NOTRE DAME, Ind. — Notre Dame (28-12, 17-10 ACC) faces its final series of 2021 as the Irish host Boston College (13-29, 8-21 ACC) for a four-game series May 7-9 at Melissa Cook Stadium. Notre Dame is currently on an 11-game win streak, as well as owning 16-consecutive home victories, a streak which spans back to 2019.
As part of the series, the Irish will honor the team members who will be graduating and not returning next season.
Notre Dame leads the ACC in batting average (.305), ranking fifth in ERA (2.32). Currently at fifth place in the ACC, the Irish have clinched their position in the ACC Tournament, which will take place next week in Louisville.
THE DETAILS
Location: Melissa Cook Stadium (Notre Dame, IN)
NOTE: Spectators are limited to team guests and students.
Games:
- Friday, May 7: 5 p.m. ET vs. Boston College
- Saturday, May 8 (DH1): 1 p.m. ET vs. Boston College
- Saturday, May 8 (DH2): 3 p.m. ET vs. Boston College
- Sunday, May 9: Noon ET vs. Boston College
Live Stats: und.com/mediastats
BY THE NUMBERS
1: OF Abby Sweet is one of the nation’s best at the plate, ranking among the top not only in the ACC, but across Division I softball. Sweet’s .465 avg. leads the ACC and ranks 14th in the nation, while her 59 total hits are second in the ACC and tied for 16th in the nation. She is also the second-toughest player to strike out in the ACC (18.1 at-bats per strikeout) and is second in on-base percentage (0.537), third in slugging percentage (0.756) and third in total bases (96), while ranking fifth in runs-per-game (0.88).
2: Notre Dame pitchers have totaled two combined no-hitters so far this season. In both the games against Alabama State (Feb. 14) and Valparaiso (March 24), Ps Alexis Holloway, Morgan Ryan and Payton Tidd all pitched to keep both teams hitless and scoreless.
2: The Irish boast two of the ACC’s Top 6 individual batters. OF Abby Sweet (.465) ranks first, and OF Emma Clark is sixth (.403).
2: For the first time in program history, the Irish have two graduate students on the roster. IF Katie Marino and IF Chelsea Purcell each took advantage of the NCAA’s extra year afforded to student-athletes in 2020.
3: Notre Dame came in at No. 3 in the preseason ACC Coaches poll, with IF Katie Marino on the preseason All-ACC team. Of the top six teams in the ACC, Notre Dame is one, and and was scheduled to face the other five in the regular season.
3: The Irish have swept three ACC series this season, winning all games against NC State, Virginia and No. 15/13 Virginia Tech.
3: Deanna Gumpf announced the selection of three captains for the 2021 season: Seniors IF Sarah Genz, P Alexis Holloway and OF Abby Sweet. Holloway and Sweet are the eighth and ninth two-time team captains in program history.
3/13: The ACC’s top batter, OF Abby Sweet has led the conference in batting average since March 13, 2021 (eight-straight weeks).
4: OF Abby Sweet was hit by four pitches in the second game of the March 27 doubleheader vs. NC State, totaling six HBP on the day (two from the first game). The four HBP tied for the most in a single game taken by any Division I player in NCAA history, and are the single-most this season. In that game, Sweet never posted an at-bat, as she was hit on all four plate appearances, as the game ended her 16-game hit streak.
5-7: Notre Dame is 5-7 this season against ranked teams. The Irish were the first team to hand Duke a loss in 2021 (Feb. 20), which was the only loss on the Blue Devils’ record until March 27. Notre Dame swept then-No. 15/13 Virginia Tech in four games at Virginia Tech’s home park April 23-25. Through this point in the season, Notre Dame has faced five teams that were either ranked or receiving votes at the time of the games (Alabama, Duke, Liberty, Florida State and Virginia Tech).
5: Notre Dame ranks in the ACC’s Top 5 in team batting average and pitching. The Irish lead the conference with a collective .305 batting avg., while they rank fifth in the conference with a 2.32 ERA.
11: Notre Dame owns an 11-game win streak, following two-consecutive series sweeps of Virginia and No. 15/13 Virginia Tech, with the doubleheader sweep of Charlotte, as well as a midweek win over Western Michigan.
12: The May 1 doubleheader marked Notre Dame’s 10th-annual Strike Out Cancer celebration, which raises funds and awareness for those battling pediatric cancer and their families. Through the week, the Irish raised more than $23,000 for the cause.
12: Irish pitchers are dangerous in the batter’s box, totaling 12 extra-base hits on the season. P Payton Tidd has hit eight extra-base balls this season, with five doubles and three home runs, accumulating 10 RBI on 11 total hits. She was named Honorable Mention for the Nation’s Best Hitting Pitchers by Justin’s World of Softball. P Alexis Holloway has also made a significant mark at the plate, hitting two doubles and three home runs, totaling 13 hits and 10 RBI on the season.
16: The Irish have won 16-straight games at home, beginning with a four-game win streak to end the 2019 home slate, as the Irish did not play a home game in 2020. The streak began with an April 13, 2019 win over NC State and extends to the present. Seven of those 14 wins have come as part of two ACC series sweeps: vs. NC State (March 24-26) and vs. Virginia (April 16-18).
16: The Irish return 16 veterans in 2021, including every starter from the 2019-20 season. They are joined by six freshmen.
25: On April 23, OF Abby Sweet was named one of 25 finalists for USA Softball’s Collegiate Player of the Year Award, which is considered the most prestigious honor in Division I women’s collegiate softball. Sweet is the third player in Irish history to be selected as a Top 25 Finalist for the award, joining Emilee Koerner (2013) and Karley Wester (2015 & 2016).
80: IF Chelsea Purcell, currently in her fifth season (graduate student), leads the team in defensive assists with 80. Seeing action at shortstop and third base, she has made a significant impact in the infield, including a showstopping defensive performance at No. 15/13 Virginia Tech.