March 31, 2006

Game Program in PDF Format
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**Note – see PDF for complete game program, including team roster and stat pages, stat comparison chart, probable starting rotations, action photos and headshots, team and series notes, and BIG EAST standings and stat leaders. **

THE SERIES – ND holds a 23-8 edge in the series vs. Pitt (9-3 at Eck Stadium; 3-0 at BIG EAST Tournament), including 18-8 in the Paul Mainieri era … Pitt beat ND five straight times spanning the ’03-’05 seasons but the Irish then won each of the past three (21-1 at Pitt and twice at the ’05 BET, 4-2 and 11-4) … this weekend marks the first ND-Pitt games at Eck Stadium since ’03 … the teams played a wild game in 2000 at Eck Stadium, with Pitt winning 22-18 (49 combined hits, 66 baserunners, 38 players, 8 HRs, just one error and all but one run were earned) … Pitt led 12-5 in the 6th and ND scored 13 straight for an 18-12 lead, but Pitt then scored 10 in the top of the 9th (with 2 HRs from Brant Colamarino) … Alec Porzel hit for the cycle, set the ND record for hits in a game (6) and had 2 HRs (one inside-the-park) … Pitt’s 30 hits tied a BIG EAST record and included four players with 4 each … the 40 combined runs were the most in a game involving ND in 100 years.

SERIES STATS – Top ND career hitters vs. Pitt include: Craig Cooper (.407, 11-for-27, 7 RBI, 8 R, 3 HR, 2B, 3 BB), Matt Bransfield (.400, 6-for-15, 6 RBI, 4 R, 2 HR, 2B, BB) and Cody Rizzo (.373, 11-for-29, 6 RBI, 9 R, 3 HR, 2B, 2 BB, 2 SB) … Jeff Samardzija has won all three of his career starts vs. Pitt (5.40 ERA, 16.2 IP, 19 H, 8 BB, 14 Ks, 2 WP, HB) but Tom Thornton is 0-2 in 2 GS (12.16, 6.2 IP, 15 H, 0 BB, 4 Ks) … Jeff Manship has yet to face the Panthers … Mike Dury has logged three shutout relief outings vs. Pitt (5.1 IP, H, 2 BB, 5 Ks, save) … seven Pitt players in this weekend’s series have combined to bat .167 (6-for-36) in their careers vs. Samardzija: Jim Negrych (2-for-7, RBI, 3 BB, SB), Jimmy Mayer (1-for-5, RBI, R, BB, SAC), Sean Conley (1-for-6, K), David Cline (1-for-4, RBI, K), Dan Williams (1-for-4, R, 2 BB), Jeff Stevens (0-for-6, HBP, 3 Ks) and Edgard Sucre (0-for-4, 2 Ks).

THE 2005 GAMES – Pitt won a home doubleheader vs. ND in ’05 (1-4, 5-8), as Ben Copeland and Jim Negrych (3-for-4, 5 RBI, 2 HR) combined to bat 8-for-12 with 9 RBI and 3 HRs … Billy Muldowney (7 IP/CG, 8 H, 2 BB, 5 Ks) and Rob Brant (6 IP, 3 R, 6 H, 4 BB, 7 Ks) had the wins, as ND scored just 6-of-30 baserunners … a key moment in ND’s ’05 season came in the Monday makeup, as the Irish plated 21-of-28 baserunners for a 21-1 win (ND returned home to upset USC the next day, swept WVU, won a fourth straight BET title and advanced to an NCAA Regional final for the sixth straight season) … ND’s 18-hit attack (4 HRs) included top games from Ross Brezovsky (4-for-4, RBI, 4 R, HR, BB), Craig Cooper (3-for-5, 5 RBI, 4 R, 2 HR) and Greg Lopez (3-for-5, 3 RBI, R) … Cody Rizzo homered for the second time in the series (3-run shot) and reached base nine times in the series (5-for-8, BB, 3 HBP, 2 HR) … Jeff Samardzija (6 IP, R, 2 H, 3 BB, 4 Ks) combined with Mike Dury and Joey Williamson for a 2-hitter … the 21 runs are the 3rd-most by an ND team in the 12-year Paul Mainieri era (most ever in a BIG EAST game and first time ND ever won a BIG EAST game by more than 15 runs) … ND beat Pitt in the 2005 BET winners-bracket game (4-2), with Samardzija again picking up the win (6.2 IP, 2 R/1 ER, 6 H, 3 BB, 6 Ks) while Matt Edwards hit 2-for-4 (R) and Steve Andres hit a 2-run HR … Muldowney took the loss (8 IP, 4 R/2 ER, 8 H, 6 Ks) … Edwards (2-run HR, RBI 2B) then capped his tourney MVP effort as ND won the rematch vs. Pitt in the BET title game, 11-4 … Rizzo (2-run HR), Andres (2 2B, 2 RBI), Sean Gaston (3B, R) and Brett Lilley (2 RBI) helped bring home the title, with Dan Kapala picking up the win (5.2 IP, 4 R/3 ER, 5 B, 3 BB, 5 Ks) and Dury the save, after a 2-hour rain delay (3.1 IP, H, BB) … Don Rhoten had the loss (2 IP, 6 R, 5 H, K).

IRISH NOTES – Last Sunday’s 6-3 game vs. Georgetown was Paul Mainieri’s 500th win in 11-plus seasons at ND (now 502-204-2; 833-483-3 overall in 24 seasons) … the Mainieri era has included an average of 44-plus wins per season, eight trips to the NCAAs, eight conference titles, 43 players who have been drafted or signed as free-agents, 12 All-America seasons and nine Academic All-America honors (all 63 of his four-year players have graduated and 11 who signed professionally as juniors have returned to complete or near completion of their undergraduate requirements) … the Irish played 17 of their first 20 on the road but now are playing 19 of 22 at home … 30% of ND’s RBI this season has come from the #8 and #9 hitters (mostly Greg Lopez and Cody Rizzo) … Lopez led ND by batting 6-for-12 (6 RBI) in the Georgetown series … Rizzo is batting .367 with runners in scoring position … ND has scored 1st inning runs in six straight games and owns a 23-5 scoring margin in the 1st … Craig Cooper has reached in 12-of-13 leadoff plate appearances in the first inning (HR, 3 2B, 3 1B, 4 BB, HBP) and owns a team-best .615 on-base pct. when leading off any inning (16-of-26) … Rizzo is tied for 3rd in NCAA history with 74 career HBPs … Brett Lilley’s 39 career HBP are 2nd in ND history … Alex Nettey’s BIG EAST-leading 12 HBP put him on pace to be the third ND player to set the team record in the past four seasons (Rizzo 28 in ’03, Lilley 30 in ’05) … ND has opened on the road in nine of its 11 BIG EAST seasons (7-4 in BIG EAST openers) … ND has posted 15-plus hits four times this season … Cooper’s nine-game hit streak ended vs. CMU (0-for-1, 3 BB, SF) … Wade Korpi has 25 Ks and just 6 BB in 17.1 IP (32 Ks, 33 BB in 54.1 in ’05) … ND’s top four starting pitchers – Tom Thornton, Jeff Manship, Jeff Samardzija and Wade Korpi – have combined for a 2.57 ERA, .228 opp. avg., 3.5 K/walk ratio (109/31) and 19 more innings (119) than hits allowed (100) in 19 starts.

TALE OF THE TAPE

2005 Final Records – ND 38-24-1, Pitt 21-31
Lettermen Ret./Lost – ND 21/7, Pitt 22/6

Current Stats (BIG EAST rank in parentheses)
Batting Average – ND (3) .298, Pitt (10) .263
Runs Per 9 Innings – ND (7) 6.2, (6) 6.3
Home Runs – ND (8) 8, Pitt (5) 17
Slugging Percentage – ND (5) .395, (10) .371
Batters’ BB+HBP-K Margin – ND +12, Pitt -73
On-Base Percentage – ND (4) .393, Pitt (10) .358
Stolen Bases – ND (4) 28-47, Pitt (2) 41-51
Stolen Base Percentage – ND .596, Pitt .804
Team ERA – ND (3) 3.21, Pitt (6) 3.98
Opponent Batting Average – ND (3) .238, Pitt (4) .253
Pitchers’ K-BB Ratio – ND 2.7, Pitt 2.5
Pitchers’ Ks Per 9 Innings – ND 8.0, Pitt 8.7
Pitchers’ BB Per 9 Innings – ND 3.0, Pitt 3.5
Fielding Pct. (Errors) – ND (4) .972 (24), Pitt (11).953 (43)
Double Plays Turned – ND (9) 16, Pitt (5) 21
Record at Home – ND 3-1, Pitt 0-4
Record on Road (incl. neutral)- ND 11-7, Pitt 2-8
Record in One-Run Games – ND 1-2, Pitt 2-1
Record in Extra Innings – ND 0-2, Pitt 0-1