April 22, 2016

Weekend Notes Get Acrobat Reader

By Russell Dorn

ACC Series #5: Florida State
April 22-24, 2016
6 p.m. / 6 p.m. / 1 p.m. (All ET)
Dick Howser Stadium (Tallahassee, Florida)

Team Information:

Notre Dame: 23-12, 9-7 ACC (37-23, 17-13 ACC In 2015)
2015 Postseason: 1-2 @ ACC Tourney & 1-2 @ NCAA Champaign Regional

Florida State: 25-11, 10-4 ACC (44-21, 17-13 ACC In 2015)
2015 Postseason: 4-0 @ NCAA Tourney (Champions) / 3-0 @ NCAA Tallahassee Regional / 0-2 @ NCAA Gainesville Super Regional

Rankings:
ND: #29 In Collegiate Baseball Newspaper
FSU: Between #7 & #11 In All Six Major Polls

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

Projected Pitching Matchup:
G1: ND RHP Peter Solomon (3-3, 3.82 ERA) vs. FSU RHP Mike Compton (4-2, 3.86 ERA)
G2: ND LHP Sean Guenther (3-3, 3.88 ERA) vs. FSU RHP Drew Carlton (4-2, 4.57 ERA)
G3: ND TBD vs. FSU RHP Cole Sands (3-4, 4.81 ERA)

Weather Report (as of Thursday, April 21):
Friday, April 22: 82/62 & PM Thunderstorms (40%)
Saturday, April 23: 86/58 & Sunny (10%)
Sunday, April 24: 88/60 & Sunny

Series History: Florida State leads 8-7
In ACC Reg. Season Play: Series Tied 3-3
In ACC Tournament Play: Never met
Aoki vs. FSU: 6-14 (3-11 @ BC, 3-3 @ ND)

First Meeting: 3/31/1956: L, 12-5 – Neutral

Last Four Meetings:
4/12/2015: W, 2-1 – Home
4/11/2015: W, 4-1 – Home
4/10/2015: W, 5-2 – Home
4/6/2015: L, 4-3 – Away

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – One of the biggest series in the country this weekend will reside in Tallahassee, Florida, as the No. 29 University of Notre Dame baseball team heads to the Sunshine State for a showdown with No. 7 Florida State.

Notre Dame (23-12, 9-7 ACC) has soared up the Atlantic Coast Conference standings in recent weeks after winning three of its last league series. Florida State (25-11, 10-4) has been ranked in the top 15 all season and sits just behind Louisville for first in the Atlantic Division.

Here’s what you need to know about this weekend’s series:

  1. The Irish and Seminoles are playing a rubber series so to speak after each team held serve at home in the last two meetings … in 2014, No. 1 FSU swept ND, 8-7 in 12 innings, 11-2 & 4-3 … last year the Irish returned the favor and swept the No. 7 Seminoles at Frank Eck Stadium, 5-2, 4-1 & 2-1.
  1. Friday projected starter Peter Solomon has been outstanding in three of his last four ACC outings … in those four starts, he boasts a 3-1 record and 2.95 ERA over 21.1 IP … he has limited opponents to a .219 batting average and has recorded 26 strikeouts … he is coming off a gem last Friday against Boston College where he went seven innings and allowed one run, three hits and three walks while tying his career high with eight strikeouts.
  1. Irish starting pitching has four quality starts over the last six games … included in that effort are two complete games from midweek starter Michael Hearne and weekend quality starts from Solomon and sophomore Sean Guenther.
  1. Notre Dame enters the series riding a seven-game winning streak … during the stretch the Irish sport a .290 batting average with 18 extra-base hits, 34 RBI and 36 runs scored … on the mound, the ND pitchers have a 3.00 ERA, 53 strikeouts, two complete games and three saves.
  1. The Irish have won 15 of their last 17 games and 17 of their last 21 contests since opening the season at home March 16 … included in the win streak are two walk-off victories … for the year the Irish have six walk-off wins … here’s more information about each walk off:

1. February 26, 2016 vs. Texas Southern
Down 5-2 entering B9
Jake Johnson RBI single
Win 6-5

2. February 28, 2016 vs. Gonzaga
Tied 6-6 entering B9
Ricky Sanchez RBI single
Won 7-6

3. March 5, 2016 vs. Brown
Down 6-3 entering B9
Zak Kutsulis RBI double
Won 7-6

4. March 6, 2016 vs. Niagara
Tied 4-4 entering B10
Matt Vierling solo HR – leadoff
Won 5-4

5. April 1, 2016 vs. Wake Forest
Down 5-4 entering B9
Fielding Error On Matt Vierling Grounder
Won 6-5

6. April 20, 2016 vs. Central Michigan
Tied 6-6 entering B9
Matt Vierling RBI Single
Won 7-6

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

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.

–ND–