April 26, 2016

By Russell Dorn

Midweek Game #9: Indiana
April 26, 2016
7 p.m. (ET)
Victory Field (Indianapolis, Indiana)

Team Information:

Notre Dame: 23-15, 9-10 ACC (37-23, 17-13 ACC In 2015)
2015 Postseason: 1-2 @ ACC Tourney & 1-2 @ NCAA Champaign Regional

Indiana: 23-15, 8-4 Big Ten (35-24, 12-10 Big Ten In 2015)
2015 Postseason: 2-2 @ Big Ten Tournament / 1-2 @ NCAA Nashville Regional

Rankings: Neither Team Ranked

Game Coverage (Links on UND.com/NDBaseball):
TV: HTSN In Central @ Southern Indiana
Live Audio: WatchND & WHME 103.1 FM in South Bend (Chuck Freeby, pbp)
Live Stats: Gametracker
Twitter Reports: @NDBaseball

Projected Pitching Matchup:
ND LHP Michael Hearne (5-0, 2.25 ERA) vs. IU RHP Luke Stephenson (1-0, 3.50 ERA)

Weather Report (as of Tuesday, April 26):
Tuesday, April 26: 73 Degrees & Thunderstorms (75%)

Series History: Notre Dame leads 67-32-1
Aoki vs. Indiana: 0-3 (0-2 @ Columbia, 0-1 @ ND)
First Meeting: 5/26/1898: W, 10-1 – Home

Last Four Meetings:
4/21/2015: L, 6-5 – Neutral (Indianapolis)
3/1/1998: W, 6-5 – Neutral (Evansville, Indiana)
3/15/1996: W, 10-4 – Neutral (San Antonio)
3/28/1995: W, 12-3 – Away

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 101^st time.

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 99 other times since that first meeting May 26, 1898 when Notre Dame took home a 10-1 victory.

The last meeting came just a year ago, as the two teams played at Victory Field for the first time. The Hoosiers won the game by scoring three runs in the ninth inning behind two Notre Dame errors.

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.

—

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

1. The reigning Atlantic Coast Conference Pitcher of the Week, senior LHP Michael Hearne will take the mound for Notre Dame against the Hoosiers ââ’¬¦ Hearne sports a 5-0 record and 2.25 ERA in nine appearances and 52.0 innings this season ââ’¬¦ in his last two starts he has a complete-game win over Valparaiso and a complete-game shutout win at No. 21 Michigan State under his belt ââ’¬¦ in his last three starts, Hearne has a 3-0 record with a 0.72 ERA ââ’¬¦ in those three appearances he has pitched 25.0 innings, scattered 14 hits, allowed two runs, walked just two batters and struck out 10 while holding opponents to a .163 batting average.

2. Tuesday marks a homecoming of sorts for several Irish players who came to Notre Dame from the Indianapolis area ââ’¬¦ junior Kyle Fiala (Carmel), senior Connor Hale (Carmel), senior Nick McCarty (Westfield) and freshman Nick Podkul (Schererville) all call the Indy area home.

3. Over the last 10 games, the Irish offense has been particularly potent, scoring six or more runs six times in helping the Irish to a 7-3 record ââ’¬¦ as a team they are batting .283 with 26 extra-base hits, 48 RBI, 33 walks and 12 stolen bases in the 10 games ââ’¬¦ four players are batting over .315 during that stretch, including Jake Shepski and Ricky Sanchez, who are both hitting .368, and Fiala, who is batting .361.

4. The Hoosiers enter the game having won 11 of their last 13 contests, including taking a series at Michigan State this weekend ââ’¬¦ IU beat the Spartans 3-2 and 8-4 and lost 9-0 ââ’¬¦ ND beat MSU on the road last Tuesday, 1-0, on the strength of Hearne’s performance ââ’¬¦ freshman Luke Stephenson will take the bump against Notre Dame ââ’¬¦ he has 10 strikeouts in 18.0 innings and nine appearances (4 starts) this season.

—

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–