Senior Kelsey Thornton

Irish Meet Northwestern, Toledo In Midweek Contests

April 9, 2013

NW/Toledo Notes Get Acrobat Reader

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame softball team continues its string of 13 games in 14 days with a pair of midweek games, traveling to Northwestern Tuesday at 4 p.m. (CT) before hosting Toledo Wednesday at 5 p.m. inside Melissa Cook Stadium.

The Irish (26-9, 7-1 BIG EAST) are coming off a 4-1 week in conference play that saw series wins over Georgetown and Villanova. Notre Dame leads the BIG EAST in four major offensive categories.

Fans can follow live stats for both games via CBS GameTracker by visiting UND.com. Live video will also be available for Wednesday’s matchup with Toledo through the Notre Dame Athletics YouTube page.

For updates throughout the week, follow the Irish on Twitter @NDsoftball and @NDcoachGumpf.

Notre Dame at Northwestern
April 9
Sharon J. Drysdale Field
Evanston, Ill.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish
(26-9 overall)

Northwestern Wildcats
(19-14 overall; NU leads all-time series 11-7)

Notre Dame vs. Toledo
April 10
Melissa Cook Stadium
Notre Dame, Ind.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish
(26-9 overall)

Toledo Rockets
(8-22 overall; ND leads all-time series 16-0)

Notre Dame Weekly Schedule
Notre Dame at Northwestern – Tuesday, 4 p.m. (CT)
Notre Dame vs. Toledo – Wednesday, 5 p.m. (ET)/UND.com
Notre Dame vs. Rutgers (Strikeout Cancer) – Saturday, noon (ET)/UND.com
Notre Dame vs. Rutgers (Strikeout Cancer) – Saturday, 2 p.m. (ET)/UND.com
Notre Dame vs. Rutgers – Sunday, noon (ET)/UND.com

IRISH SLAP HITS

– Notre Dame makes a one-day trip to Northwestern for a 4 p.m. (CT) first pitch Tuesday before returning home to host Toledo Wednesday at 5 p.m. (ET) inside Melissa Cook Stadium.

– The Irish won their third straight BIG EAST series with a 9-3 triumph over Villanova Sunday at Melissa Cook Stadium. Notre Dame went 4-1 in conference play last week, sweeping Georgetown during a Wednesday doubleheader. The Irish outscored opponents a combined 36-10 in those five contests, and hold a 66-10 run edge in eight BIG EAST games (7-1 record).

– With its 8-2 game one win last Wednesday at Georgetown, Notre Dame won the 1,000th game in program history. In 25 seasons of competition, the Irish are a combined 1,003-447-3 (.692).

– For the third straight week, Emilee Koerner claimed the number one slot in individual batting average in the NCAA national statistics rankings. Koerner is currently hitting at a .513 clip. She also ranks second in doubles per game (0.46), ninth in slugging percentage (.920) and 11th in on-base percentage (.556) amongst Division I peers entering the week.

– Notre Dame leads the BIG EAST Conference in team batting average (.330), slugging percentage (.522), triples (8) and stolen bases (54 on 64 attempts). The Irish rank second in on-base percentage (.395), runs (208), hits (317), RBI (183), doubles (61), home runs (36) and batters struck out (261).

Jenna Simon received her second BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll citation of the season Monday. Simon led all Notre Dame hitters who had at least 10 plate appearances last week with a .533 batting average (8-for-15). The second baseman chipped in a double, triple, four RBI, three stolen bases and team-high six runs scored during Notre Dame’s 4-1 BIG EAST swing.

Amy Buntin has reached base in a team-high 15 consecutive games. The 2012 All-American is batting .415 (17-for-41) with one home run, 13 RBI and 12 runs scored in her last 15 starts. Buntin’s on-base percentage of .480 ranks second on the team during the stretch (Emilee Koerner, .607).

Millennium Mark
Notre Dame’s 8-2 victory over Georgetown in game one last Wednesday was the 1,000th win in program history. The Irish needed only 1,449 games to reach the milestone, and have a .692 all-time winning percentage (1,003-447-3).

Head coaches Brian Boulac (1989-92, 135-90-2), Liz Miller (1993-2001, 377-156) and Deanna Gumpf (2002-present, 491-201-1) have been credited with all 1,003 team wins. Notre Dame has averaged just over 40 wins per season (40.12) during its 25-year history.

Offense In Peak Form Last 10
Notre Dame has hit its so-called ‘midseason form’ in the past 10 games. The Irish are batting .361 with 101 hits, 31 extra base hits, 62 RBI, 157 total bases and 72 runs scored during the 8-2 stretch (7-1 in the BIG EAST).

Emilee Koerner leads all Notre Dame hitters with a .543 average, 19 hits, five doubles and three home runs in her past 10 starts, while Jenna Simon has contributed a .452 batting average and a team-high 13 runs scored. Laura Winter is tied with Koerner for the home run lead (3) and has 19 RBI in her last 31 at-bats.

In fact, eight members of Notre Dame’s everyday lineup is batting .300 or above in the past 10 games, with Winter (.419) and Amy Buntin (.400) joining Koerner and Simon over the .400 plateau.

Start Strong, Finish Strong
The Irish offense has regularly set the early pace this season, outscoring opponents 43-9 and 35-12 in the first and second innings, respectively, in 35 games. Notre Dame is 13-0 when scoring at least one run in the first inning, and 21-2 when scoring the game’s first run overall.

In later innings, the Irish have continued to produce, outscoring opponents an impressive 37-4 during the sixth frame. Notre Dame is 15-2 when leading heading to the seventh inning in 2013.

Thirteen Games In 14 Days
Notre Dame is in the midst of playing a scheduled 13 games in 14 days, which began with last weekend’s three-game BIG EAST series against Villanova. The stretch is the most congested part of the 2013 Notre Dame schedule, which also included the early season tournament slate.

Split Results Against Midweek Foes
Notre Dame is 7-11 all-time against Northwestern, but defeated the Wildcats 9-1 in five innings April 4, 2012 at Melissa Cook Stadium.

Katey Haus led the Irish with two hits, including a home run, and two RBI in Notre Dame’s first win over Northwestern since the 2005 season. Laura Winter allowed one earned run in five innings in the circle, walking one and striking out seven Wildcat hitters.

Notre Dame is 16-0 against Toledo, including a 13-0 mark in games played at home. The Irish own a 128-12 cumulative run advantage in the all-time series with the Rockets, with seven of its 16 wins coming by way of a shutout.

Gumpf Nearing 500
Irish head coach Deanna Gumpf is nine wins away from becoming the first Notre Dame softball head coach to record 500 career victories (491-201-1, .710).

Gumpf’s squads have averaged nearly 41 wins (40.92) per season during her 12-year tenure at the helm of the Irish, and have won seven BIG EAST regular season and four tournament championships during that span.

–ND–