May 24, 2003

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NOTRE DAME BASEBALL GAME NOTES – vs. Rutgers (May 24, 2003)

The Notre Dame baseball team (42-15) heads into another rematch vs. Rutgers (Saturday, 3:30 EDT) looking to become the first team to win back-to-back BIG EAST tournament titles since St. John’s won the first two BETs in 1984 and ’85 … Rutgers (35-19) must beat the Irish twice (second game at 7:00) to win the tournament title, with an automatic NCA bid going to the winner … Notre Dame is slated to send battle-tested senior RHP Peter Ogilvie to the mound while Rutgers will counter with freshman LHP Matt Putsay (2.67 ERA, 3-0, .220 opp. batting avg., 12 GP/2 GS, 33.2 IP, 14 K, 8 BB) … neither pitcher has faced his opponent this season but Ogilvie made two starts vs. RU in 2002, one of them in the same situation as today’s game (first championship game) … the Irish are 5-1 in their last six BET games, after goingc 12-12 in their first six BET trips.

Peter Ogilvie – Career Stats (see PDF)

Ogilvie’s Career Appearances vs. Rutgers (see PDF)

Peter Ogilvie Career vs. RU – 6.30, 0-2, 2 GS, 10 IP, 13 H, 6 BB, 7 Ks, 2 HB

(first stats indicate 2003 regulars-season game, second are BET game)

Badger (0-for-4) – 6-3, 6-3, F-9, 5-3

Frazier (0-for-5) – L-5-3 DP … KS, KS, P-4, F-8

Esposito (0-for-1) – BB … KS

Normane (1-for-4) – 4-3 … 4-3, P-4, 1B-RC/RBI/R, BB/R

Cerulo (3-for-5) – 3B-LC/R, 1B-MI … KL, 1B-8, KS

Rodriguez (3-for-5) – HR-7/2 RBI … P-4, 2B-RL, 6-3, 1B-RC/RBI

OGILVIE LOOKS TO ADD TO HIS BIG-GAME RESUME – Senior RHP Peter Ogilvie’s 27 career starts with the Irish include several noteworthy outings, led by a pair of key complete-game wins in 2001 (plus one in the ’01 NCAAs) and two more clutch CGs in the 2002 BIG EAST season before drawing three starts in the 2002 NCAAs (see PDF):

EXPERIENCE THE DIFFERENCE – Notre Dame started three freshman RHPs (Grant Johnson, Chris Niesel and John Axford) in four games at the 2002 BIG EAST Tournament but the Irish have used a different formula this season, with Johnson and Niesel sidelined due to injuries while Axford closed the regular season with three rocky outings (18.75 ERA, 0-3, 7.2 IP, 12 H, 11 BB, 7 WP, 2 HB, 7 Ks) … as a result, the Irish have relied on their most experienced pitchers by starting three senior RHPs (J.P. Gagne, Ryan Kalita and Peter Ogilvie today) in the 2003 BET … Gagne and Kalita first earned roster spots as freshman walk-ons in the 2000 season while Ogilvie did not even pitch that season after a series of injuries that dated back to his sophomore season at Stevenson HS (in the Chicago area).

ND-RUTGERS SERIES NOTES

* ND holds a 16-11 series edge vs. Rutgers (7-4 at RU) and had won eight straight vs. the Knights before the 2002 series-ending 11-0 loss (now 10 of the last 12) … RU held a 7-4 series lead after the first 11 meetings.

* The Irish opened the ’02 series vs. RU by sweeping the doubleheader (6-5, 7-2) but Rutgers won the series finale, 11-0.

* ND now holds a 4-3 edge vs. RU in the BIG EAST Tournament (4-1 in the last five), with RU posting an 10-inning win (7-6) over ND in the pivotal game of the 1998 BET before shutting out ND in the ’98 title game (11-0) … the Irish returned the favor in a 2001 elimination game (6-2), led by Aaron Heilman’s six-hitter.

* The series has featured its share of blowouts (six of last 20 decided by 8-plus runs) and tense finishes (13 total games decided by 1-2 runs, with eight won by ND).

ND VETERANS CAREER STATS VS. RUTGERS

Joe Thaman: .290 (11-for-38), 5 R, 3 RBI, 3 2B, BB, 8 Ks

Steve Sollmann: .259 (15-for-58), 11 R, 11 RBI, 2 HR, 3B, 2 BB, 4 Ks, 7-7 SB

Javi Sanchez: .194 (6-for-31), 4 R, 3 RBI, HR, 5 BB, 6 Ks, 3 SAC, 1-2 SB

Kris Billmaier: .132 (7-for-53), 8 R, 7 RBI, 8 BB, 7 Ks

ND VETERAN RELIEVERS CAREER STATS VS. RU

Matt Laird – 9.00, 1-1, 3 GP, 9.0 IP, 10 H, 4 BB, 6 Ks, 3 HB, WP

Wolski – HBP, F-8 … F-8 RC, E5T, 6-3

Cerulo – F-7

Badger – KL … KL, 6-3

Frazier – F-8, F-8, F-8

Esposito – 1B-LS/R, KS, 1B-MI

Normane – 4-3 SAC, F-8, HR-RL/2 RBI

Grover – F-9/SF/RBI, 6-3

Grose – 1B-LL, BB

Defendis – P-4, 1-3 SAC

Gaynor – 4-3, 6-3

Brandon Viloria – 0.00, 2 SV, 4 GP, 8 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 5 Ks

Badger – 0-for-3 (L-5, FC … 1-3 … F-8 RC)

Frazier – 1-for-2, 2 RBI, HR (FC, F-7/SF/RBI … HR-7/RBI)

Normane – 1-for-2, BB (1B-9, BB … F-8 RC)

Esposito – KL, 3U

Vasquez – KS

Cerulo – F-9 … F-9

Rodriguez – E5F

Wolski – 1-3

Bionde – 4-6-3 GDP

Notre Dame Hitting Trends and Quick Notes

Steve Sollmann – 16-for-30 (.533) in last 6 … 10-for-31 career BET (.323, 4 R, 2 RBI, 3 BB, 3 Ks, HBP, 4-4 SB) … 30 multi-hit games, 9 multi-RBI … .344 hitter on road … 33 season SBs (4th ND history), 62 career (6th) … 3rd-most hits ever by ND junior (243, besting his brother Scott’s 239) … 48 error-free games in ’03 (3 E in last 33 gms) … 48 leadoff starts.

Brennan Grogan – 5-for-9 last 2 games (.229 in previous 13) … .305 hitter on road … 12 multi-hit games, 6 multi-RBI … 38 starts in 2-hole.

Matt Edwards – 13-for-26 last 6 gms … team-best .365 batting on road … 24 multi-hit games, 19 multi-RBI … 14 starts at cleanup, 38 in 3-hole … 33 starts at 1B, 21 at 3B.

Kris Billmaier – 5-for-40 last 12 gms (.125) … 6-for-24 career BET (.250, 2 R, 6 RBI, HR, 2 SAC) … .270 hitter on road … 15 multi-hit gms, 9 multi-RBI … 25 starts in CF, 11 in 5-hole, 33 cleanup.

Javi Sanchez – 8-for-17 career BET (.471, 7 R, 4 RBI, HR, 2 2B, 5 BB, 3 SAC, 2 Ks, 1-1 SB) … 5-for-7, 3 BB last 3 gms (after 0-for-13 slump) … .306 hitter on road … 17 multi-hit games, 4 multi-RBI.

Matt Macri – 3-for-17 last 4 gms (.177) … .204 hitter on road … 41 error-free games (2 Es in last 8) … 18 multi-hit gms, 4 multi-RBI … 27 starts in 6-hole.

Cody Rizzo – 9 RBI in last 6 games while hitting just 7-for-17 (.412) … .341 hitter on road … 18 multi-hit gms, 11 multi-RBI … 23 starts in RF, 17 in 7-hole.

Steve Andres – 7 RBI in last 7 games played, despite hitting just 6-for-24 (.250) … 4 starts in 3-hole … .298 hitter on road.

Joe Thaman – 2-for-11 last 3 GP (.182) … 5-for-27 career BET (.185, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 5 Ks, 2-2 SB, SAC).

Matt Bransfield – dnp vs. WVU … .333 hitter on road.

Craig Cooper – dnp vs. WVU … .324 hitter on road.

Greg Lopez – def. sub vs. WVU … .241 hitter on road.

Notes from ND’s 9-3 BET win over RU

* ND’s first seven appearances at the BIG EAST baseball tournament never featured a consistent offensive presence – with the Irish combining to hit an average of just .230 in those 28 games, with a high mark of .295 at the 2000 tournament – but the slumping ND offense has picked a perfect time to boost its production, with 30 hits, an 18-4 scoring edge and a .405 team batting average … by comparison, ND won its first BIG EAST title in 2002 despite batting just .208 in four games and totaling 26 hits (four fewer than the current team total).

* ND has advanced to the championship round after starting 2-0 for the second straight season.

* The Irish pitching staff also has elevated its production, after entering the postseason ranked 19th in the nation with a 3.47 ERA … Ryan Kalita’s seven innings included an unearned run before Ryan Doherty was touched for a pair of unearned scores in the 8th – with the ND pitching staff now owning an 0.50 tournament ERA and .221 opponent batting average, plus 22 Ks and just three walks.

* Top ND hitters included Cody Rizzo (3-for-3, 2 RBI, 2 R, HBP), Steve Sollmann (2-for-5, R), Matt Edwards (2-for-4, R) and Matt Bransfield (2-for-4, RBI, R).

* Junior catcher Javi Sanchez had a rare 0-for-0 game that included a walk and three sacrifice bunts (one of them plating Rizzo on a squeeze play), after batting 3-for-3 with two walks vs. WVU (his 9 plate appearances in the BET include 3 H, 3 BB and 3 SAC’s).

* Rizzo is batting 5-for-7 in the tournament with four RBI, three runs scored and two HBPs while his 25 HBP rank 15th in the NCAA single-season record book (already 7th in the ND career record book).

* ND’s 17-game midseason winning streak included 10 “big innings” of five-plus runs but those flurries had dried up in recent weeks, with just five big innings in the last 24 games before the 6-run eruption in the 5th vs. RU (ND’s 19th overall inning with 5-plus runs and 11th with 6-plus).

* Kalita (6-1) improved to 13-1 for his ND career while proving his worth as a second team all-BIG EAST selection, scattering seven hits and one walk while using his typical combination of strikeouts (6) and groundball outs (12) to account for 18 of his 21 outs (including a pair of double plays) … he now owns a 0.87 career ERA in four career appearances vs. RU (including the ’02 title game), plus 18 Ks, 7 walks and 21 hits allowed in 20.2 innings.

* Doherty – who still has not allowed an earned run since the season opener, spanning 13 appearances and 22.2 innings – closed the game by striking out five of the nine batters he faced, allowing the pair of unearned runs on a Steve Normane home run.

* Ninth-year ND head coach Paul Mainieri now is four wins shy of his 400th career win with the Irish (396-157-1; 728-436-1 in 21 overall seasons).

* Sollmann (33) and his brother Scott (52, in ’96) are the only ND players with 33-plus SBs in a season since Pat Pesavento had 38 in ’88 and ’89.

* Sollmann’s 243 career hits have tied Brant Ust (’97-’99) for 10th in ND history, with only All-Americans Steve Stanley (257) and Dan Peltier (247) totaling more career hits as juniors … Sollmann needs four more hits to become the 8th ND player with 90-plus hits in a season (his brother Scott had 93 in ’95).

* The team ERA dipped to 3.37 (2nd-best since ’94) while the ND pitchers now own the 5th-highest strikeout total in team history (440, just 14 behind the 2000 staff and 16 back of the ’98 staff) … the staff’s 2.36 K-to-walk ratio ranks 4th in the ND record book.

* Sollmann has boosted his career batting avg. to .368 (5th in ND history).

* Doherty now is averaging 15.2 Ks per 9 IP (40 in 23.1), with a 5.7 K-to-walk ratio (40/7) and a .209 opponent batting avg.

See PDF for 2003 ND-RU series stats, ND’s updated overall and situational stats and ND’s 2003 BIG EAST Tournament Stats

ND vs. Chris Lillis (2 GP, both in ’03)

Macri (1-for-2) – 1B-LC/RBI, IBB … 6-3

Sanchez (0-for-2) – 6-3, FC

Lopez (0-for-2) – F-7, KS

Sollmann (2-for-3) – 6-3, 2B-RC (9-4-5) … 1B-MI

Grogan (0-for-2) – 6-3 MI, 3U

Thaman (1-for-3) – 4-3, 1B-RC … 3-6-3 GDP

Billmaier (0-for-3) – P-4 RC, 4U-3 GDP … 4-3

Andres – BB

Cooper – SB (pinh-run) … FC Rizzo – F-9 RL

Murray – F-9 (pinch-hit)

Bransfield – KL

RUTGERS 2002 STATS VS. ND

Cory Rodriguez: .375 (6-for-16), 4 GS, 2 R, 4 RBI, HR, 2B, 2 Ks

Nick Cerulo: .350 (7-for-20), 6 GS, 4 R, 3B, 2 BB, 4 Ks, 3 Es

Steve Normane: .333 (7-for-21), 6 GS, 2 R, 7 RBI, 2B, 5 BB, 2 Ks

Jeff Frazier: .217 (5-for-23), 6 GS, 4 R, 4 RBI, HR, 2 BB, HBP, 7 Ks, 0-1 SB, 2 Es

Vinny Esposito: .182 (2-for-11), 5 GP/3 GS, 2B, 4 BB, 6 Ks, 1-1 SB

Alberto Vasquez: .125 (1-for-8), 3 GP/2 GS, R, BB, 4 Ks, E

Graig Badger: .105 (2-for-19), 5 GS, 2 R, 4 BB, 5 Ks, E

Rich Canuso: 0-for-1

Jamell Rosario: 2 GP

Jason Grover: 1 GP

NOTRE DAME BASEBALL – By The Numbers

3,238 – Notre Dame’s all-time varsity baseball games

728 – Paul Mainieri’s career coaching wins in 21 overall seasons

515 – Total pitches in the 19-inning ND-RU game

422 – Innings caught by Javi Sanchez in 2003 (of 500, or 84.4%)

396 – Paul Mainieri’s career wins in nine seasons at Notre Dame

.368 – Steve Sollmann’s career batting avg. (5th in ND history)

141-46 – Notre Dame’s combined record during the past three seasons

89 – Combined error-free games by middle-IFs Sollmann and Macri in ’03

80 – ND baseball seasons with a winning record (of 111)

25 – Cody Rizzo’s times hit-by-pitch in 2003 (15th in NCAA history)

20 – Irish “Big wins” in 2003 (by 5-plus runs)

19 – Home states represented on ND’s 2003 roster

17 – Winning streak posted by Irish in 2003 (2nd in ND history)

15 – ND’s treak of consecutive 40-win seasons (3rd-longest active)

11-4 – Combined postseason record by the Irish in 2002 and ’03

9-1 – ND’s 2003 record in 1-run games

8 – ND’s BIG EAST Tournament appearances (in 8 seasons)

5-1 – Won-loss record by the Irish in last six BET games.

5 – Position starters lost to graduation and draft from the ’02 CWS team

5 – Irish players who have started in CF this season (just 1 from ’99-’02)

3.37 – Current team ERA

3 – Teams in national ERA top-20 each of last 4 yrs (ND, Texas, Rice)

1 – Teams that have won back-to-back BIG EAST titles (SJU, ’84-’85)