April 20, 2015
Midweek Game #7: Indiana
April 21, 2015
7 p.m. (ET)
Victory Field (Indianapolis, Ind.)
Team Information:
Notre Dame: 26-12, 11-10 ACC (22-31, 9-21 ACC In 2014)
2014 Postseason: Did not qualify for postseason
Indiana: 21-15, 5-8 Big Ten (44-15, 21-3 Big Ten In 2014)
2014 Postseason: 4-0 Big Ten Tournament (Champions)
2-2 NCAA Bloomington Regional
Rankings:
Notre Dame: No. 26 Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Top 30
Projected Pitching Matchup:
LHP Scott Tully (3-2, 2.92 ERA) vs. RHP Evan Bell (2-2, 2.08 ERA)
Series History:
Notre Dame leads 67-31-1
First Meeting: W, H, 10-1 (5/26/1898)
Last Meeting: W, N, 6-5 (3/1/1998)
Aoki vs. Indiana: 0-2 (all at Columbia)
Game Coverage:
Live Video: None
Live Audio: WatchND (Link on UND.com) &WHME 103.1 FM in South Bend (Chuck Freeby, pbp)
Live Stats: Gametracker (Link on UND.com)
Twitter Reports: @NDBaseball / @NDsidRuss
Weather Report (as of Monday, April 20):
Tuesday, April 21: 60 Degrees & Mostly Sunny
NOTRE DAME, Ind. — One of the oldest rivalries in program history will be renewed at 7 p.m. (ET) Tuesday night at Victory Field in Indianapolis, as the University of Notre Dame baseball team plays Indiana University for the 100th time, but the first time in 17 years.
First played in the same year as the birth of British author C.S. Lewis (November 29) and the signing of the Treaty of Paris that ended the Spanish-American War (December 10), the Irish and Hoosiers have met 98 other times since that first meeting May 26, 1898 when Notre Dame took home a 10-1 victory.
The last meeting came March 1, 1998, as the Irish beat IU, 6-5, in Evansville, Indiana at the Diamond Classic. All-time the Irish lead the series 67-31-1.
This year, Notre Dame (26-12) enters the game on a hot streak, as it has won 10 of its last 12 games including a series victory over NC State this past weekend that gave the Irish their third consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference series win. Starting to get plenty of positive publicity nationally, Notre Dame sits at 27th in the RPI and is ranked No. 26 in this week’s Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, having placed it right in the mix for postseason opportunities.
This year the Irish are 22-4 against teams ranked 51st or lower in the RPI and are a perfect 7-0 in neutral site games and 15-2 in non-conference contests.
Over the successful 12-game stretch, sophomore catcher Ryan Lidge (.429/.571/.574, 5 2B, 11 RBI, 10 BB) and junior first baseman Zak Kutsulis (.341/.537/.372, 2 HR, 6 R, 14 H) have been ultra steady, while the Irish defense and pitching staff have been nearly perfect. The Irish defense has committed just three errors (.994 FLD %), while the pitching staff has a slim 1.51 ERA having given up only 19 earned runs in 113.0 innings of work. They have struck out 84 batters, walked just 25 and held opponents to a .200 batting average.
Overall, the Irish defense is first in the ACC and eighth nationally in fielding percentage (.979), while sitting first and second in Division I, respectively, in double plays per game (1.26) and double plays (48), sitting just one double play behind Texas Tech for the national lead.
On the mound, the pitching staff is ranked second in the ACC and 26th nationally in WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched) with a 1.21 mark.
The last two seasons have arguably been the most successful in the history of the program for the Hoosiers, as they won back-to-back Big Ten titles, went to two NCAA Tournaments, qualifying for the 2013 College World Series where they went 1-2.
Indiana (21-15) is ranked 77th in the RPI and is looking to stop a four-game losingstreak that includes midweek losses to Indiana State (6-2) and Evansville (2-1, 14 innings) and a Big Ten sweep at nationally ranked Illinois (5-1 & 6-3).
The Hoosiers boast a .278 batting average and a 3.31 team ERA. In the Big Ten, Indiana ranks first in triples (13), third in walks allowed (81), fourth in batting average (.278) and opponent strikeouts (300), tied for fourth in home runs (22) and fifth in ERA.
At the dish, senior Scott Donley leads the team with a .350 batting average (7th — Big Ten) and 48 hits, while sophomore Craig Dedelow is second with a .302 average and 45 hits while pacing the Hoosiers with 68 total bases.
On the mound, reliever Like Harrison has a slim 0.91 ERA and a 4-0 record in 17 appearances (29.2 IP).
The Hoosiers are starting RHP Evan Bell (2-2, 2.08 ERA) against the Irish. Notre Dame is countering with sophomore LHP Scott Tully, who is 3-2 with a 2.92 ERA in 40 innings of work. He has started the last two midweek games for Notre Dame, turning in five outstanding innings to earn the win against Valparaiso (April 8) before having a tough seventh inning after six near-perfect frames against Toledo April 15) to suffer the loss.
Playing at Victory Field will be especially exciting for four Notre Dame players, as they all hail from the Indy area. Sophomore Kyle Fiala and junior Connor Hale are from Carmel, junior Nick McCarty is from Westfield, while senior Phil Mosey came to Notre Dame from Fishers.
Gates open for the Irish versus the Hoosiers at 5:30 p.m. (ET). Individual ticket prices are $8 for adults and $5 for children ages 3-14. Children two and under will be admitted for free. Notre Dame students and faculty members must show a valid school ID to receive the discount or call the Victory Field Box Office (317-269-3545). Military members must show a current military ID to receive the discount.
Group tickets are $6 for groups of 25-99 or $5 for groups of 100 or more people and must be purchased in advance.
Victory Field has a wide array of premium group areas available for rent. For more information, email the Victory Field Box Office at tickets@IndyIndians.com or call the box office (317-269-3545).
Notre Dame returns back to Frank Eck Stadium at 6:05 p.m. (ET) Wednesday night for a meeting with Chicago State (8-28-1, 2-11-1 WAC).
–Russell Dorn, Assistant Media Relations Director
–ND–