May 3, 2011
THE MATCHUP
Notre Dame (16-21-1) vs. Michigan (13-28)
Wilpon Complex – Frank Eck Stadium
PROBABLE PITCHERS
Tuesday (6:35 p.m.)
RHP Adam Norton (2-1, 4.13 ERA) vs. LHP Matt Broder (1-1, 7.41 ERA)
Wednesday (5:35 p.m.)
LHP Anthony McIver (1-4, 3.03 ERA) vs. LHP Logan McAnallen (0-2, 4.91 ERA)
LIVE GAME COVERAGE
Live Video: BigTenNetwork.com; UND.com
Live Audio: WHME 103.1 FM (Chuck Freeby, pbp); UND.com
Live Stats: UND.com
WEATHER REPORT
Tuesday, May 3
Showers
High 52, Low 38
Wednesday, May 4
Partly Cloudy
High 58, Low 40
IN THE BATTERS BOX — Notre Dame opens a home-and-home two-game series with rival Michigan at 6:35 p.m. ET on Tuesday, May 3 at the Wilpon Complex. The Irish and Wolverines will face off at 5:35 p.m. on Wednesday at Frank Eck Stadium. Each game will be broadcast live on WHME Harvest 103.1 FM and will be available online at UND.com.
AROUND THE HORN – Senior RHP Brian Dupra and senior RHP Cole Johnson have been saddled with awful run support the entire season. Dupra (2.42) and Johnson (2.78) rank sixth and 11th, respectively, in the BIG EAST in ERA, but the duo has combined for a 5-11 record. Notre Dame has scored a grand total of 66 runs over Dupra and Johnson’s 22 combined starts or just 3.00 per game. That even includes the 19 runs the Irish managed in Johnson’s first start of 2011. Taking out that start, Notre Dame has averaged 2.24 runs in games started by the senior tandem.
- Johnson, who received 19 runs of support in his first start of 2011, has benefitted from a total of 19 runs over his last 10 starts of the season combined.
- The lack of run support has been worse in BIG EAST action for Dupra. He has surrendered 12 earned runs in 44.0 innings over six appearances (good for a 2.45 ERA), but owns an 0-3 record.
- Notre Dame’s starting pitching has continued to carry the Irish. The staff has a 3.11 ERA in 252.0 innings of work and opponents are batting just .259, but the bullpen has been even better. The Irish relief corps has posted a 2.41 ERA in 93.1 innings and opponents are hitting just .240. In fact, the bullpen tossed 21.1 consecutive scoreless innings before surrendering a run this weekend against Seton Hall. Since blowing an eighth inning, 5-1, lead en route to a 6-5 loss to Pittsburgh on April 1, Notre Dame’s bullpen has a 1.32 ERA over the last 14 games (41.0 innings). The quartet of junior RHP Will Hudgins (1-0, 0.00 ERA in six appearances over 8.1 IP), freshman RHP Dan Slania (1-0, 1.80 ERA in four appearances over 5.0 IP), freshman LHP Anthony McIver (0-2, 0.90 ERA in seven appearances over 10.0 IP), freshman RHP Sean Fitzgerald (1-0, 1.93 ERA in nine appearances over 14.0 IP) and sophomore RHP Adam Norton (0-0, 3.38 ERA in two appearances over 2.2 IP) have limited foes to a .208 batting average.
- Notre Dame has played 15 games this season decided by a run. The Irish are now 7-8 in those contests after three consecutive one-run games this past weekend against Seton Hall. Notre Dame has played in six games decided by two runs and seven more decided by three runs. In all, the 28 of Notre Dame’s 38 games have been decided by three runs or less.
MICHIGAN INSIDER — The Wolverines, led by ninth year head coach Rich Maloney, enter the series with a 13-28 overall record and 6-9 mark in Big Ten action.
- Michigan is averaging 3.95 runs per game and hitting .246 with a .323 on-base percentage. The Wolverines have also totaled 61 stolen bases in 80 attempts.
- Sophomore OF Patrick Biondi leads the team with a .293 batting average, 28 runs scored and 23 stolen bases (in 27 attempts). He has also recorded 48 hits, six doubles, one triple and 14 RBI. Freshman OF Michael O’Neill is hitting .291 with 22 runs scored, 48 hits, five doubles, two triples, two home runs and 21 RBI. He has swiped 21 bases (in 27 attempts). Junior C Coley Crank provides most of the Wolverines power. He is batting .272 with 22 runs scored, 40 hits, 13 doubles, one triple, five home runs and 23 RBI. Crank leads Michigan in doubles, home runs and RBI, but also leads the team with 43 strikeouts. The Wolverines have struck out 319 times this season.
- Michigan’s pitching staff has a 5.16 ERA and .292 opponents’ batting average along with 254 strikeouts and 184 walks in 363.0 innings of work. The Wolverines average 4.56 walks and 6.30 strikeouts per nine innings. Redshirt sophomore LHP Matt Broder will start Tuesday for Michigan. Broder is 1-1 with a 7.41 ERA in 17.0 innings of work over 10 appearances, one start. He has allowed 14 runs, all earned, on 22 hits and his opponents are hitting .361 against him. Broder has struck out eight and walked 11. Redshirt LHP Logan McAnallen will take the mound on Wednesday. He is 0-2 with a 4.91 ERA in 18.1 innings of work over 11 appearances, one start. McAnallen has allowed 10 runs, all earned, on 16 hits and his opponents are hitting .250 against him. He has struck out 18 and walked 14. Junior RHP Kevin Vangheluwe (2-0, 2.79 ERA in 11 appearances), freshman RHP Jake Engels (1-3, 4.50 ERA in 13 appearances), sophomore RHP Ben Ballantine (1-1, 5.82 ERA in 12 appearances), freshman RHP Alex Lakatos (2-2, 6.14 ERA in 13 appearances) and redshirt senior RHP Matt Gerbe (0-0, 6.28 ERA in eight appearances) makeup the Wolverine bullpen.
- Michigan has committed 54 errors in 41 games and fields .967.
NOTRE DAME-MICHIGAN SERIES NOTES — Notre Dame and Michigan are set to meet for the 126th and 127th time this week. The Irish and Wolverines have played one another 18 times over the last 17 seasons, including two regular season meetings each of the last three seasons.
- Michigan leads the all-time series, 81-44, and has captured six of the last seven meetings dating back to 2005. The Irish had won four of five and six of eight prior to the recent stretch.
- Last year, Notre Dame made its first visit to Ann Arbor since 1977. In fact, Michigan and Notre Dame had played on a neutral site in 15 of its previous 17 meetings before a 2009 doubleheader in South Bend.
- Notre Dame’s first varsity baseball game came against Michigan on April 21, 1892 (a 6-4 Irish win).
- Notre Dame is 8-10 again Michigan during the previous 16 previous seasons, including a 6-6 mark at Old Kent/Fifth Third Park.
- The Wolverines won an epic game at Old Kent Park in 1996 (7-6, in 16 innings) while the Irish posted an 8-3 home win over the Wolverines late in the 1996 season. Michigan won the 1997 game at OKP (5-3), with all the Wolverine runs being unearned after Notre Dame made three errors in the seventh inning.
- The 9-1 victory for the Irish in 1998 featured Tim Kalita’s dominating 7.1 innings (2 H, UER, 3 BB, 5 Ks).
- Notre Dame then won the 1999 game at OKP (14-4) before Michigan beat the Irish in the 1999 NCAAs (11-5) at Eck Stadium.
- In 2000, the Notre Dame’s victory (5-4, in 11 innings) saw Matt Nussbaum plate the tying run in the 9th before making the game-ending tag at the plate.
- Peter Ogilvie’s complete game (5 H, R, BB, 6 Ks) won the 2002 game, 9-1, for the Irish.
- Michigan then won in 2003 (8-4) before Notre Dame took the 2004 meeting (7-3), with the Wolverines then edging the Irish in 2005 (7-6) and again in 2006 (3-1).
— ND —