Preview: No. 4 Wake Forest

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The Fighting Irish (8-6) are into ACC play as they travel to Winston-Salem, NC to take on the No. 4 Wake Forest Demon Deacons (16-2). Notre Dame is 1-2 in the conference after falling to Georgia Tech in the three-game series in Atlanta, GA. The Irish are on three-game winning streak after taking the final game of the series against the Yellow Jackets and defeating Saint Joseph’s on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Friday | Live Stats | ACCNX

Saturday | Live Stats | ACCN

Sunday | Live Stats | ACCNX

Notre Dame Baseball Game Notes

Irish Resume Conference Play Wake Forest

• This will be the 31st contest between the Irish and the Demon Deacons as Notre Dame trails in the overall series 14-16.
• The Irish are 7-7 at Frank Eck, are 5-9 on the road at Wake Forest, and are 2-0 at neutral sites.
• Notre Dame has taken the last five matchups against the Demon Deacons, including a series sweep in South Bend, IN last April. The Irish also won the 2021 series in a 2-1 victory on the road. 
• Last season, the Irish took game one 8-3 with Jack Zyska leading the way as he finished with three hits, two runs, and an RBI.
• The Notre Dame offense blew up in game two, taking home a 21-3 win over Wake Forest at Frank Eck. Carter Putz finished with a team-high four hits, three runs, and two RBI, where he also recorded his second home run of the 2022 season. 
• Brady Gumpf tallied his career home run in the sixth inning of game two, recording two RBI on the day. 
• The sweep was completed with a 13-12 win over the Demon Deacons in game three. 
• The Irish faced a six-run deficit and never led in the game until Carter Putz hit a walk-off single in the ninth to complete the comeback.
• The Irish faced an 8-2 deficit heading into the bottom of the fifth and a 12-8 deficit heading into the bottom of the second but ended up tying the game in the seventh. 
• Jack Zyska hit his second home run of the afternoon, a three-run blast, over the wall in left center to put the game level for the first time since it began. After two shut-down innings from Aidan Tyrell, Putz walked it off in the ninth, as his single scored Brooks Coetzee III from second to seal the win and the series sweep.

Midweek matchup in Holly Springs

• The Irish took down the Hawks on Tuesday, March 14, and Wednesday, March 15, in their first midweek matchup of the year. 
• Notre Dame defeated Saint Joseph’s 6-3 on Tuesday and 10-9 on Wednesday at Ting Stadium in Holly Springs, NC.
• Matt Bedford made his first start of the year in game one and freshman David Lally Jr. made his first career start on the mound in game two.
• Carter Putz recorded his second home run of the year in game one with a 440’ rocket to right field in the game one win.
• The Irish took game two in a close 10-9 win, finishing the game with a bases loaded walk-off HBP as Coetzee was hit by the pitch for the fourth time that game for the walk-off win.
• Putz, Penney, and Neri each recorded their third home runs of the year in game two against Saint Joseph’s.

Conference Play Opens Up at Georgia Tech

• The Notre Dame Fighting Irish start the 2023 conference season 1-2 in the ACC after falling in games one and two, but taking home game three against the Yellow Jackets on the road.
• The Irish fell in a close one on Friday night (March 10) at Russ Chandler Stadium. While the Irish trailed 2-0 early, a strong fifth inning that included five singles allowed Notre Dame to put four runs on the board to take the lead 4-3. However, the bottom of the seventh inning would lift the Yellow Jackets to the 7-4 victory in game one.
• Due to Sunday’s weather, a double header was played on Saturday where the Yellow Jackets took the first game of the day 15-2.
• While the Irish struggled to find the strike zone, the Yellow Jackets were hot from the plate, bringing in nine runs in the first three innings.
• The Fighting Irish scored their first run of the day in the top of the third after Estevan Moreno singled up the middle and was sent home from an RBI double down the right field line from Jack Penney.
• The Yellow Jackets would tack on another two runs in the bottom of the fourth to extend the lead 11-1 and wouldn’t score again until the bottom of the seventh.
• Freshman Caden Spivey made his debut on the mound in the bottom of the fourth, striking out his very first batter faced. Spivey allowed only one hit and gave up no runs in his two innings pitched.
• Norte Dame wasn’t going anywhere though, as they came out strong to start the second game of the day and went on to take the final game 17-4. The Irish finished with 16 hits, their best offensive outing of the season.
• Zack Prajzner started the Irish offense with a double to left field, followed by a base hit from Brooks Coetzee. Nick Juaire reached first after being hit by a pitch and it was bases loaded for the Irish. Jack Zyska was walked in his first at bat of the game, which scored Prajzner and put Notre Dame on the board 1-0.
• Jack Penney stepped up to the plate with bases loaded and two outs and crushed a ball down the right field line for a grand slam. Penney’s second home run of the season scored Coetzee, Juaire, and Zyska to give the Irish the 5-0 advantage after one.
• Leading 5-2 heading into the third, Carter Putz led off and started the inning with his first home run of the season with a 418’ homer to deep center field. Juaire followed with a base hit to left field and scored on an RBI double from Penny, his fifth RBI of the game.
• Jackson Dennies started on the mound for the Irish, pitching 2.2 innings, throwing three strikeouts, and giving up three runs.
• Dennies would give up one run in the bottom of the third before he was relieved by Aidan Tyrell, who finished with a game-high five strikeouts. Tyrell allowed no runs and only gave two hits across four innings pitched.
• Vinny Martinez kept the offense going with a 434’ rocket out to left field, his first home run of the season with the Irish in the top of the seventh. Notre Dame tacked on another five runs in the seventh to take home the 17-4 victory.

Irish Travel to UAB

• The Irish took home their second series win of the season after taking down the Blazers 2-1 last weekend in Birmingham, AL.
• Danny Neri led the Irish against UAB, batting .500 (4-8 at the plate) and scoring three runs. Neri finished with a triple, a home run, and three RBI.
• Zack Prajzner batted .333 on the weekend recorded three hits and two runs. Pinch hitter Nick Juaire came in and went 2-2 at the plate and scored one run while also recording two RBI.
• The Irish took home game one of the series 7-2 on Friday, March 3 at Young Memorial Field after tallying runs in each of the first three innings and out-hitting the Blazers 10-5 on Friday. Jack Findlay (2-0) took home his second win of the season, finishing with six strikeouts on the day.
• Game two went to the Irish 7-3 after trailing 3-0 to start the top of the sixth. Notre Dame scored six runs in the top of the sixth, including a first career home run from Estevan Moreno. Will Mercer took home his first win of the season in game two.
• The Irish fell 5-2 in game three, falling to 5-4 on the season.

Notre Dame Wins First Series of the Year at UNCG

• The Notre Dame baseball team won their first series of the 2023 season after taking down UNCG on the road. 
• Carter Putz led the way for the Irish,  batting .400 on the weekend, finishing with four hits and three runs. 
• The Irish took home game one on Friday, Feb. 17 in a 6-5 win after Danny Neri stepped up to the plate and homered to right field. After an even ballgame at 4-4 heading into the top of the ninth, Neri’s home run scored Putz and added two more runs to the board. 
• Jack Findlay’s three strikeouts in the bottom of the ninth closed out Notre Dame’s game one win.
• Despite falling 12-0 to UNCG on Saturday, the Irish responded with a game three win 7-4 over Sunday to take the series.
• The Irish struck first as grad students Zack Prajzner and Brooks Coetzee got the Notre Dame offense rolling. Coetzee recorded an RBI single to send Prajzner home and put the Irish on the board. Notre Dame held the Spartans scoreless the first three innings and led 1-0 to start the fourth.
• Notre Dame scored another four runs in the top of the fourth with runs from Prajzner, Putz, Penney, and Martinez.
• Bedford, who got the win for Notre Dame on Sunday, dominated at the hill for the Irish. He threw four strikeouts over three innings and allowed no runs and only one hit. 

Irish Open Campaign at Lipscomb

• The Notre Dame baseball team took on the Lipscomb Bisons for just the second time in program history Feb. 17-19 in Nashville, Tennessee. 
• The Irish fell 5-4 in game one despite scoring two runs in the top of the ninth to close the gap within one. 
• Norte Dame bounced back in game two, defeating the Bison 8-4 after a big seven-run inning in the top of the seventh. 
• Despite taking home game two, the Irish struggled to connect at the plate and fell in game three 4-2, falling to 1-2 to start the 2023 season. 
• With only 10 hits as a team on the weekend, TJ Williams and Jack Penney both hit their first home runs of the 2023 season.
• Freshmen Rory Fox and David Lally Jr. made their debuts on the mound on Sunday, as well as graduate transfers Carter Bosch and Blake Hely who pitched in an Irish uniform for the first time.