0

Marketing Corner: 100 free beanies available during random inning

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – In a rare midweek matchup, the University of Notre Dame baseball team welcomes the No. 30 Oregon Ducks to town at 6:05 p.m. (ET) Thursday night for an inter-conference showdown at Frank Eck Stadium.

The Ducks (11-9, 2-4 Pac-12) are on their way to Michigan State for a three-game weekend series and both squads were able to squeeze this matchup onto the schedule.

Notre Dame (12-10, 4-5 ACC) and Oregon have never met on the diamond.

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Here’s what you need to know about tonight’s game:

1. The matchup with the Ducks offers a fairly rare chance for the Irish to play a Pac-12 school, especially at Frank Eck Stadium … Notre Dame last played a Pac-12 school in 2014 when the Irish battled No. 19 UCLA – the defending national champion – in Cary, North Carolina … the Bruins topped ND, 2-1 … the Irish also lost to No. 7 UCLA, 2-1, in 2013 and beat USC, 2-1, the next day … previous recent meetings with Pac-12 schools also include neutral site games against Washington State in 2009 and a meeting with Arizona in 2008 … the last time ND played host to a Pac-12 team was USC in 2005 … the teams split those games.

2. Senior LHP Michael Hearne has been Mr. Steady for the Irish in midweek starts this season … he is 2-0 with a 2.46 ERA and 11 strikeouts in 11.0 innings of work in those two outings … for the year he sits No. 26 in the ACC in ERA (3.13) to go along with 16 strikeouts and just five walks over 23.0 innings on the bump … for his career, Hearne has a 2.86 ERA and 8-6 record over 31 appearances and 15 starts in his Irish career.

3. Notre Dame enters Thursday’s game against Oregon with a four-game winning streak after beating UIC last Tuesday before sweeping Virginia Tech this past weekend.

4. Sophomore Jake Shepski had a game for the ages last Thursday at Virginia Tech … the Illinois product hit two homers right handed and a homer, triple and double left handed … he finished with nine RBI, 17 total bases & four runs scored and tied the school record in homers and set program marks in RBI and total bases.

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For more information on the Notre Dame baseball, follow the Irish on Facebook (/NDBaseball), Twitter (@NDBaseball) and Instagram (notredamebaseball).

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Russell Dorn, athletics communications assistant director at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since 2011 and coordinates all media efforts for the Notre Dame volleyball, rowing and baseball programs. A native of Greenwood, South Carolina, Dorn graduated from Furman University in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in history before earning his master’s degree in sports communications from Georgia State University in 2011.