March 30, 2015
Midweek Game #4: Eastern Michigan
March 31, 2015
6:05 p.m. (ET)
Frank Eck Stadium (Notre Dame, Ind.)
Team Information:
Notre Dame: 16-10, 3-9 ACC (22-31, 9-21 ACC In 2014)
2014 Postseason: Did not qualify for postseason
Eastern Michigan: 9-16, 2-4 MAC (19-34, 6-21 MAC In 2014)
2014 Postseason: Did not qualify for postseason
Rankings:
Neither team is ranked
Projected Pitching Matchup:
RHP Ryan Smoyer (2-0, 4.70 ERA) vs. LHP Adam Hornstra (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Series History:
Notre Dame leads 3-2
First Meeting: W, H, 6-1 (4/20/1992)
Last Meeting: L, H, 12-6 (5/1/2013)
Aoki vs. Eastern Michigan: 1-1 (all at ND)
Game Coverage:
Live Audio: WatchND (Link on UND.com) and WHME 103.1 FM in South Bend (Chuck Freeby, pbp)
Live Stats: Gametracker (Link on UND.com)
Twitter Reports: @NDBaseball / @NDsidRuss
Weather Report (as of Monday, March 30):
Tuesday, March 31: 45 Degrees & Sunny
NOTRE DAME, Ind. — Looking to keep its outstanding run in non-conference games going this season, the University of Notre Dame baseball team closes out its nine-game homestand with a 6:05 p.m. (ET) Tuesday contest with the Eastern Michigan Eagles.
The Irish (16-10) enter the game with a 13-1 record in non-conference contests this year and have already tied last year’s squad for non-Atlantic Coast Conference victories with 11 non-conference games remaining in 2015.
Notre Dame boasts two wins over Michigan programs this season, claiming a pair of 8-3 victories against Central Michigan and Western Michigan at Frank Eck Stadium in the last two weeks.
The meeting is the sixth between the two programs, with two of those games coming in the last three years. Last year’s contest was cancelled due to inclement weather in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
Eastern Michigan (9-16) is coming off a series loss to Kent State this past weekend. Earlier this year, the Eagles had five games in a row cancelled due to weather and also suffered sweeps at the hands of major-conference opponents Arizona and Indiana in non-conference games.
The Eagles are hitting .245 with 13 homers and 83 RBI. On the mound, they claim a 4.65 ERA. LHP Adam Hornstra will make his first career appearance against the Irish.
Notre Dame is sending RHP Ryan Smoyer to the mound looking for his third consecutive midweek win. The sophomore from Bowling Green, Ohio has pitched 9.2 innings and allowed three runs (2.79 ERA) in the two victories over Central Michigan and Western Michigan.
In 14 non-conference games, the Irish have four players that are hitting .360 or above. Sophomore Cavan Biggio (.469/.816/.603, 7 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 15 BB, 20 R) leads the squad in several categories and is followed by senior Ryan Bull (.429/.571/.520), sophomore Ryan Lidge (.422/.556/.500, 3 2B, 12 RBI, 13 R) and junior Lane Richards (.360/.520/.400, 4 2B, 2 3B, 10 RBI, 10 R).
On the bump, reliever Scott Tully is 2-0 with a 0.93 ERA during the non-conference slate.
Tickets are still available for the midweek tilt and the weather looks more promising (upper-40’s and sunny) than this past weekend’s ACC series against No. 12 Virginia. Fans can purchase tickets by either calling the Murnane Family Ticket Office at 574-631-7356 or by stopping by the Frank Eck Stadium ticket window before the game.
WatchND will provide a free online video stream while WHME 103.1 FM in South Bend will have radio coverage. Live stats are available on UND.com and @NDBaseball will have in-game updates on Twitter.
–Russell Dorn, Assistant Media Relations Director
–ND–