The Notre Dame softball team hosts its ninth annual Strikeout Cancer weekend as Boston College visits Melissa Cook Stadium for a three-game ACC series. Action begins Friday at 5 p.m., followed by Noon starts on both Saturday and Sunday. All three games can be seen on ACC Network Extra. Proceeds from the weekend directly benefit South Bend’s Memorial Children’s Hospital and children in Indiana who have been diagnosed with cancer.
Following Friday’s contest is a fan home run derby, with entry costing $20 and the prize a gift card to the Hammes Notre Dame Bookstore. Saturday night is the team’s annual Strikeout Cancer trivia night (visit und.com/strikeoutcancer for more information) and Sunday’s contest will feature Tatum’s Toss.
| Boston College Series | Melissa Cook Stadium | ||||
| Friday, April 5 | Notre Dame vs. Boston College | 5 p.m. | Live Stats | Watch |
| Saturday, April 6 | Notre Dame vs. Boston College | Noon | Live Stats | Watch |
| Sunday, April 7 | Notre Dame vs. Boston College | Noon | Live Stats | Watch |
2019 Notes & Numbers
- The Irish have played 12 games this season against teams ranked in the top 25 or receiving votes, with seven games against top-10 opponents (at the time of the game).
- Based on opponent winning percentage, Notre Dame has played the 25th-toughest schedule in the nation. The Irish opponents thus far have combined for a .597 winning percentage. LSU leads the nation in opponent winning percentage at .674.
- Notre Dame has won 11 consecutive non-conference games. The Irish won two games at the Red Desert Classic before sweeping five contests at the FAU/FIU Parents’ Weekend Tournament, winning at FIU and at home against Western Michigan.
- Ali Wester’s 262 career hits rank third in the nation among active players, trailing only Oklahoma’s Sydney Romero (280) and Florida’s Amanda Lorenz (267).
- This season, Ali Wester has notched 50 hits, ranking second in the ACC and 13th nationally. In the league, she trails only Georgia Tech’s Breanna Roper (54), while Ohio’s Katie Yun leads the nation with 58 hits.
- Ali Wester has struck out once every 19.8 at-bats this season, making her the second-toughest hitter in the ACC to strikeout. Donna Friedman of Virginia leads the league at 21.0 at-bats per strikeout.
- Cait Brooks ranks 20th in the nation and third in the ACC with 12 home runs this season. NC State’s Brigette Nordberg leads the conference with 14 round trippers.
- Cait Brooks ranks fourth in the ACC in slugging percentage, checking in at a clip of .824. She ranks 36th in the nation in the category.
- Katie Marino’s 1.06 runs per game slots third in the ACC and 29th in the nation.
- Cait Brooks earned ACC Co-Player of the Week honors on March 19 after hitting four homers with six RBI to go along with her .429 average on the week. Her two-run shot in the fourth inning helped power the Irish to a 7-4 win in game two of the series at No. 3 Florida State.
- During its nine-game spring break trip, Notre Dame had five players hit at least .360 during the stretch. Abby Sweet paced the group with a .500 average, while Cait Brooks hit .423 and Ali Wester posted a .419 average. Katie Marino (.370) and MK Bonamy (.360) rounded out the group.
- The Irish collected two weekly ACC honors on March 5 as Katie Marino was named Co-Player of the Week and Payton Tidd earned Co-Pitcher of the Week. Notre Dame went 2-0 at the Red Desert Classic with wins over Utah Valley (16-0) and No. 24 Baylor (14-1).