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Series Preview: ACC Opener at Georgia Tech

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The Fighting Irish (5-4) are coming off of their second series win, taking down UAB on the road last weekend as they’ve been gearing up for conference play. Notre Dame will head south for their fourth road series of the season to open up ACC play against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (11-2) in Atlanta, Georgia. The Irish and Yellow Jacket matchup starts Friday, March 10 at Russ Chandler Stadium.

Friday, March 10 @ Georgia Tech – 6:00 PM  | Live Stats | ACCNX

Probable Starters: RHP Blake Hely (0-1, 2.25 ERA) vs. RHP Dawson Brown (1-1, ERA 11.25)

Saturday, March 11 @ Georgia Tech – 2:00 PM  | Live Stats | ACCNX

Probable Starters: TBA vs. TBA

Sunday, March 12 @ Georgia Tech – 1:00 PM | Live Stats | ACCNX

Probable Starters: RHP Jackson Dennies (0-1, 5.23 ERA) vs. RHP Jackson Finley (1-0, ERA 1.38)

Notre Dame Baseball Game Notes (PDF)

Conference Play Opens Up at Georgia Tech

  • The Fighting Irish open up ACC play on the road in Atlanta, GA at Georgia Tech.
  • This will be the 24th matchup between the Irish and Yellow Jackets as Notre Dame trails 11-12 in the overall series. 
  • The Irish have defended their home turf, posting a 5-1 record against Georgia Tech at Frank Eck Stadium. The Irish are 6-10 on the road at Georgia Tech’s Russ Chandler Stadium and 0-1 at neutral sites.
  • The first-ever matchup between Notre Dame and Georgia was almost 100 years ago on April 12, 1924 in Atlanta. The Irish took home the win first ever win in the series with a 4-3 win over the Yellow Jackets.
  • While Georgia Tech and Notre Dame did not face each other last season, their last matchup was a three-game series in the 2021 season in South Bend (April 9-11). 
  • The Irish won the series 2-1 after taking the first two games of the series. 
  • Notre Dame took game one despite trailing 7-0 in the bottom of the fourth and 9-6 in the bottom of the eighth, scoring eight runs in the final two innings to come back and win.
  • The 12th-ranked Notre Dame baseball team kept the momentum rolling with a 7-0 win over No. 14 Georgia Tech to clinch the series the next morning in game two. The Yellow Jackets would go on to take game three 4-2.
  • Georgia Tech enters the weekend 11-2 and 9-1 at home this season after taking down Lipscomb 10-5 at Russ Chandler. The Yellow Jackets only losses come from the Georgia Bulldogs (L 7-2, L 16-6, W 4-1) last weekend. 

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.  

Lethal Lineup is Back for 2022

  • Coming off the most successful season in almost 20 years, a strong portion of the 2022 leadership returns as seven graduate students are back for another year with the Irish, four of which were every day starters.
  • Graduate students Carter Putz, Zack Prajzner, Jack Zyska, and Brooks Coetzee all return to the field for the Irish. 
  • Putz started all 58 games and was a big piece of Notre Dame’s success last season. He also led the team in hits (81) and runs (55) and was second on the squad in doubles (13)  and batting average (.339). 
  • Putz’s 81 hits were the most hits in a single season since 2013 when World Series Champion Trey Mancini had 89 hits on the year.
  • Prajzner returns to the Irish after starting all 58 games and setting career highs in runs, hits, doubles, home runs and RBIs last season. He was also fourth on the team in hits and runs as he finished with 44 runs and 58 hits. 
  • Prajzner was named to the 2022 Statesboro Regional All-Tournament Team after hitting the game-tying home run in the 6-4 win over No. 22 Georgia Southern to advance to the Statesboro Regional Championship. 
  • Both Putz and Prajzner were also recognized by Perfect Game as two of the top 50 seniors in the country heading into the 2023 season.
  • Zyska made 38 starts on the season and was a big piece of the Super Regional win over No. 1 Tennessee as he hit one of four home runs in the 8-6 win over the Volunteers in game one and set a career-high four hits against Tennessee in game two. 
  • He finished with 34 runs, 45 hits, 12 doubles, 13 home runs, and seven stolen bases.
  • Coetzee started all 58 games and had a big year with the Irish as he set career highs in runs (42), hits (59), home runs (12), and RBI (43). 
  • He finished second on the team in home runs and was one of three Irish players to hit double-digit home runs last season as the Irish set the program record for home runs in a single season with 79 homers.

Findlay, Tyrell, and Mercer Return 

  • While the Irish lost main starters John Bertrand and Austin Temple, the Irish return Freshman All-American LHP Jack Findlay.
  • Findlay capped off his freshman season as a pivotal piece of Notre Dame’s postseason success. He made 20 appearances, including eight starts, but was recognized as a big-time closer for the Irish. 
  • Findlay led the Irish in ERA and saves, was second in wins and third on the team in innings pitched after finishing the 2022 season with a 2.17 ERA, 54 strikeouts, and 6-2 record with four saves through 49.2 innings. 
  • Findlay was named a 2022 Perfect Game Second Team Freshman All-American and a 2022 Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. 
  • At the beginning of this year, Findlay was also recognized by Perfect Game as one of the top 50 sophomores in the country. 
  • Graduate student Aidan Tyrell also returns to the mound for Notre Dame. 
  • Tyrell made 26 appearances and had five starts for the Irish as he finished the year with a 3.75 ERA, 37 strikeouts, and a 5-2 record with two saves through 48.0 innings pitched.
  • Tyrell won his first three starts of the season after allowing just one run in 16.0 innings pitched and had a string of four and five-straight appearances out of the bullpen without allowing a run.
  • Graduate student Will Mercer returns for his fifth season after making 13 appearances and 3 starts in 2022. 
  • Mercer finished his senior year with a 4.18 ERA and a 2-1 record with one save through 23.2 innings pitched along with 24 strikeouts. He tossed a season-best 3.2 innings pitched and did not allow a run against #5 Texas A&M at the College World Series. 

Newcomers 

  • The Irish also have 14 newcomers, featuring 10 freshmen and four grad transfers. 
  • Blake Hely is a graduate transfer that joined the Irish this fall after spending four years at Davidson. 
  • He was another Notre Dame player recognized by Perfect Game this year as one of the top 50 impact transfers in the nation. Hely was a weekend starter for the Wildcats, appearing in and starting 15 games with a 3.80 ERA and a 9-2 record after leading Davidson in 2022 with 85.1 innings pitched. 
  • Hely was also named Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Year, Atlantic 10 First Team, and ABCA All-Atlantic Region Team this past season.
  • Hely held opponents to a .207 batting average, led the A-10 with 6.86 hits allowed per nine innings and was second in the league with 97 strikeouts.
  • Graduate transfers Vincent Martinez (C) and Justin Moore (RHP) joined the Irish this fall after each of them spent four years at Stanford. 
  • RHP Carter Bosch is another graduate transfer who joins the Irish  from Georgetown.
  • David Lally Jr., of Grand Blanc, Michigan, is predicted to be a force on the mound as he helped guide his high school to a 2021 State Championship, is a two-time Collegiate Baseball First Team All-American and was recognized this year as one of the top 100 freshmen in the country by Perfect Game.