March 7, 2013

#22 Notre Dame
Fighting Irish (8-2)

Vs

#7 UCLA

Bruins (9-2)
Jackie Robinson Stadium (1,820)

USC

Trojans (6-6)
Dedeaux Field (2,500)

#10 Oklahoma

Sooners (11-2)
Jackie Robinson Stadium (1,820)

probable pitchers
Friday vs. UCLA (6 p.m. PT)
RHP Sean Fitzgerald (1-0, 3.26 ERA) vs. RHP Adam Plutko (2-0, 2.89 ERA)

Saturday vs. USC (2 p.m. PT)
RHP Adam Norton (3-0, 1.71 ERA) vs. RHP Wyatt Strahan (0-0, 1.59 ERA)

Sunday vs. Oklahoma (10 a.m. PT)
RHP David Hearne (0-1, 4.30 ERA) vs. LHP Adam Choplick (2-0, 0.87 ERA)

live game coverage
Live Video: None
Live Audio: WHME 103.1 FM (Chuck Freeby, pbp); UND.com
Live Stats: UND.com

IN THE BATTERS BOX — Notre Dame hits the road this weekend for the Dodgertown Classic. The Irish open the weekend at 6 p.m. PT Friday against No. 7 UCLA at Jackie Robinson Stadium. Notre Dame will then travel across town to face USC at 2 p.m. PT on Saturday at Dedeaux Field. The Irish close the weekend at 10 a.m. PT Sunday with No. 10 Oklahoma at Jackie Robinson Stadium.

LOOKING BACK — Notre Dame won three of its four games at the USA Baseball-Irish Classic last weekend. Notre Dame opened the weekend with victories over Massachusetts (9-4), Tennessee (3-2, 12 innings) and No. 25 Virginia Tech (3-0), but dropped its finale to Rhode Island (3-4).

FAST OUT OF THE GATE — Notre Dame is 8-2 after its first 10 games of 2013. The Irish have not posted a better record after their first 10 games since 2004 when Notre Dame opened 9-1.

AROUND THE BASES — Notre Dame’s bullpen dominated the opposition last weekend. The relief corps registered a 0.82 ERA in 11.0 innings of work. Freshman RHP Nick McCarty, junior RHP Dan Slania, sophomore RHP Cristian Torres and sophomore RHP Matt Ternowchek limited foes to a .128 batting average. They struck out 14, did not issue a walk and yielded five hits.
u The Irish bullpen has been nearly flawless over the first 10 games of 2013. Notre Dame relievers have collected a 1.03 ERA in 35.0 innings of work. McCarty, Slania, Torres, Ternowchek, junior RHP Donnie Hissa and freshman LHP Zak Kutsulis have limited foes to a .169 batting average. They have struck out 31, walked eight and allowed just 20 hits (only three extra base hits). They’ve also posted a 4-1 record with two saves and have allowed just three runs after the sixth inning this season.
u Notre Dame led the BIG EAST in both fewest walks per nine innings (2.81) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.61) in 2012. Both totals ranked fourth in single-season school history. The Irish also led the league in fewest walks per nine innings in 2011.
u Notre Dame is off to a similar start in both categories in 2013. The Irish not only lead the BIG EAST in fewest walks per nine innings (1.91), but also ranked fifth in the NCAA. Notre Dame also leads the league in WHIP (1.05), which ranks 15th in the country. The Irish (3.85), who rank seventh in the nation, trail only Louisville (4.67) in the BIG EAST for the top strikeout-to-walk ratio.
u McCarty did allow a run and was ultimately charged with the loss against Rhode Island on Mar. 3, but the rookie has yet to allow an earned run in 12.2 innings of work this season. Only seven pitchers in the entire NCAA have logged more innings this season and yet to allow an earned run. McCarty is 2-1 with a 0.00 ERA and foes are batting just .205 against the right-handed hurler.
u Slania, arguably the nation’s best closer, has been dominant over his four relief appearances and 8.0 innings of work. He has limited the opposition to just two singles and an .080 batting average. Slania has struck out seven and walked two. He is 1-0 with two saves.
u Ternowchek has tossed 6.0 scoreless innnings of relief, including 5.0 in the victory over Massachusetts on Mar. 1. He has allowed just one hit and foes are hitting .056 against the right-handed hurler. Ternowchek (1-0) has fanned nine and issued one walk.
u Junior All-American candidates Eric Jagielo and Trey Mancini continue to carry the load offensively for the Irish. Jagielo is batting .394 with two doubles, three home runs and 14 RBI, while Mancini is hitting .359 with two triples, three home runs and 11 RBI.
u Notre Dame was the only team in the BIG EAST with a pair of players with 10 or more home runs in 2012. Jagielo (13) and Mancini (12) combined for 25 round trippers. Jagielo was second in the BIG EAST, while Mancini ranked tied for third in the league.
u Jagielo and Mancini form one of the nation’s top power-hitting duos. They are the only returning tandem in the country with 12 or more home runs last year.
u Sophomore Ryan Bull leads Notre Dame with a .395 batting average and a trio of three-hit games. Bull also added a career-best four hits in the victory over Tulane (added a home run on Feb. 23).
u Notre Dame’s weekend rotation of RHP Sean Fitzgerald, senior RHP Adam Norton and freshman RHP David Hearne all collected quality starts last at the USA Baseball-Irish Classic. The trio posted a 1-0 record and 1.50 ERA in 24.0 innings of work against Tennessee, No. 25 Virginia Tech and Rhode Island. Each logged at least 7.0 innings of work. Fitzgerald, Norton and Hearne combined to strikeout 19 and walk only three. Their foes batted just .176 against the trio.
u Norton tossed a complete-game, four-hit shutout of No. 25 Virginia Tech. He collected Notre Dame’s first complete-game shutout over a top-25 opponent since Danny Tamayo blanked Mississippi State in the Starkville Regional on May 28, 2000. The right-handed hurler completely baffled a Virginia Tech lineup that entered the game with a .337-team batting average and averaged 8.3 runs/game.

IRISH TRAVEL TO THE GOLDEN STATE ­– Notre Dame makes its first trip to the state of California since 2004. The Irish have travelled to a total of 10 different California sites in program history. Notre Dame has played at the University of California, Cal State Fullerton, Fresno State, Long Beach State, Loyola Marymount, UCLA, USC, UC Riverside, the University of the Pacific and Santa Clara. The Irish will make their first ever appearance next week at UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly.

HEADING FOR THE LEFT COAST — The Notre Dame baseball team has made a handful of trips to California, posting a 17-21-1 record in those games, including a 12-7-1 mark over the last 20 games in the Golden State.
u The Irish went 2-0 in their last visit to California. Notre Dame defeated San Diego State (7-1) and USC (3-1) at the 2004 USC Classic.
u The 2001 spring break trip produced a 7-0-1 record for the Irish, including a 5-0-1 record in wining the prestigious Fresno State Classic (with highlight wins over Fresno State and Illinois).
u Other recent trips to California include: the first games of the Paul Mainieri era, at the 1995 Anaheim Classic (win over Pepperdine, losses to Texas and host Cal State Fullerton); the 1997 Long Beach State Classic (0-3 vs. LBSU, USC and Mississippi); and the 2003 NCAA Fullerton Regional (wins over Arizona and San Diego, two losses to Cal State Fullerton).
u Previous Notre Dame visits to the Golden State include the 1961 squad going 4-5 against an assortment of teams throughout California, a rough week at the 1986 UC-Riverside Invitational (0-7) and the 1989 NCAA West II Regional (win over Portland, two losses to host Fresno State).

CALIFORNIA NATIVES ­– Notre Dame’s list of all-time baseball monogram winners includes 901 players who hail from 47 states, Washington, D.C., Panama and Ontario.
u California is the ninth-most common home state among the all-time letterwinners, with 39 (behind Illinois, New York, Indiana, Ohio, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Michigan and Pennsylvania).
u Twenty six of those players hail from southern/central California (the 13 from Northern California include five from San Francisco, two from Oakland, two from San Jose and one each from Berkley, Napa, Stockton and Scotts Valley)
u The southern/central California natives include current sophomores RHP Matt Kerrigan (Saugus/Saugus HS) and RHP Cristian Torres (Rancho Palos Verdes/Palos Verdes Peninsula), as well as OF Cody Rizzo (Temecula/Chaparral HS, 2003-06), All-America C Walt Osgood (Compton/St. Anthony’s HS, 1960-62), 2B Greg Layson (La Mesa/Grossmont HS, 1991-94, his .321 with 5 HR, 101 RBI in 700 AB) and C Ed Lund (Pasadena/St. Francis HS, 1988-90, St. Francis HS, .308, 10 HR, 116 RBI, 507 AB).
u Others of note include two Mission Viejo natives – SS/CF Steve Skupien (Capistrano Valley HS, 1986-88, .272, 8 HR, 53 RBI, 378 AB) and OF/1B Matt Strickroth (Santa Margarita HS, ’99-’02, 9 HR, 45 RBI), LHP Ed Lupton (Ventura, 1963-65; 3.06 ERA, 15-7, 161.2, 135 Ks) and 1B/OF Jim Gillis (Huntington Beach/Union HS, 1949-51), who is actively involved in the area Notre Dame Alumni Club events.
u Others include: RHP Mike Balicki (Santa Margarita HS, 1995-97), C Michael Dorning, (Claremont/LaVerne Damien HS, 1983-85), C/OF Terry Harsha (Van Nuys, 1965), INF Ryne Intlekofer (Moorpark/Moorpark HS), LHP Dustin Ispas (Rancho Cucamonga/Los Osos HS), C Mike Knecht (Newport Beach/Corona del Mar HS, 1998), IF Harold “Hi” Lavelle (Compton, 1955-56), IF Thomas MacDonald (Downey/Pius X. HS, 1963), IF Robin Reschan (San Clemente, 1970-72, .336, 7 HR, 32 RBI), RHP Mike Riddell (San Bernadino/Aquinas HS, 1970-73, 3.58, 9-14, 161 IP, 100 K), C Matt Scioscia (Westlake Village/Encino Crespi Carmelite HS), C Dennis Twombley (San Diego/ Patrick Henry HS, 1994, .348, 5 HR, 24 RBI) and OF Howard Wood ( Redondo Beach /Montgomery HS, 1972-73).

OKLAHOMA NATIVES ­– Notre Dame’s list of all-time baseball monogram winners includes 901 players who hail from 47 states, Washington, D.C., Panama and Ontario. Interestingly, the Irish have had only three players from the State of Oklahoma earn a monogram
u INF Haskell Askew (Oklahoma City, 1930-31), Charles Farrell (Okmugee, 1939-41) and OF Bill Lomasney (Oklahoma City, 1931-32)

TALE OF THE TAPE

NOTRE DAME-UCLA SERIES HISTORY — The Irish and Bruins have met just twice in program history and the series is tied, 1-1.
u Notre Dame and UCLA first met in Westwood on Apr. 4, 1961. The Irish proved victorious 6-2.
u The Bruins and Notre Dame met nearly 30 years to the day later on Mar. 31, 1991 at the Oscar Mayer Classic in Minneapolis, Minn. UCLA doubled up the Irish, 6-3.

NOTRE DAME-UCLA CONNECTIONS — Notre Dame’s roster features two players from the state of California. UCLA’s roster does not have a player from Indiana.
u While Notre Dame and UCLA have only met twice on the diamond, the Irish and Bruins have matched up in two classic meetings in men’s basketball and women’s soccer.

Jan. 19, 1974: Dwight Clay’s jumper provides the winning points as the Notre Dame men’s basketball team halts UCLA’s 88-game win streak (still an NCAA record) in a 71-70 thriller.

Dec. 5, 2004: Erika Bohn not only saved a penalty kick in regular time, but also stopped three more penalty kicks in the shoot-out as Notre Dame captured the 2004 NCAA Women’s Soccer Championship over UCLA.

NOTRE DAME-USC SERIES HISTORY — The Irish and Trojans have played six times in program history with the series tied, 3-3.
u The series dates back to Apr. 3, 1961, when the Irish travelled to Los Angeles and lost 4-3 to the Trojans.
u The long-standing rivals on the gridiron did not meet again on the diamond until Feb. 22, 1997. Notre Dame and USC faced off at the Long Beach State Classic. The Trojans routed the Irish, 14-4.
u Notre Dame returned the favor with a rout of its own on Mar. 9, 2002. The Irish upended the Trojans, 15-8, at the Round Rock College Classic in Texas.
u The ’02 matchup featured the freak broken leg suffered by 1B Matt Edwards (after a collision, while chasing a windblown popup).
u USC led the game, 8-4, before the Irish rallied to score the final seven runs. Martin Vergara (3.2 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 3 Ks) then combined with Brandon Viloria (2 IP, 5 BF, save) to keep the Trojans off the scoreboard the rest of the way.
u Notre Dame opened the 2004 season with a pair of games at the USC Classic. The Irish not only knocked off San Diego State (7-1), but defeated the homestanding Trojans, 3-1, in seven innings.
u Tom Thornton (6 IP, 4 H, 2 BB) turned in his first of many primetime performances while the Notre Dame offense cashed in three errors by USC (Notre Dame was ranked No. 10 and USC No. 20).
u The last meetings between Notre Dame and USC occurred in South Bend on May 17-18, 2005. The Irish captured the series opener, 13-6. Craig Cooper hit 3-for-5 (2 RBI, R) from the leadoff spot for the second straight game while Tony Langford’s 3-for-5 game included a two-run home run that yielded a 10-5 lead in the bottom of the 4th. Four other Irish players chipped in with two-hit games, with Notre Dame’s big offensive night including five doubles, three walks and two hit batters.
u USC’s Baron Frost hit a leadoff home run in the top of the 6th ended a scoreless game and the No. 10 Trojans baseball team went on to a 9-3 win over Notre Dame.

NOTRE DAME-USC CONNECTIONS — Notre Dame’s roster features two players from the state of California. USC’s roster does not have a player from Indiana.
u Notre Dame women’s volleyball head coach Debbie Brown was twice named the national player of the year while helping USC win the 1976 and 1977 national championships in women’s volleyball.
u This gridiron rivalry began in 1926, when legendary Irish head coach Knute Rockne became the first Midwestern coach to take a team to the West Coast (Notre Dame won that game, 13-12) and the teams have meet every season since (taking 1943-45 off due to travel restrictions during World War II).
u Notre Dame has won eight Associated Press national titles while USC has won five.
u The Irish have been selected as a national champion by at least one legitimate poll in 19 seasons; USC lists 18 such campaigns.

NOTRE DAME-OKLAHOMA SERIES HISTORY — The Irish and Sooners have met just twice in program history and Oklahoma has captured both meetings. The Sooners routed Notre Dame, 15-3, on Mar. 15, 1982, in Norman. Oklahoma also bested the Irish, 4-3, on Feb. 26, 2006, at USA Baseball Stadium in Millington, Tenn.

NOTRE DAME-OKLAHOMA CONNECTIONS — Notre Dame’s roster does not feature a player from the state of Oklahoma. Oklahoma’s roster does not have a player from Indiana.
u Oklahoma 14th-year director of sports enhancement Jerry Schmidt was an assistant strength and conditioning coach at Notre Dame during the 1987 season and returned to Notre Dame as the Irish strength and conditioning coordinator during the 1989-94 seasons.
u Longtime Oklahoma director of football operations Merv Johnson was Notre Dame’s offensive coordinator from 1975-78 (he also was assistant head coach in ’78).
u Through the generous donation of Notre Dame alumnus and Tulsa, Okla., native Bill Warren (’56), Notre Dame helped build the Warren Golf Course, which opened in the spring of 2000. The course was designed by the architectural team of Coore and Crenshaw, which is co-owned by professional golfing legend Ben Crenshaw. Coore and Crenshaw recently oversaw the course renovation at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa.

THOUGH SHALL NOT ISSUE A FREE PASS — Notre Dame senior RHP Adam Norton led the NCAA in fewest walks per nine innings (0.64) and ranked third in strikeout-to-walk ratio (8.71) in 2012. Both totals topped the BIG EAST categories as well. Norton fanned 61 and issued seven free passes (two intentional) in 98.0 innings of work.
u Norton pitched into the sixth inning in each of his first nine starts and worked into the seventh inning nine different times in 2012. He collected seven quality starts.
u Norton failed to issue a single walk in nine of his 15 starts in 2012. He walked more than one batter just once.
u Norton was just shy of the school record for fewest walks per nine innings pitched.
u Norton also owns the school record in both fewest career walks per nine innings pitched and strikeout-to-walk ratio.

u Norton tossed a complete-game, four-hit shutout of No. 25 Virginia Tech on Mar. 2. He collected Notre Dame’s first complete-game shutout over a top-25 opponent since Danny Tamayo blanked Mississippi State in the Starkville Regional on May 28, 2000. The right-handed hurler completely baffled a Virginia Tech lineup that entered the game with a .337-team batting average and averaged 8.3 runs/game.
u Norton retired the first 10 Hokies of the game before a one-out single in the fourth inning. He promptly sent down the next six Virginia Tech hitters before a bunt single in the top of the sixth inning.
Norton did not allow another base runner until two outs in the top of the ninth inning – another stretch of 10 consecutive retired Hokies. He was one out away from a two-hit shutout, but Virginia Tech rallied in the ninth inning.
u The Hokies got back-to-back singles to bring the potential tying run to the plate. All that stood in between Norton and the victory, complete game and shutout was Virginia Tech slugger Tyler Moran, who set the Cape Cod League record with 16 home runs this past summer. Norton got Moran to pop out to the catcher to end the game.
u Norton struck out five and walked one. He faced 32 batters and needed just 108 pitches (76 strikes).

MCCARTY ALMOST PERFECT — Freshman RHP Nick McCarty did allow a run and was ultimately charged with the loss against Rhode Island on Mar. 3, but the rookie has yet to allow an earned run in 12.2 innings of work this season. Only seven pitchers in the entire NCAA have logged more innings this season and yet to allow an earned run. McCarty is 2-1 with a 0.00 ERA and foes are batting just .205 against the right-handed hurler.
u McCarty entered the series finale at Tulane in the bottom of the sixth inning with Notre Dame clinging to a two-run lead (5-3). The rookie proceeded to retire the next nine Green Wave batters, including seven by ground out. He issued a walk and allowed a base hit to open the ninth inning, but evaded damage following a fly out and game-ending 5-4-3 double play. McCarty added a scoreless inning of relief and hold in Friday night’s season-opening victory.
u McCarty picked up the victory over Florida Gulf Coast on Feb. 16 with 5.0 scoreless innings of relief in his Notre Dame debut. He limited Florida Gulf Coast to four singles and did not issue a walk, along with four strikeouts. McCarty was the first Irish rookie to pick up a victory in the season opener since Grant Johnson on Feb. 22, 2002.
u McCarty was named to the BIG EAST honor roll on Feb. 18. He was first Notre Dame freshman pitcher to receive BIG EAST honor roll accolades since Sean Fitzgerald on Apr. 4, 2011.

FITZGERALD LIKES CREOLE — Junior RHP Sean Fitzgerald limited Tulane to one earned run on four hits in 6.1 innings of work and registered his first victory of the season on Feb. 22. He struck out two and did not issue a walk. Fitzgerald retired 15 straight Green Wave batters at one point in the game and 16 of the first 18 batters he faced. In fact, he faced the minimum over the first six innings of the contest. Fitzgerald did not work to a three-ball count until the bottom of the seventh.
u Fitzgerald has made two career starts in the State of Louisiana – Feb. 22 against Tulane and last year against No. 11 LSU. He has registered victories in each outing and has allowed just two earned runs in 14.1 innings of work. Fitzgerald has combined to fan six and walk one.
u Fitzgerald was named to the BIG EAST honor roll – one week after McCarty registered a similar honor.
u Fitzgerald did not factor in the decision against Tennessee on Mar. 1, but collected his second straight quality. The right-handed hurler struck out a career-best eight in 8.0 dominant innings of work.
Fitzgerald limited the Volunteers to just five hits and one earned run. He has now made two starts in his career against SEC foes and picked up the victory in each outing. Fitzgerald allowed an earned run in 8.0 innings of work against No. 11 LSU in 2012.

SLANIA HEADLINES A DOMINANT BULLPEN — Notre Dame junior RHP Dan Slania is one of the top closers in college baseball. He has already been named to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award watch list. Slania is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA over four appearances in 2013. He has struck out seven, walked two and surrendered two hits in 8.0 innings of work.
u Slania picked up the victory in relief against Tennessee on Mar. 1. He tossed 3.1 perfect innings of relief – retiring all 10 Volunteers he faced. Slania also fanned three.
u Slania captured the 2012 Russ Ford Award (given to the top relief pitcher in the Cape Cod League). He led the Cape with 10 saves and helped Cotuit post the league’s best regular-season record (30-14). Slania went 2-0 with a 1.52 ERA and 39 punch outs.
u Slania led the BIG EAST in saves (13), games finished (29), appearances (31) and relief appearances (31) in 2012. He owned a 3-0 record with a 2.03 ERA in 31.0 innings of work. Slania struck out 37 and walked 12.
u Slania has been outstanding as a closer/late inning reliever over his three years with the Irish. He owns a career record of 5-3 with a 2.04 ERA and 19 saves.

u Slania’s 1.94 career ERA is the best in school history for a pitcher with at least 60.0 innings pitched.
u Slania’s 31 appearances in 2012 are tied for the second-most in single-season school history. It was the most appearances by an Irish hurler since Aaron Heilman had 31 in 1998.

u Slania’s 13 saves in 2012 ranks tied for second in single-season Notre Dame history, while his 19 career saves are tied for fourth in school history.

Single-Season Saves Career Saves

JAGIELO EARNS RAVE REVIEWS — Third-year Notre Dame head coach Mik Aoki raved about the hitting prowess of junior 3B Eric Jagielo as a rookie in 2011, but the Downers Grove, Ill., native had an up-and-down first year. Jagielo batted .269 with 13 doubles, one triple, five home runs and 28 RBI, but took off in 2012.
u Jagielo, a second-team all-BIG EAST selection, batted .310 with 15 doubles, 13 home runs and 43 RBI in 2012. He was the first Notre Dame sophomore with double-figure home runs since 2004 when Craig Cooper (10) and Matt Bransfield (12) accomplished the feat. Jagielo ranked among the top-10 in the BIG EAST in home runs (second), slugging (fourth) and total bases (fifth).
u In BIG EAST games only, Jagielo ranked tied for third in home runs (five) and tied for eighth in walks (14). Jagielo had 20 multi-hit games, which ranked third on the Irish, including eight three-hit affairs (tops on Notre Dame). He also ranked second on Notre Dame in multi-RBI contests with 11, including a season-high five RBI in the victory over Georgetown on Apr. 20, 2012.
u Jagielo has not only started every game of his Irish career – a span of 121 games dating back to the start of 2011 – but he has hit in the three hole from the start.
u Jagielo is a career .298 hitter with 21 home runs and 85 RBI in 121 games. Here is a look at his career statistics.

u Jagielo currently leads the BIG EAST in slugging percentage (.727), RBI (14) and sacrifice flies (three). He also ranks tied for second in home runs (three), third in total bases (24), third in on-base percentage (.511), (three), tied in sacrifice flies (two).
u Jagielo batted .444 (4-for-9) with a double, home run, two runs scored and four RBI in the three-game sweep of Tulane. He registered a slugging percentage of .889 and on-base percentage of .462. Jagielo provided all the offense the Irish would need in Friday night’s 2-1 victory. He smacked a two-run home run in the sixth inning to break a scoreless tie. Jagielo went 1-for-2 with a sacrifice fly in the 3-1 triumph on Saturday and finished the weekend with a multi-hit game on Sunday. Jagielo went 2-for-4 in the series finale with another sacrifice fly.
u Jagielo batted .545 (6-for-11) for the weekend with a double, two home runs and eight RBI. His batting average was the fifth-best by an Irish player over the season’s opening weekend since 1995 and none of the previous four players with a higher batting average had multiple home runs. Jagielo posted a slugging percentage of 1.182, on-base percentage of .667 and OPS of 1.849.
u Jagielo opened the season with a 2-for-4 effort against Florida Gulf Coast, including a massive two-run home run to centerfield in the bottom of the ninth inning to tie the game, 5-5, before Notre Dame won in the bottom of the 10th. He followed up that performance with a three-hit game in a 13-3 rout of Ohio State. Jagielo went 3-for-5 with two runs scored, a three-run home run and career-high five RBI. He was named Perfect Game’s top player across the nation from Saturday’s contests.
u Jagielo was the only player in the BIG EAST to make the league honor roll in each of the first two weeks of the season.

TREY “BOOM-BOOM” MANCINI — Junior 1B Trey Mancini, who was named second-team all-BIG EAST, hit .317 with 47 runs scored, 10 doubles, 12 home runs and 45 RBI in 2012. He recorded a .545 slugging percentage and .395 on-base percentage. Mancini and Jagielo were the first Notre Dame sophomore tandem with double-figure home runs since 2004 when Craig Cooper (10) and Matt Bransfield (12) accomplished the feat.
u Mancini had 17 multi-hit games, including a four-hit affair and seven three-hit games. Mancini also led the Irish in multi-RBI contests with 15, including a trio of three RBI outings. He ranked tied for third in the BIG EAST in home runs (12), fifth in slugging percentage (.575), tied for seventh in RBI (45) and tied for seventh in runs scored (47).
u Mancini is a career .323 hitter with 24 home runs and 90 RBI in 116 games. Here is a look at his career statistics.

u Mancini carried the Irish offensively at the USA Baseball-Irish Classic last weekend. He was injured in his final at bat of the victory over Massachusetts and missed the game against Tennessee, but did not miss a beat against No. 25 Virginia Tech. Mancini provided all of Notre Dame’s offense in a 3-0 victory. He drilled a two-run home run and added an RBI single.
u Mancini added a three-run round tripper in the rout of the Minutemen. In all, he batted .385 (5-for-13) over the weekend with two home runs and six RBI. Mancini registered a .846 slugging percentage. He also played flawless defense over the weekend. Mancini did not commit an error in 25 fielding chances.
u Mancini was named 2011 BIG EAST Rookie of the Year after leading Notre Dame in batting (.323), hits (61), doubles (15), triples (three), home runs (nine), RBI (34), total bases (109), slugging percentage (.577), on-base percentage (.385), multiple hit games (17), multiple RBI games (nine) and runs scored (33).
u Mancini was the first Irish rookie and eighth player in program history to lead Notre Dame in all three triple-crown categories (batting average, home runs and RBI). He also was named third team all-BIG EAST and Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American.

RATHER FRANK EVERYDAY — Senior co-captain 2B Frank Desico is a three-year monogram winner that has started 168 of Notre Dame’s last 170 games. He has hit in the leadoff spot in all 10 games this season and 87 times over his career.
u DeSico went hitless in his first four plate appearances of the 2013 season, but followed with a walk-off RBI single to lead the Irish past Florida Gulf Coast, 6-5, in 10 innings on Feb. 16. He then doubled, homered and singled twice in his first four times to the plate against Ohio State as Notre Dame routed the Buckeyes, 13-3. DeSico’s four hits spearheaded an Irish offense that totaled 16 against Ohio State. He drove in two and scored four runs.
u DeSico earned Dean’s List for the first time with a 3.778 GPA over 17.5 credit hours in the ’12 fall semester.

BULLISH EFFORT — Sophomore LF/DH Ryan Bull is hitting a crisp .395 this season with a team-best 17 hits, as well as one home run and four RBI. He spent the first five games of the year in the No. 5 hole, but moved into the No. 2 spot and exploded for a career-best four hits in the series finale at Tulane on Feb. 24.
u Bull went 4-for-5 with three runs scored and two RBI, one coming on his first home run of the season and second of his career.
u Bull already has a trio of three-hit games and a four-hit outing over Notre Dame’s first 10 contests.

OPPONENTS — Notre Dame has faced 310 opponents over its 120 years of baseball. Recent first-time opponents include: Liberty, Albany, Lehigh, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Buffalo and Mississippi Valley State (2008); Gonzaga and Grambling (2009); Manhattan, Seattle and UAB (2011); Hofstra, Houston Baptist and Kansas (2012); Massachusetts and Rhode Island (2013).
u Two more first-time foes remain on the ’13 slate: Cal Poly and Quinnipiac. After those games, the program will have faced 201 of 291 current D-I teams (69.1%).
u Notre Dame’s most common opponents: Western Michigan (133), Northwestern (131), Michigan State (131), Michigan (129), Purdue (121) and Wisconsin (119).
u Noteworthy teams that Notre Dame has yet to face (pre-2013): Oklahoma State, Maryland, VCU, East Carolina, Southern Mississippi and UNLV.

FAR & WIDE — Notre Dame’s 2013 roster includes 35 players from 17 different home states.
u The top 10 position players and top three starting pitchers hail from 10 different states, including three from Illinois, two from Ohio and one each from Florida, Oregon, Texas, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Minnesota, Virginia and Indiana.

ROAD TRIPPERS — Notre Dame will be playing its first 17 games away from home, in six different cities: Sarasota, Fla., New Orleans, Cary, N.C. and Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo, Calif.
u The Irish then will spend virtually all of Apr. (12 of 17 games) in the friendly confines of Eck Stadium, including the first seven games of the month.
u Notre Dame’s final seven games of the regular season will all take place on the road, including BIG EAST three-game series at St. John’s (May 11-12) and at Cincinnati (May 16-18). The Irish will also travel to Western Michigan on May 14.

A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION — Notre Dame captured five of its nine BIG EAST series in 2012, including four of its last six. The Irish had not collected more conference series victories in one season since 2006. The ’06 Notre Dame club captured seven BIG EAST series and posted a 45-17-1 overall record and 21-5-1 mark in conference play.
u Notre Dame registered 31 victories in 2012, the most by the Irish since the 2009 campaign. Notre Dame managed just 23 and 22, respectively, in 2011 and 2010.
u Notre Dame picked up multiple victories and advanced to the BIG EAST tournament semifinals for the first time since 2009. In fact, it only marked the second time the Irish have accomplished the feat since 2006.

WALKING A TIGHTROPE — Notre Dame played a pair of one-run games at the season-opening Snowbird Classic, another one-run affair in the series opener at Tulane and two more last weekend at the USA Baseball-Irish Classic.
u The nip-and-tuck battles are nothing new to Notre Dame. The Irish played 18 games decided by one run in 2012. Notre Dame went 11-7 in those outings. In fact, the Irish also played in 20 such games in 2011 as well (going 10-10).
u In all, Notre Dame has played in 43 different one-run contests since third-year head coach Mik Aoki arrived on campus. That’s 43 of 121 games or just over 35 percent of Aoki’s tenure in an Irish uniform.
u The 11 wins by a single run in 2012 is tied for the most in single-season school history (1990, 1981).
u Notre Dame established the school record for most games decided by a single run in 2011. The 2001 squad also played in 18 games decided by the slimmest of margins.
u Here is a look at the top 10 seasons in terms of most games decided by a single run and those teams records in those contests.

u Notre Dame played in nine more games decided by two runs in 2012. In all, 27 of Notre Dame’s 58 games were decided by two runs or less.
u Over the last three seasons (including 2013), 61 of Notre Dame’s 121 games (over 50 percent) have been decided by two runs or less.

IRISH DIG THE LONG BALL — Notre Dame hit 36 home runs in 2012, which led the BIG EAST. The Irish registered just 18 long balls in 2011 and only three teams in the conference had fewer.
u Notre Dame was the only team in the BIG EAST with a pair of players with 10 or more home runs. Eric Jagielo (13) and Trey Mancini (12) combined for 25 round trippers. Jagielo was second in the BIG EAST, while Mancini ranked tied for third in the league.
u Jagielo and Mancini form one of the nation’s top power-hitting duos. They are the only returning tandem in the country with 12 or more home runs last year.
u Prior to last season, Notre Dame had not had multiple players with 10 or more home runs in the same season since 2009, when Jeremy Barnes (15) and A.J. Pollock (10) accomplished the feat.
u Mancini and Jagielo were the first set of sophomores to collect double digit home runs in the same season for the Irish since 2004. Matt Bransfield and Craig Cooper hit 12 and 10, respectively, that season.
u Mancini and Jagielo went back-to-back with home runs on two separate occasions in 2012. The duo smacked consecutive home runs against Michigan on Mar. 11 and then did the same feat against Northwestern on May 15.

IRISH STAFF MAKES YOU EARN IT — As an entire staff, Notre Dame issued 160 walks in 511.2 innings in 2012. The Irish posted a 2.61 strikeout-to-walk ratio and averaged just 2.81 free passes per nine innings pitched.
u Notre Dame walked two or less in 30 different games in 2012. The Irish did not walk a single batter in a game six times.
u Here is the top five in a number of single-season pitching categories:

u Notre Dame led the BIG EAST in fewest walks in 2012. The Irish also led the league in the same category in 2011.
u Notre Dame is off to a similar start in both categories in 2013. The Irish not only lead the BIG EAST in fewest walks per nine innings (1.91), but also ranked fifth in the NCAA. Notre Dame also leads the league in WHIP (1.05), which ranks 15th in the country. The Irish (3.85), who rank seventh in the nation, trail only Louisville (4.67) in the BIG EAST for the top strikeout-to-walk ratio.

FRESHMAN FORCE — Notre Dame’s 2013 opening-day lineup included two seniors, three juniors, one sophomore and three freshmen. It marked the second consecutive season opener that three freshmen appeared in the Irish starting lineup. The only season opener over the last 19 years with more than three freshman starters was 2003.

Notre Dame Freshman Starters
1995 – no freshman starters
1996 – Jeff Wagner (C), Paul Turco (SS)
1997 – Brant Ust (2B), Jeff Felker (1B), Jeff Perconte (RF platoon)
1998 – Alec Porzel (LF)
1999 – Steve Stanley (CF), Paul O’Toole (C), Andrew Bushey (3B)
2000 – Brian Stavisky (RF)
2001 – Steve Sollmann (2B)
2002 – Matt Macri (SS,injured)
2003 – Craig Cooper (LF), Cody Rizzo (RF), Greg Lopez (3B), Steve Andres (DH)
2004 – none (Danny Dressman later started 28 games)
2005 – Brett Lilley (2B/3B), Ross Brezovsky (3B/2B)
2006 – none (Jeremy Barnes later had 55 GS)
2007 – Billy Boockford (RF), A.J. Pollock (3B), Michael Wright (LF)
2008 – David Casey (DH), Mick Doyle (3B)
2009 – None
2010 – None (2B Frank Desico later had 47 GS and Adam Norton had 31)
2011 – Eric Jagielo (1B) (1B Trey Mancini later had 52 GS)
2012 – Mac Hudgins (CF), Phil Mosey (3B), Ryan Bull (DH)
2013 – James Nevant (RF), Lane Richards (SS) Zak Kutsulis (LF)

NOTABLE ALUMNI — Notre Dame’s 901 baseball monogram winners include several in successful administrative careers: recently retired Notre Dame Alumni Association executive director Chuck Lennon (C; 1960-61); former Notre Dame assistant vice president for special events Jim Gibbons (P/OF; 1952-53); former U.S. Congressman from Ohio Ron Mottl (RHP; 1955); former Mid-American Conference commissioner Rick Chryst (OF; 1981-83); former Xavier associate vice president/athletic director and current Georgia Tech athletic director Mike Bobinski (P; 1978-79); recent Indiana governor Joe Kernan (C; 1967-68); Major League Baseball executive John McHale (1B; 1943); and former Notre Dame athletics director Dick Rosenthal (1B; 1952-53).

MLB CONNECTIONS — In addition to several current Major League players who honed their craft with the Irish baseball program, a number of Notre Dame graduates have served as top executives in Major League Baseball: Cleveland Indians owner and CEO Lawrence Dolan (’54, ’56 Notre Dame Law), Indians president Paul Dolan (’83), MLB senior VP of operations/former Arizona Diamondbacks GM/VP Joe Garagiola, Jr. (’72), Oakland A’s president Mike Crowley (’85), retired Los Angeles Dodgers VP of External Affairs Tommy Hawkins (’59, Notre Dame basketball star), MLB Executive VP of Administration John McHale (’71), MLB Director of Special Events Brian O’Gara (’89) and former Tampa Bay owner/CEO/VP Vince Naimoli (’59).

u Brad Lidge ranked as one of MLB’s top rookies in his first full season with the Houston Astros and was the winning pitcher in the historic no-hitter versus the New York Yankees on June 11, 2003 – the first no hitter versus the Yankees since 1958 (6,980 games). Lidge set the NL record for strikeouts by a reliever in 2004 and currently pitches for the Washington Nationals. Six other recent Irish hurlers have pitched in MLB, including Aaron Heilman (’01) with the N.Y. Mets, Chicago Cubs and Arizona Diamondbacks, Jeff Samardzija (’06) with the Chicago Cubs, Jeff Manship (’06) with the Minnesota Twins, John Axford with the San Francisco Giants and Milwaukee Brewers, Christian Parker and David Phelps with the Yankees and Kyle Weiland (’09) with the Boston Red Sox, while two early-1990s Notre Dame players – INF Craig Counsell (’92) and LHP Chris Michalak (’93) – have played for multiple MLB teams.
u Notre Dame had seven former players appear in a MLB game in 2012, including Axford (Brewers), Lidge (Phillies), Manship (Twins), Samardzija (Cubs), Weiland (Red Sox), Phelps (Yankees) and A.J. Pollock (Diamondbacks).
u The remaining 10 members of the BIG EAST Conference had 14 former players participate in a MLB game in 2012.
u Phelps (’08) made his big league debut for the New York Yankees on Apr. 8, 2012, against the Tampa Bay Rays. Phelps then tossed 2.1 perfect innings of relief with four strikeouts against the Baltimore Orioles on Apr. 10.
u Pollock (’09) made his big league debut for the Arizona Diamondbacks on Apr. 18, 2012, against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He started in centerfield and batted seventh in the order.
u A total of 73 all-time former Notre Dame players have suited up in a MLB uniform – more than any other BIG EAST school and tied for fifth-most in Division I history.

IRISH PICKED THIRD BY BIG EAST COACHES — Notre Dame was picked to finish third in the 2013 BIG EAST preseason baseball poll, as determined by a vote of the league’s 11 head coaches. The Irish received a total of 81 points.

PLENTY OF WAYS TO FOLLOW THE IRISH — Notre Dame baseball fans will have several options for tracking the 2013 season on a game-by-game basis, through live streaming video (home games), live-audio broadcasts, Live Blogs (home games), GameTracker live stats, free Irish Alert text messages and Twitter (@NDBaseball, @NDsidBertschy) & Facebook (NDBaseball) pages.
u Live radio broadcasts are available in the South Bend area on WHME 103.1 FM (Notre Dame baseball is part of a small percentage of programs in the nation with its entire season airing live on a commercial station). All games are streamed live on und.com, with the links posted on the bottom of the und.com main page. The online broadcasts are free of charge, as part of a quick signup with Fighting Irish All-Access (which includes archives or all audio and video content). See All-Access signup link via the multimedia gold button at the top of each und.com page.
u Irish ALERT free text-message updates are available to your cell phone or other mobile devices. See link at the top of the baseball page under multimedia tab at und.com.
u GameTracker live stats are provided for every game (based on internet availability). When Notre Dame is on the road, the home team typically provides the live stats – with bonus GameTracker stats also provided by the Notre Dame SID office for select road games.
u Complete coverage of each and every Irish home game through live streaming video.

Irish On Your Radio Dial ­– Beginning with the 2008-09 athletics year, the Notre Dame athletics department announced it had partnered with the LeSEA Broadcasting Network, making WHME / Harvest 103.1 FM the new radio home of Notre Dame baseball in the South Bend market.
u Baseball game broadcasts also continue to be streamed live and free of charge on Notre Dame’s official athletics web site (www.UND.com) through the Fighting Irish All-Access multimedia package.