NCAA Preview: Knoxville Super Regional

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The 17th-ranked Notre Dame baseball team is back in the Super Regionals for the second-straight season and just the third time in program history. The Irish are in Knoxville as they take on the top-ranked Tennessee Volunteers in the Knoxville Super Regional. The Supers begin on Friday night as Austin Temple will take the hill for the Irish opposite Blade Tidwell from Tennessee. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. ET and will be aired nationally on ESPN2 with Tom Hart and Kyle Peterson on the call.

Irish Battle Top-Ranked Volunteers in Super Regional

• Notre Dame is off to the third Super Regional in program history as they travel to Knoxville to take on No. 1 Tennessee.
• The Irish have made the super-regional round for the second-straight season for the first time in program history.
• They are one of seven teams this year that have made the supers in back-to-back seasons.
• Notre Dame is just one of three teams (Tennessee and Texas) that have gone undefeated in the Regional Round in each of the past two seasons.
• The Irish allowed just seven runs in the three games at the Statesboro Regional.  It was the second fewest runs scored in the Regional Round behind Texas (6).
• All three of Notre Dame’s wins in the regional came against ranked teams (#24 Texas Tech (2x) and #21 Georgia Southern.
• The Knoxville Super Regional is matching up two of the most successful teams over the past three seasons. Tennessee ranks first (.818) and the Irish are second (.741) in total winning percentage since the start of the 2020 season.
• The top-ranked Volunteers come into the matchup 56-7 on the season and they went 25-5 in SEC play. They won the regular season and SEC Tournament championship this year.
• In the Knoxville Regional, they defeated Alabama State 10-0, Campbell 12-7 and Georgia Tech 9-6.
• Tennessee is 37-3 in games at home this season and the Irish are 10-8 in true road games and 21-11 in games away from Frank Eck Stadium.
• The Volunteers bring one of the top offenses in the country into the weekend as the lead the NCAA in home runs (150), runs (592) and slugging percentage (.607). Tennessee also leads the nation in ERA (2.38), hits allowed per nine innings (6.34) and WHIP (0.980).
• The Irish also have one of the best pitching staffs in the country heading into the weekend. They rank fourth in strikeouts per nine innings (11.0), seventh in ERA (3.72) and hits allowed per nine innings (7.61) and 10th in WHIP (1.27).
• This will be the second time in program history that the Irish will face the No. 1 overall seed in the Super Regionals. Back in 2002, Notre Dame traveled to Tallahassee to face the top-ranked Seminoles in the supers. The Irish won the first and third game to advance to the College World Series for the second time in program history.

Irish Advance to Second Straight Super Regional after 2-1 Win Over #24 Texas Tech

• The Irish finished off the Statesboro Regional in dramatic fashion with the 2-1 win over #24 Texas Tech in the Regional Final.
• The Red Raiders loaded the bases in the eighth and ninth inning but Jack Findlay got out of both jams to secure the win for the Irish.
• In the ninth with two outs, he got Jace Jung to ground out to Carter Putz to end the game and advance the Irish to the Super Regional.
• John Michael Bertrand got the start and went 7.2 innings and allowed just one run against the potent Red Raider lineup.
• He pitched a total of 8.2 innings over the weekend and allowed just one run and was named the Statesboro Regional Most Outstanding Player.
• Bertrand eclipsed the 100 strikeout mark in the win, the first Irish pitcher since David Phelps in 2007 to have more than 100 strikeouts in a single season.
• Bertrand has 103 strikeouts on the season, the sixth-most in program history for a single season.
• Ryan Cole drove in both runs for the Irish. His RBI single in the third scored Spencer Myers and he beat out an infield single in the fourth to score Zack Prajzner.

Irish Take Down Hosts No. 16 Georgia Southern, 6-4

• The Irish overcame two separate deficits to defeat Georgia Southern, 6-4, and advance to the Regional Final.
• Trailing 1-0 in the fourth, the Irish hit solo home runs to take their first lead of the game.
• Jack Zyska tied the game with his 11th home run of the season and Jack Brannigan gave the Irish the lead with his 10th of the year.
• Georgia Southern scored three in the sixth to regain the lead but it did not last long.
• The Irish tied the game in the bottom of the sixth after a two-run home run from Zack Prajzner.
• The score stayed tied until the seventh as Notre Dame scored two runs on hit-by-pitches with the bases loaded.
• Georgia Southern brought the go-ahead run to the plate in the eighth but Jack Findlay got three-straight outs to get the Irish out of the jam.
• He set the Eagles down in order in the ninth to earn his first career save and advance the Irish to the Regional Final.

Irish Outlast #24 Red Raiders in Regional Opener

• The Irish battled the elements and the Red Raiders as they opened the Statesboro Regional with a 3-2 win over Texas Tech.
• David LaManna got the Irish started in the bottom of the first with a ground rule double that scored two on the play.
• Right after his hit, the game went into a weather delay that lasted nearly six hours.
• As play resumed, Liam Simon and Alex Rao anchored the Irish over the middle portion of the game.
• The duo tossed 6.0 innings and combined for 15 strikeouts and just one run allowed.
• After the Red Raiders tied the game in the top of the eighth, Notre Dame got the lead back in the bottom of the inning.
• Pinch-runner Jared Miller stole third and then came home on a wild pitch to regain the lead.
• Will Mercer, Jackson Dennies and Aidan Tyrell all got a single out in the ninth to close the door and advance the Irish to the winner’s bracket.

Jack Findlay Named Freshman All-American

• Left-handed pitcher Jack Findlay was named a Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball heading into the Super Regionals.
• In his first collegiate season, he has a 5-2 record with two saves and a 2.11 ERA over 38.1 innings. He has made 16 appearances and eight starts with 44 strikeouts and just 12 walks.
• Two of his most important appearances this season have come in the postseason at the Statesboro Regional.
• He collected his first career save against No. 21 Georgia Southern after 2.0 innings of work and entered the game with the winning run at the plate.
• In the Regional Final, he earned his second-straight save after getting the final four outs of the game. The Red Raiders had the bases loaded in the eighth and the ninth but Findlay protected the one-run lead to advance the Irish to the Super Regionals.
• Findlay is the first Irish player to be named a Freshman All-American since Jack Brannigan in 2020.

Among the Nation’s Best

• Since the start of the 2020 season, the Irish have been one of the most consistent teams over the past three seasons.
• Notre Dame is 83-29, good for a .741 winning percentage over that period.
• That ranks second overall in the NCAA, trailing only Tennessee.

• Among ACC teams, the Irish have the best winning percentage over the past three seasons.

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