March 27, 2014
ACC Series 4: Wake Forest
March 28-30
8:05 p.m. / 2:05 p.m. (CT) / 1:05 p.m.
Four Winds Field (South Bend) – Friday / Sunday
U.S. Steel Yard (Gary, Ind.) – Saturday
Team Information:
Notre Dame: 9-14, 1-8 ACC (34-24, 10-14 BIG EAST In 2013)
Postseason: Lost to UConn in BIG EAST Final
Wake Forest: 16-10, 5-4 ACC (28-27, 9-20 ACC In 2013)
Postseason: Did not qualify for ACC Tournament
Rankings:
Neither Team Ranked
Projected Pitching Matchups:
G1: RHP Sean Fitzgerald (3-1) vs. RHP Jack Fischer (2-2)
G2: RHP Pat Connaughton (0-0) vs. LHP John McLeod (3-1)
G3: LHP Michael Hearne (1-2) vs. Connor Kaden (2-2)
Series History:
ND trails 2-4
First Meeting: L, home, 4-1 (6/17/1949)
Last Meeting: W, neutral, 2-1 (13) (3/2/2003)
Aoki vs. Wake Forest: 9-4 (0-1 at Columbia, 9-3 at BC)
Live Game Coverage:
Live Video: Watch ND (Fri. / Sun.) / None (Sat.)
Live Audio: WHME 103.1 FM (Chuck Freeby, pbp) or
WatchND (Links on UND.com)
Live Stats: Link on UND.com
Twitter Reports: @ND Baseball / @NDsidRuss
Weather Report (as of Thursday, March 27):
Friday, March 28: 37 Degrees and Mostly Cloudy
Saturday, March 29: 38 Degrees and Partly Cloudy
Sunday, March 30: 56 Degrees and Sunny
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – After a 4-1 Wednesday victory over in-state foe Valparaiso, the University of Notre Dame baseball team gets back to Atlantic Coast Conference action this weekend as it welcomes in the Wake Forest Demon Deacons for a three-game set.
Game one, which features Irish RHP Sean Fitzgerald (3-1, 2.40 ERA) and Wake Forest RHP Jack Fischer (2-2, 3.14 ERA), gets underway at 8:05 p.m. Friday at Four Winds Field in South Bend and can be followed through WatchND’s free live video stream.
Saturday the two teams will move the series to the U.S. Steel Yard in Gary, Ind., for a 2:05 p.m. (CT) game that will see RHP Pat Connaughton (0-0, 2.70 ERA) go toe-to-toe with LHP John McLeod (3-1, 2.29 ERA). WatchND’s radio broadcast with Chuck Freeby on the call will be live in Gary.
The series will finish up at 1:05 p.m. Sunday at Four Winds Field as Notre Dame LHP Michael Hearne (1-2, 1.56 ERA) battles Wake Forest RHP Connor Kaden (2-2, 2.61 ERA). Another free live video stream will be available through UND.com and WatchND.
Notre Dame (9-14, 1-8 ACC) is looking to shake off the sting of several close losses that have littered the ACC slate as evidenced by five defeats in eight ACC games that have been decided by two runs or less.
The Irish bats continue to search for consistency as they are hitting just .186 as a team during league games. Junior Blaise Lezynski (.321) and sophomore Ricky Sanchez (.300) are the only two players batting over .300 for league contests.
On the mound, Hearne has a 0-2 record but a miniscule 0.54 ERA in ACC contests, while the Irish staff sport a 3.28 ERA in the nine ACC games.
Wake Forest (16-10, 5-4 ACC) has already won five league games this year after only notching nine victories last season. The Demon Deacons won a road series against perennial ACC power Georgia Tech, took one game against top-25 team Clemson and won two-of-three at Boston College.
Similar to the Irish, the Demon Deacons sport a .253 batting average and a 3.41 ERA. Four players hit over .300, while the top three pitchers have under a 3.15 ERA.
The two squads have met on the diamond before but only six times. The first meeting saw the Irish lose a 4-1 affair in 1949, while the last meeting was 11 years ago in 2003, with Notre Dame bringing home a 2-1 victory in 13 innings.
Links to follow all three games are available through UND.com. For more information on Notre Dame baseball follow the Irish on Twitter (@NDBaseball) and Facebook (/NDBaseball).
–Russell Dorn, Assistant Media Relations Director
–ND–