June 3, 2004

Complete Release in PDF Format (includes below data in chart form, plus updated list of ND’s BIG EAST stat leaders)
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Notre Dame baseball fans can download the linked PDF for a comprehensive statistical comparison of the 2004 Notre Dame baseball team and upcoming opponent Kent State. The PDF also includes Notre Dame baseball “By The Numbers” and the team’s updated rankings among the BIG EAST stat leaders. (Note: some of this data is included below but it best is viewed via PDF). Check back to und.com later today and throughout the weekend for complete team notes (including updated bio’s) plus press conference quotes, game recaps, photos – and more.

TALE OF THE TAPE (Notre Dame vs. Kent State; June 4, 2004; NCAA South Bend Regional)

2004 Records: KSU (35-25, 14-10 MAC/7th seed) … ND (49-10, 20-6 BIG EAST/1st)

2003 Records: KSU (36-18, 20-4 MAC/1st seed) … ND (45-18, 16-7 BIG EAST/3rd)

Lettermen Returning/Lost: KSU 14/10 … ND 21/7

Overall Batting Average: KSU .297 … ND .313

Conference Batting Avg.: KSU .296 … ND .319

Runs Per 9 Innings (Runs): KSU 7.0 (412) … ND 8.6 (471)

Home Runs: KSU 45 … ND 63

Slugging Percentage: KSU .437 … ND .482

Batters’ BB + HBP – Ks: KSU -117 (205+71-393) … ND +39 (261+104-326)

On-Base Percentage: KSU .375 … ND .412

Stolen Bases: KSU 60-80 … ND 66-96

Stolen-Base Percentage: KSU .750 … ND .688

Overall Team ERA: KSU 3.94 … ND 3.36

Conference ERA: KSU 3.73 … ND 3.51

Complete Games: KSU 3 … ND 3

Saves: KSU 14 … ND 14

Pitchers’ K-to-BB Ratio: KSU 2.7 (460/169) … ND 2.6 (404/154)

Pitchers’ Ks Per 9 Innings: KSU 7.9 … ND 7.0

Pitchers’ Walks Per 9 Innings: KSU 2.9 … ND 2.7

Opponent Batting Average: KSU … ND .272 .247

Overall Fielding Pct./Errors: KSU .961/89 … ND .967/76

Conf. Fielding Pct./Errors: KSU .958/40 … ND .968/31

Double Plays Turned: KSU 41 … ND 58

Record in One-Run Games: KSU 8-9 … ND 9-3

Extra-Inning Record: KSU 2-2 … ND 4-0

Last 10 Games: KSU 7-3 … ND 9-1

Top Three Hitters

KSU

Chad Kinyon (1B/OF, Sr.)
(.373, 15 HR, 64 RBI, 40 BB, 1 SB)

Andrew Davis (2B, So.)
(.331, HR, 41 RBI, 11 BB, 8 SB)

Chuck Moore (OF, Sr.)
(.326, 3 HR, 37 RBI, 25 BB, 3 SB)

Notre Dame

Matt Macri (3B, Jr.)
(.380, 14 HR, 56 RBI, 38 BB, 12 SB)

Craig Cooper (RF, So.)
(.377, 9 HR, 44 RBI, 23 BB, 12 SB)

Greg Lopez (SS, So.)
(.346, 2 HR, 34 RBI, 14 BB, 3 SB)

Top Three Starters

Andy Sonnanstine (RHP, Jr.)
(2.67, 10-4, 118 IP, 110 Ks/19 BB, .253)

Jason Brunke (RHP, Jr.)
(4.71, 6-7, 86 IP, 70 Ks, 36 BB, .271)

Evan Smith (RHP, Fr.)
(3.95, 3-3, 54.2 IP, 44 Ks/18 BB, .283)

Grant Johnson (RHP, Jr.)
(1.54, 5-0, 52.2 IP, 47 Ks/23 BB, .176)

Chris Niesel (RHP, Jr.)
(3.71, 8-2, 94.2 IP, 80 Ks/19 BB, .310)

Tom Thornton (LHP, So.)
(4.14, 8-2, 91.1 IP, 65 Ks/22 BB, .261)

Closer

Chad Wagler (RHP, So.)
(4.63, 4-1, 6 SV, 44.2 IP, 44 Ks/7 BB, .303)

Ryan Doherty (RHP, So.)
(2.45, 5-1, 11 SV, 33 IP, 44 Ks/11 BB, .157)

Notre Dame Baseball – By The Numbers

2004 TEAM
17,255 … travel mileage logged (air and land)
2,382 … Eck Stadium attendance vs. Rutgers (5/16/04)
207 … games missed by 7 top players due to injury
.831 … win pct. (2nd in nation, as are 49 wins)
46 … regular-season wins (team record)
+39 … current games over .500 (team record)
27-5 … record away from home
22-5 … record at Eck Stadium
26 … wins by 5-plus runs
22 … players who posted 3.0-plus GPA in ’04 spring
19 … home states on current 35-man roster
16-1 … current streak (prior to NCAAs)
12 … win streak (April 29-May 21)
11 … win streak (March 23-April 6)
9-3 … record in 1-run games
8 … wins by 10-plus runs
7-0 … record vs. top-25 teams
5 … highest national ranking entering NCAAs
3.15 … team GPA during ’03 fall and ’04 spring sem.
3 … infielders at new pos. from ’03 (1B, SS, 3B)

NCAAs
38-37 … all-time NCAA record (11-7 from ’01-’03)
25-1 … win over top seed South Alabama (’02 Reg.)
8-1 … record vs. 2004 NCAA field
6 … straight trips to the NCAAs
4 … times hosted in the last six years
3 … times hosted in last three years
1 … opp. ranking in ’02 wins over FSU, Rice

ND BASEBALL PROGRAM
3,269 … all-time ND varsity baseball games
1892 … first varsity baseball season
816 … all-time monogram winners
779 … Paul Mainieri’s career wins (449 L, 2 T)
447 … Mainieri’s wins at ND (170 L, 1 T)
283 … all-time ND opponents (UCI would be #284)
192 … career wins for senior class (ND record)
145 … active scoring streak (2nd in ND history)
81 … winning seasons (out of 112)
72.3 … team winning pct. during 1990s
43 … states rep. among all-time letterwinners
36 … players’ home states in 10-year Mainieri era
34 … states played in by the Irish (since 1957)
16 … consec. 40-win seasons (3rd in nation)
1 … national ranking during 2001 season
1 … national ranking of 2002 freshman class

BIG EAST CONFERENCE
20-6 … regular-season conference record in ’04
9 … BIG EAST Tournament appearances (in 9 yrs)
9-2 … record at BE Tournament last three years
3 … consec. BE Tourn. titles (unprecedented)

OFFENSE
104 … times hit-by-pitch in ’04 (6th NCAA history)
63 … home runs in ’04 (31 in ’03)
56-11 … 2nd-inning scoring edge (72-29 in 1st)
+39 … margin of BB+HBP-Ks in ’04 (-61 in ’03)
34 … games with double-digit hits
19 … games with double-digit runs
13 … Steve Andres hit streak (March 24-April 12)
12 … players with home runs in 2004
9 … games with 1st-inning runs during last 12 GP
8.0 … runs per game (17th in nation)
3 … players with 10-plus HRs

PITCHING & DEFENSE
48-11 … comb. career record of Niesel, Johnson, Thornton
32 … low error total of regular starting IF
24 … error-free games in 2004 (.967 overall fielding pct.)
13’8” … combined ht. of Ryan Doherty, Tom Thornton
12.0 … Doherty’s 2004 Ks per 9 IP
11 … Doherty’s saves in ’04 (12 chances)
3.36 … staff ERA (11th in nation)
4 … consec. shutouts in series openers (May 9-21)
3 … teams in national ERA top-20 from ’00-’04 (Notre Dame, Texas and Rice)
2.7 … staff’s low walk total per nine innings
1.54 … Grant Johnson’s season ERA (would rank 2nd in nation but 6.1 IP shy of min.)
1-of-17 … Doherty’s inherited runners scored

Steve Sollmann
297 … career hits (2nd ND history)
90 … career multi-hit games
.487 … career NCAA batting avg.
.360 … overall career batting avg.
208 … career runs (4th ND history)
83 … career stolen bases
32-4 … ND’s 2004 record with him in lineup
15-6 … ND’s ’04 record when he was out with injury
7 … RBI vs. South Alabama in 2002 NCAA Reg.
6 … hits vs. South Alabama in 2002 NCAA Reg.
4.0 … GPA in 2004 spring semester
3.74 … cumulative GPA (marketing major)
2 … errors in 2004 season

Chris Niesel
.875 … career win pct. (21-3), 2nd in ND history
12 … career-best strikeouts (vs. Ball State, ’04)
4.09 … career K-to-BB ratio (ND record)

Matt Macri
1.179 … “OBS” (combined on-base and slugging pct.)
.701 … slugging pct. in ’04 (26th in nation)
14 … home runs in 2004
10 … low 2004 error total
7 … triples in 2004
1 … double plays grounded into in ’04

also see PDF for complete updated lists of Notre Dame’s rankings among the BIG EAST team and individual statistical leaders