March 18, 2016

Weekend Notes

By Russell Dorn

ACC Weekend #2:
NC State Series
March 18-20, 2016
6:30 p.m. / 6:30 p.m. / 12 p.m. / (All ET)
Doak Field at Dail Park (Raleigh, N.C.)

Team Information:

Notre Dame: 7-8, 0-3 ACC (37-23, 17-13 ACC In 2015)
2015 Postseason: 1-2 @ ACC Tourney & 1-2 @ NCAA Champaign Regional

NC State: 14-5, 1-2 ACC (36-23, 15-14 ACC In 2015)
2015 Postseason: 3-1 @ ACC Tournament (Lost In Championship) / 2-2 @ NCAA Fort Worth Regional

Rankings:
NC State – Between #13 & #23 in all 6 major polls

Game Coverage:
Live Video: ESPN3 (Links On UND.com)
Live Audio: WatchND (Michael Coulter, pbp)
Live Stats: Statbroadcast (Links on UND.com)
Twitter Reports: @NDBaseball

Projected Pitching Matchups:
G1: RHP Ryan Smoyer (1-2, 2.30 ERA) vs. RHP Joe OíDonnell (2-1, 3.32 ERA)
G2: LHP Sean Guenther (1-2, 2.92 ERA) vs. LHP Brian Brown (2-0, 3.38 ERA)
G3: LHP Scott Tully (1-2, 5.59 ERA) vs. RHP Johnny Piedmonte (0-2, 3.38 ERA)

Series History: NC State leads 6-2
In ACC Series Play: NC State leads 4-2
In ACC Tournament Play: NC State leads 1-0
Aoki vs. NC State: 7-12 (5-7 @ BC / 2-5 @ ND)
First Meeting: 1/31/1998: L, 10-8 – Neutral

Last Four Meetings:
5/21/15: L, 3-0 – Neutral
4/18/15: W, 7-2 – Home
4/18/15: L, 4-2 (14) – Home
4/17/15: W, 2-0 – Home

Weather Report (as of Thursday, March 17):
Friday, March 18: 73/51 & Partly Cloudy
Saturday, March 19: 63/43 & Partly Cloudy (20%)
Sunday, March 20: 50/37 & Showers (50%)

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame baseball team continues its tough early-season schedule this weekend with a three-game set at No. 13 NC State.

After playing a competitive three-game series at No. 4 Louisville last weekend and taking down Toledo 10-3 in their home opener Wednesday, the Irish (7-8, 0-3 ACC) look to turn the corner against the Wolfpack (14-5, 1-2 ACC).

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Here’s what you need to know before the three-game series gets underway at 6:30 p.m. (ET) Friday.

1. The Notre Dame offense came alive in Wednesday’s 10-3 victory over Toledo in the home opener for the Irish. Nine different players were part of a 12-hit day as Notre Dame scored three runs in the second inning, four in the fourth and three in the sixth to reach double digits for the first time since a 13-2 victory over Incarnate Word February 27.

2. Always a strong point for the program, Irish pitching is starting to find some consistency heading into conference play. Starters Ryan Smoyer & Sean Guenther both tallied quality starts at No. 4 Louisville last weekend and senior Michael Hearne delivered five innings of one-run baseball in Wednesday’s victory over the Rockets. Smoyer has three quality starts in four outings this year while Guenther has two in as many chances. Sunday starter Scott Tully posted a 3.47 ERA in five starts (23.1 IP) in 2015 and is making his first start of 2016 after seven appearances out of the bullpen to start the season.

3. Sophomore Jake Johnson has shown a knack for getting on base during his short Irish career. After starting his freshman year with a 19 game on-base streak, the Atlanta product has put together a 14 game on-base streak to start 2016. He has reached base in 34 of 39 career games and has at least one hit in 13 of 14 games this season. In the one game he didn’t record a hit, the left-handed hitter walked twice and scored a run against Bucknell March 5.

4. A couple of odds & ends … Notre Dame has yet to record a save this season, which is a little weird until you consider the following: In seven wins, the Irish have four walk offs and three convincing victories (5-0 over Santa Clara, 13-2 over Incarnate Word and 10-3 over Toledo). Notre Dame is 5-0 when scoring at least six runs this year, but just 2-8 when scoring five runs or less. The Irish are 4-0 when taking a lead into the sixth, seventh or eighth innings.

5. In the same division in the ACC, the Irish and Wolfpack are starting to get very familiar with one another. The two schools first met as part of the league regular season schedule in 2014, with the Wolfpack sweeping the Irish in Raleigh. Notre Dame gained a measure of revenge with a series win at Frank Eck Stadium last season. Highlighting the series was a wild 4-2 Wolfpack win in 14 innings in game one of a Saturday doubleheader. The two teams ended up playing 23 innings that day with Notre Dame closing out the series with a 7-2 victory in the nightcap after shutting out the visitors 2-0 in Friday night’s contest. Later in the season the two teams met in the ACC Tournament with the Wolfpack shutting out the Irish, 3-0, in pool play.

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For more information on the Notre Dame baseball, 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–