SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The 13th-ranked Notre Dame baseball team is gearing up for a big ACC series this weekend as Wake Forest comes to Frank Eck Stadium. Both teams are jostling for position in the ACC standings as the season races past the halfway mark. The series gets underway Friday afternoon at 5 p.m. ET and the entire series will be streamed on the ACC Network Extra. Admission is free for all fans this season at Frank Eck Stadium.
| Weekend Preview | |
|---|---|
| Matchup: | Wake Forest (29-8, 10-8 ACC) vs. No. 13 Notre Dame (23-8, 8-7 ACC) |
| When: | Friday, April 22 | 5 p.m. ET Saturday, April 23 | 2 p.m. ET Sunday, April 24 | 1 p.m. ET |
| Probable Starters: | RHP Rhett Lowder (7-1, 1.96 ERA) vs. LHP John Michael Bertrand (5-0, 1.68 ERA) LHP Josh Hartle (4-3, 5.27 ERA) vs. RHP Austin Temple (3-1, 3.03 ERA) RHP Teddy McGraw (3-2, 5.35 ERA) vs. TBA |
| Where: | South Bend, Ind. | Frank Eck Stadium |
| Admission: | FREE |
| Watch: | ACCNX (Friday) ACCNX (Saturday) ACCNX (Sunday) |
| Live Scoring: | StatBroadcast |
| Notes: | Notre Dame |
| Social: | @NDBaseball @NotreDameBaseball |
| BY THE NUMBERS | |
|---|---|
| .747 | The Irish are 68-23 (.747) since the start of the 2020 season. That winning percentage ranks third in the NCAA over the past three seasons, trailing Tennessee and Arkansas. |
| .781 | The Irish own an 25-7 record (.781) at home under head coach Link Jarrett. |
| .985 | Notre Dame is third in the NCAA in fielding percentage with a .985 mark this season. The Irish have committed 18 errors in 842 putout opportunities this season. |
| 1 | The Irish swept #5 Florida State on the road from April 1-3 (2-0 (12), 5-4, 9-7). It was the first time the Irish have swept a Top-5 team on the road in program history. |
| 1.20 | Notre Dame is seventh in the NCAA and leads the ACC with a 1.20 WHIP this season. They have surrendered 215 hits and 122 walks in 280.2 innings pitched. |
| 3.53 | The Irish rank 10th nationally and are second in the ACC in team ERA with 3.40. They have given up 106 earned runs in 280.2 innings this season. |
| 6.89 | The Irish are fourth in the NCAA and first in the ACC with 6.89 hits allowed per nine innings. They have given up 215 hits in 280.2 innings pitched this season. |
| 8 | The Irish scored eight unanswered runs in the 8-4 comeback win over #17 NC State on March 11. It was the most unanswered runs in a game since Game 2 of the Super Regional when the Irish scored nine unanswered runs to beat #7 Mississippi State. |
| 11.1 | The Irish rank eighth in the NCAA and second in the ACC in strikeouts per nine innings with 11.1. The Irish pitching staff has struck out 345 batters in 280.2 innings this season. |
| 12.0 | John Michael Bertrand (7.2 IP), Ryan McLinskey (1.2 IP), Aidan Tyrell (1.0) and Alex Rao (1.2 IP) combined to shutout #5 Florida State in 12.0 innings in the 2-0 Irish win on April 1. It was the first time in program history that the Seminoles had been shutout in an extra inning game. |
| 12 | John Michael Bertrand set a career high with 12 strikeouts against #5 Florida State on April 1. It was the most strikeouts in a game for an Irish pitcher since Cameron Brown struck out 12 against Florida State on March 23, 2019. |
| 16 | Notre Dame is 16-3-1 all-time in regular-season series under Jarrett. The Irish are 5-1-1 in ACC series at Frank Eck Stadium and are 14-3-1 in ACC series over the past two-plus seasons. |
| 18 | The Irish allowed three runs or less for the 18th time this season in the 12-2 win over Purdue Fort Wayne on April 20. They are 18-0 this season and 44-2 overall under Jarrett in games they allow three runs or less. |
| 18 | The Irish struck out 18 batters in the 2-0 win over #5 Florida State on April 1. It was the most strikeouts in a game for the Irish pitching staff since May 16, 2008, when they struck out 18 against South Florida. |
| 61 | Outfielder Spencer Myers has 61 steals in his Irish career and ranks seventh all-time in program history for career steals. He trails Dan Bautch by seven for sixth place in program history. |
Irish and Demon Deacons Square Off in Weekend Series
- The Irish finish off their five-game homestand with a crucial weekend series against Wake Forest.
- The Irish and Demon Deacons are two of five teams in the Atlantic Division that are all separated by two games or fewer in the loss column.
- This will be the first trip for Wake Forest to Frank Eck Stadium since the 2018 season.
- Wake Forest leads the all-time series between the two schools 16-11 but the Irish have won the last three series against the Demon Deacons.
- In 2021, the Irish opened the season against Wake Forest in Winston-Salem and won the final two games to clinch the series.
- After losing the first game of the double-header, the Irish claimed a 5-4 win in game two. Alex Brait hit a grand slam in his first at-bat with the Irish that carried them to the win.
- In the rubber match, the Irish offense exploded for 10 runs while the pitching staff held Wake scoreless to win 10-0.
- Christian Scafidi (4.1 IP) and Alex Rao (4.2) combined for the shutout and allowed just four hits in the win.
- At the plate over the series, Jared Miller led the Irish with a team-high seven hits and seven runs.
- Wake Forest enters the series with a 29-8 overall record and are 10-8 in conference play. They are coming off a 2-2 week after losing two-of-three games against Clemson and won the midweek matchup over Appalachian State.
- The Demon Deacons are one of the best offensive teams in the ACC as they rank in the top-three in batting average (3rd – .317), on-base percentage (2nd – .429), runs scored (3rd – 348), hits (3rd – 415), runs batted in (2nd – 333) and home runs (3rd – 66).
- The Irish are one of the best pitching teams in the league as they rank in the top-three in ERA (t1st – 3.40), opposing batting average (1st – .211), hits allowed per game (1st – 6.89), runs allowed per game (1st – 3.94) and strikeouts per game (2nd – 11.06).
Blasts Lift Irish Past Purdue Fort Wayne
- Home runs and strong pitching were key in Notre Dame’s 12-2 win over Purdue Fort Wayne on April 20.
- Liam Simon tossed a career-best 4.0 innings pitched and tied a career high with eight strikeouts and no walks to start the game.
- Jack Findlay followed with a career high four strikeouts and tied a career high with 3.0 innings pitched.
- Radek Birkholz and Matt Lazzaro combined for the final two innings and allowed just two hits.
- It was the second-straight game and 18th time this season the Irish have held their opponents to three runs or fewer.
- The Irish improved to 7-0 in midweek games with the win and they are 12-0 all-time in midweek contests under head coach Link Jarrett.
- At the plate, the Irish scored in each of the last four innings to pull away from the Mastodons.
- A pair of home runs carried the Irish as Jack Zyska (solo) and Ryan Cole (two-run) both hit their fifth home runs of the season in the win. Zyska’s home run in the third gave the Irish the lead and Cole’s was the cap on a five-run seventh inning to put the game out of reach.
- It was the 11th time this season the Irish have scored 10 runs or more in a game.
Pitching Shines in 5-1 Win Over Valpo
- Notre Dame got the homestand off to a good start with a 5-1 win over Valpo on April 19.
- The pitching staff was on it as they allowed just one run and three hits to the Beacons.
- Jack Brannigan made his first career start and set a career high with 3.0 innings pitched and tied a career high with four strikeouts.
- Roman Kimball followed with a career high 4.0 innings pitched and five strikeouts.
- Aidan Tyrell closed it out with 2.0 innings of work to seal the win. Each of the three Irish pitchers allowed just one hit in their outings.
- It was the 17th time this season the Irish limited their opponent to three runs or less.
- The Irish pitching staff also did not walk a batter in the win. It is the second time this season they have not walked a batter in a game (Stetson).
- At the plate, Carter Putz and Ryan Cole put together multi-hit games and Jack Penney tallied his first career home run.
Among the Nation’s Best
- Since the start of the 2020 season, the Irish have been one of the most consistent teams over the past three seasons.
- Notre Dame is 68-23, good for a .747 winning percentage over that period.
- That ranks third overall in the NCAA, trailing only Tennessee and Arkansas.
| School | Record Since 2020 | Win Pct. |
| Tennessee | 99-23 | .811 |
| Arkansas | 91-25 | .784 |
| NOTRE DAME | 68-23 | .747 |
| Old Dominion | 82-29 | .739 |
| Texas | 91-33 | .734 |
| Vanderbilt | 88-33 | .727 |
| UC Santa Barbara | 78-30 | .722 |
| Texas Tech | 82-33 | .713 |
| San Diego | 68-28 | .708 |
| Arizona | 81-35 | .698 |
- Among ACC teams, the Irish have the best winning percentage over the past three seasons.
| School | Record Since 2020 | Win Pct. |
| NOTRE DAME | 68-23 | .747 |
| NC State | 75-33 | .694 |
| Miami | 74-33 | .692 |
| Virginia | 78-41 | .655 |
| Louisville | 66-37 | .641 |
—ND—