Junior outfielder Megan Sorlie

#RV Irish, IPFW Meet For First Time At Melissa Cook Stadium On Wednesday

March 24, 2015

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Midweek action returns to Melissa Cook Stadium on Wednesday when the University of Notre Dame softball team resumes its nine-game homestand against IPFW. The 5 p.m. (ET) nonconference matchup will be available live and free of charge on WatchND. Fans can also access live stats for the contest via at UND.com.

No. RV Notre Dame (19-11) carries a five-game winning streak into Wednesday’s tilt after completing a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) sweep of Georgia Tech last weekend at Melissa Cook Stadium. The current five-game win surge is one shy of the longest Irish string of the season thus far (six consecutive victories from Feb. 19-27), and the third time in 2015 Notre Dame has embarked on a three-game or greater winning run.

The Irish have claimed 11 straight games overall at Melissa Cook Stadium dating back to a 7-2 midweek triumph over Valparaiso on April 24, 2014. Notre Dame has outscored opponents a remarkable 94-24 during its current home winning streak.

A big offensive week that included a .359 team batting average and 32 runs scored in a win against Cleveland State and the series weep with Georgia Tech moved Notre Dame up the most recent ACC statistical rankings that were released on Monday. The Irish lead the conference in stolen bases (44) and hold top five placements in batting average (.305), hits (244), fielding percentage (.969), scoring (5.43 runs per game) and slugging percentage (.459) after playing 18 ranked opponents in their first 30 games to open the 2015 season.

IPFW (0-23) is set to make its first ever appearance at Melissa Cook Stadium on Wednesday, and will collide with Notre Dame for just the fourth time in series history. The Irish have won 15 straight home games against fellow state of Indiana residents dating back to the 2006 season, and have won 20 of the last 21 meetings with Hoosier foes overall on the Notre Dame campus.

For the latest news and updates on all things Notre Dame softball, visit www.und.com/softball, follow the Irish @NDsoftball and @NDcoachGumpf on Twitter and at Instagram.com/notredamesoftball, and Like the team at Facebook.com/NDSoftball.

–ND–

No. RV Notre Dame vs. IPFW
March 25, 2015
Melissa Cook Stadium
Notre Dame, Ind.

No. RV Notre Dame Fighting Irish
(19-11 in 2015)

IPFW Mastodons
(0-23 in 2015)

Notre Dame Softball Midweek Schedule

Wednesday, March 25
/WatchND

IRISH SLAP HITS

– Notre Dame improved to 19-11 this season with a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) sweep of Georgia Tech last weekend at Melissa Cook Stadium. The Irish downed the Yellow Jackets 6-1 and 13-0 in five innings on Saturday before closing the series with a 5-0 shutout on Sunday.

– Dating back to a 12-0 win in five innings over No. 9/10 Florida State on March 15, Notre Dame has rattled off five consecutive wins, outscoring opponents 44-5 in those victories.

– Sophomore pitcher Rachel Nasland was selected as the ACC Pitcher of the Week for the third time this season (second straight award) after posting a 3-0 record last week. Over 19 innings pitched, Nasland limited opponents to nine hits (a cumulative .143 average against), walked seven and struck out 25 batters in outings against Cleveland State and Georgia Tech.

– Nasland and 2014 USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year Lacey Waldrop of Florida State lead all ACC hurlers with three separate conference pitcher of the week citations thus far in 2015. Nasland earned her first career league pitcher of the week honor on Feb. 24 before receiving the recognition once more on March 16, following a five-inning no-hitter against Florida State the previous day.

– Notre Dame exploded on offense during its 4-0 spurt last weekend, batting a cumulative .359 with 37 hits (including 12 doubles and three home runs), 26 RBI, a team .563 slugging percentage, a team .447 on-base percentage, nine stolen bases and 32 runs scored.

– Notre Dame improved to 17-2 (.895) this season when outhitting the opposition, including a perfect 9-0 when posting 10 or more hits, during its four victories last week.

– Irish softball is one of only two Notre Dame varsity athletic programs to have never posted a losing record. The softball team has completed its first 26 seasons with a .500 record or above in each campaign. Notre Dame’s three-time national champion women’s soccer program has posted 27 straight winning seasons since its inception at the varsity level in the fall of 1988.

On This Date…
Notre Dame is a combined 13-3 (.813) all-time in games played on March 25 of a given season, winning seven straight games played on the date since 2006. Head coach Deanna Gumpf is a perfect 7-0 at Notre Dame on March 25, outscoring opponents 36-6 in those games.

Nasland Repeats As The ACC’s Best
Thanks to another strong stint for the Irish in the circle last week, the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) selected sophomore Rachel Nasland as the ACC Pitcher of the Week for the second straight time on Monday.

With her third ACC Pitcher of the Week award this season, Nasland joined Irish softball legend Laura Winter (’14) as a previous three-time recipient of the league’s top pitching honor in a single season. Winter was tabbed as the ACC Pitcher of the Week on March 10, April 28 and May 5 of 2014 during her only season in the conference.

Nasland ramped up her recent dominance against ACC foes with an undefeated weekend in the circle against Georgia Tech, adding a nonconference midweek victory against Cleveland State. The ACC’s reigning top pitcher posted a perfect 3-0 mark with a 1.47 ERA in three starts last week, scattering nine hits over 19 innings. The Irish righty yielded seven walks and struck out 25 of the 73 batters she faced.

Irish Dominant In Nonconference Play At The Cooker
Notre Dame’s 8-4 win over Cleveland State last Wednesday at Melissa Cook Stadium was the seventh straight home nonconference win for the Irish dating back to the 2013 season. Notre Dame has outscored nonleague home opponents a combined 71-21 in that span.

When The Irish Are Scoring, The Wins Follow
Sunday’s 5-0 win over Georgia Tech marked the 16th time this season Notre Dame has scored five or more runs during a game. The results of the run production has made an impact in the win column as well, as Notre Dame has logged a 15-1 (.938) record this season when plating at least five in a contest.

Notre Dame has averaged 5.43 runs per game through 30 starts in 2015, scoring double-digit runs on three occasions.

What Can Wester Do For You?
Another Notre Dame softball week brought with it another standout offensive performance from sophomore All-American Karley Wester. Displaying the creativity, efficiency and aggressiveness at the plate that has become her trademark, Wester took yet another step on her way to becoming one of the best outfielders in the NCAA.

Over four starts last week Wester paced all Notre Dame hitters with a .538 (7-for-13) average, two doubles, three RBI, four stolen bases and six runs scored. Wester added a walk and a hit by pitch to close the week with a .600 on-base percentage.

Wester entered this week as the ACC leader in batting average (.438), hits (46) and stolen bases (15) after her first 30 starts this season.

Good Luck Scoring On The Irish In The Second
Notre Dame opponents have faced Irish pitching 30 times during the second inning thus far in 2015, and to this point have made little impact on the scoreboard in the second frame. In fact, the Notre Dame pitching staff has remained in the driver’s seat during the second all season long.

Irish pitchers have posted a cumulative 0.70 ERA during the second inning this season, yielding only three runs overall to the 110 batters faced in the stanza (.124 batting average against). Notre Dame has walked only eight opponents and has struck out a total of 40 batters in the second inning, both team-highs for an individual inning.

Mo Comes Through In The Clutch
After working back into the Notre Dame lineup following a weeklong absence, freshman Morgan Reed has emerged as a breakout performer in the Irish order. Reed’s past seven games at the plate have showcased average, power and patience from the Maylene, Alabama native.

Since returning to the Notre Dame order against Florida State on March 14, Reed is batting at a .400 clip with a home run, two doubles, six RBI and five runs scored in her last seven starts. Reed’s first career home run, a three-run shot during a six-run third inning at Florida State on March 15, led the Irish newcomer to a career-high four RBI in a 12-0 rout of the top 10 ranked Seminoles.

Reed is third on the Notre Dame roster in batting average (.320) and on-base percentage (.424), and fifth in RBI (13) through 27 games (20 starts) of her freshman season.

Irish Against The Opposition
Notre Dame is 3-0 all-time against IPFW entering Wednesday’s nonconference game at Melissa Cook Stadium. The Irish have outscored the Mastodons 24-4 over the previous three meetings in series history, most recently sweeping IPFW 10-2 in five and 9-1 in six innings on April 17, 2003 at Ivy Field.