SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The Irish are back in action as they kick off the 2023 season in Nashville, Tennessee for a three-game series against the Lipscomb Bison starting on Friday, Feb. 17. John P. and Catherine Murphy Head Baseball Coach Shawn Stiffler heads into his first season at the helm of the program, looking to build on the success of the last year’s season as he takes the field with the Irish for the first time this weekend.
Friday, Feb. 17 @ Lipscomb – 2:00 PM CT (3:00 PM ET) | Live Stats | ESPN+
Probable Starters: RHP Blake Hely (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP LHP Michael Dunkelberger (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Saturday, Feb. 18 @ Lipscomb – 2:00 PM CT (3:00 PM ET) | Live Stats | ESPN+
Probable Starters: RHP Radek Birkholz (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP Ethan Smith (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Sunday, Feb. 19 @ Lipscomb – 1:00 PM CT (2:00 PM ET) | Live Stats | ESPN+
Probable Starters: RHP Jackson Dennies (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP Braydon Tucker (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Irish Open Campaign at Lipscomb
- This will be just the second time in program history that the Irish have faced the Bison. The last Irish-Bison matchup was nearly 63 years ago on April 21 in 1960, when Notre Dame defeated Lipscomb in a 7-6 road win.
- Lipscomb went 36-22 in the 2022 season, including a 20-10 finish in conference play last year. The Bison placed second in the West Division of the ASUN conference and finished their 2022 season in the ASUN Semifinals as the Bison fell 6-4 to Kennesaw State.
- The last time the Irish faced a team from ASUN was Stetson in February of 2022. The Irish defeated the Hatters 5-3 at Melching Field at Conrad Park.
Lethal Lineup is Back for 2022
- Coming off the most successful season in almost 20 years, a strong portion of the 2022 leadership returns as seven graduate students are back for another year with the Irish, four of which were every day starters.
- Graduate students Carter Putz, Zack Prajzner, Jack Zyska, and Brooks Coetzee all return to the field for the Irish.
- Putz started all 58 games and was a big piece of Notre Dame’s success last season. He also led the team in hits (81) and runs (55) and was second on the squad in doubles (13) and batting average (.339).
- Putz’s 81 hits were the most hits in a single season since 2013 when World Series Champion Trey Mancini had 89 hits on the year.
- Prajzner returns to the Irish after starting all 58 games and setting career highs in runs, hits, doubles, home runs and RBIs last season. He was also fourth on the team in hits and runs as he finished with 44 runs and 58 hits.
- Prajzner was named to the 2022 Statesboro Regional All-Tournament Team after hitting the game-tying home run in the 6-4 win over No. 22 Georgia Southern to advance to the Statesboro Regional Championship.
- Both Putz and Prajzner were also recognized by Perfect Game as two of the top 50 seniors in the country heading into the 2023 season.
- Zyska made 38 starts on the season and was a big piece of the Super Regional win over No. 1 Tennessee as he hit one of four home runs in the 8-6 win over the Volunteers in game one and set a career-high four hits against Tennessee in game two.
- He finished with 34 runs, 45 hits, 12 doubles, 13 home runs, and seven stolen bases.
- Coetzee started all 58 games and had a big year with the Irish as he set career highs in runs (42), hits (59), home runs (12), and RBI (43).
- He finished second on the team in home runs and was one of three Irish players to hit double-digit home runs last season as the Irish set the program record for home runs in a single season with 79 homers.
Findlay, Tyrell, and Mercer Return
- While the Irish lost main starters John Bertrand and Austin Temple, the Irish return Freshman All-American LHP Jack Findlay.
- Findlay capped off his freshman season as a pivotal piece of Notre Dame’s postseason success. He made 20 appearances, including eight starts, but was recognized as a big-time closer for the Irish.
- Findlay led the Irish in ERA and saves, was second in wins and third on the team in innings pitched after finishing the 2022 season with a 2.17 ERA, 54 strikeouts, and 6-2 record with four saves through 49.2 innings.
- Findlay was named a 2022 Perfect Game Second Team Freshman All-American and a 2022 Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.
- At the beginning of this year, Findlay was also recognized by Perfect Game as one of the top 50 sophomores in the country.
- Graduate student Aidan Tyrell also returns to the mound for Notre Dame.
- Tyrell made 26 appearances and had five starts for the Irish as he finished the year with a 3.75 ERA, 37 strikeouts, and a 5-2 record with two saves through 48.0 innings pitched.
- Tyrell won his first three starts of the season after allowing just one run in 16.0 innings pitched and had a string of four and five-straight appearances out of the bullpen without allowing a run.
- Graduate student Will Mercer returns for his fifth season after making 13 appearances and 3 starts in 2022.
- Mercer finished his senior year with a 4.18 ERA and a 2-1 record with one save through 23.2 innings pitched along with 24 strikeouts. He tossed a season-best 3.2 innings pitched and did not allow a run against #5 Texas A&M at the College World Series.
Newcomers
- The Irish also have 14 newcomers, featuring 10 freshmen and four grad transfers.
- Blake Hely is a graduate transfer that joined the Irish this fall after spending four years at Davidson.
- He was another Notre Dame player recognized by Perfect Game this year as one of the top 50 impact transfers in the nation. Hely was a weekend starter for the Wildcats, appearing in and starting 15 games with a 3.80 ERA and a 9-2 record after leading Davidson in 2022 with 85.1 innings pitched.
- Hely was also named Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Year, Atlantic 10 First Team, and ABCA All-Atlantic Region Team this past season.
- Hely held opponents to a .207 batting average, led the A-10 with 6.86 hits allowed per nine innings and was second in the league with 97 strikeouts.
- Graduate transfers Vincent Martinez (C) and Justin Moore (RHP) joined the Irish this fall after each of them spent four years at Stanford.
- RHP Carter Bosch is another graduate transfer who joins the Irish from Georgetown.
- David Lally Jr., of Grand Blanc, Michigan, is predicted to be a force on the mound as he helped guide his high school to a 2021 State Championship, is a two-time Collegiate Baseball First Team All-American and was recognized this year as one of the top 100 freshmen in the country by Perfect Game.
Season to Remember in 2022
- Notre Dames run at the College World Series came to a close on June 21, 2022 after a 5-1 loss to Texas A&M in the Bracket 1 elimination game.
- The Fighting Irish finished the season with a 41-17 overall record after making the program’s third trip to Omaha for the College World Series.
- The Irish reached the Super Regional round in consecutive seasons for the first time in program history and were the only ACC team that advanced to Omaha after four ACC squads were in the Super Regionals last year.
- They eclipsed the 40-win plateau for the first time since 2006 and knocked off the No. 1 overall seed Tennessee in the Super Regionals.
- Heading into the contest, Tennessee was 37-3 at home and had won 11-straight games.
- The Irish hit four home runs in the win, the most home runs Tennessee had allowed all season.
- The Irish handed Tennessee their first loss at home in the postseason since 2001.
- Left-handed pitcher John Michael Bertrand, infielder/right-handed pitcher Jack Brannigan and left-handed pitcher Jack Findlay all earned All-American honors.
- Bertrand was named a second team All-American by the NCBWA, Brannigan was named to the third team by Perfect Game and Findlay was a second team freshman All-American from Perfect Game.
- It was Bertrand’s third postseason All-American honor this year (Collegiate Baseball & CoSIDA), Findlay’s second of the season (Collegiate Baseball) and Brannigan earned his first of the season.
- Bertrand was also named the NCBWA District Five Player of the Year, ABCA All-Region First Team, and was named the Statesboro Regional Most Outstanding Player as he helped pave the way on the Irish’s run to the College World Series
2022 MLB Draft
- The Irish saw four of Irish drafted on the second day of the Major League Baseball Draft in 2022.
- It marks the second-straight season that Notre Dame has had a pair of players taken in the MLB Draft, and the 37th-consecutive season the Irish have had at least one player selected.
- Infielder Jack Brannigan was selected in the third round by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
- Brannigan’s third round selection is the highest pick for a Notre Dame player since Eric Jagielo was taken in the first round in 2013.
- Last season Brannigan started 56 games and appeared in 11 games on the hill with one start. Brannigan slashed .291/.360/.540 as he led the Irish in doubles (15) and was second on the team in homers (12).
- Right-handed pitcher Liam Simon was picked by the San Francisco Giants in the fifth round.
- Simon appeared in 16 games and made seven starts on the hill in 2022. He threw 30.2 innings, striking out 56 hitters as opponents hit just .188 against him.
- Right-handed pitcher Alex Rao was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the eighth round.
- Rao threw 47.0 innings and struck out 57 hitters, while also picking up three saves, and earning a 3-1 record. He held opponents to a .188 average against.
- John Michael Bertrand was the final pick of the 10th round by the Giants.
- In the 2022 season, Bertrand started 18 games for Notre Dame, leading the team in innings pitched (109.0), strikeouts (111) and wins (10). He earned a 2.81 ERA and limited opponents to a .234 average against.