March 26, 2001
The University of Notre Dame softball team (18-3) will play its home opener at Ivy Field on Tuesday, March 27, against Western Michigan (6-11, 1-3) at 4 p.m.. The 12th-ranked Irish will be playing their first game in eight days and attempting to protect their home field for the first time this season.
Notre Dame will face Valparaiso (2-12) on Wednesday, March 28, at 4 p.m., in the second doubleheader of the week, followed by two conference dates with St. John’s (Saturday, March 31) and Seton Hall (Sunday, April 1) over the weekend.
The Irish are coming off a third-place finish in the Kia Klassic (March 15-18) and are off to their best start in history with an 18-3 record entering this week’s competition. Notre Dame’s #12 ranking is the highest the team has ever climbed in the USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Top 25.
A LOOK AT THE BRONCOS:
Western Michigan will enter Tuesday’s games with a 6-11 record, including a 1-3 mark in the MAC Conference … this will be the 12th and 13th meeting in the series, with the Irish holding a 7-4 advantage … in the 2000 meeting, Notre Dame posted a 6-1 victory, as the Irish pounded out 13 hits and LHP Jen Sharron (Agoura Hills, Calif.) earned her 14th victory of the season … most recently, the Broncos split a doubleheader with conference rival Marshall, winning the first game 1-0 and dropping the second 5-2 … WMU has a 0-5 record against ranked opponents this season … 3B Marie McCarthy leads the Bronco offense with a .302 batting average, 13 hits and five RBI in 17 games … RHP Leah Seffernick is 4-4 this season with a 3.04 ERA.
A LOOK AT THE CRUSADERS:
Valparaiso has a 2-12 record in 2001 and is coming off a doubleheader loss to Oakland (8-2 and 13-3) … Wednesday’s doubleheader will be the 19th and 20th meetings between the two schools, with Notre Dame holding a 16-2 advantage in the series … the last meeting between the Crusaders and the Fighting Irish occurred in 1998, as Notre Dame swept a doubleheader 4-1 and 4-0 … C Monica Rowan is the top Crusader hitter this season with a .275 average in 13 games … RHP Lisa Kendall is 2-6 in 2001 with a 2.41 ERA and 49 strikeouts in 52.1 innings pitched.
BIG EAST UPDATE:
Recent results:
March 20:
Liberty at Virginia Tech (2), ppd
St. John’s 2, Yale 0
St. John’s 5, Yale 3
Harvard at Boston College, ppd
#16 Florida State 8, Connecticut 0 (5 innings)
#16 Florida State 3, Connecticut 0
March 21:
Boston University at Providence, ppd
March 22:
Virginia Tech 7, Hartford 0
Virginia Tech 5, Hartford 0
St. Joseph’s at Villanova (2), ppd
Long Island at Boston College (2), ppd
March 23:
Connecticut 1, Princeton 0 (9 innings)
Connecticut 5, Troy State 4
March 24:
Providence 8, Yale 0 (5 innings)
Providence 7, Yale 3
St. John’s 7, Manhattan 0
Manhattan 4, St. John’s 2
Boston College 5, Radford 4
Boston College 12, Radford 0 (5 innings)
Seton Hall 4, Marist 0
Seton Hall 7, Marist 2
Connecticut 7, Cleveland State 2
Maryland 6, Connecticut 2 (9 innings)
Harvard 3, Connecticut 0
March 25:
VIRGINIA TECH 2, BOSTON COLLEGE 1
VIRGINIA TECH 8, BOSTON COLLEGE 0 (5 innings)
Villanova 6, Manhattan 0
Villanova 3, Manhattan 1
BIG EAST team records:
Notre Dame, 18-3
Virginia Tech, 20-12 (2-0)
Villanova, 12-2
Providence, 11-5
Rutgers, 10-8
Seton Hall, 6-5
St. John’s, 13-16
Connecticut, 8-13
Syracuse, 4-10
Pittsburgh, 4-19
Boston College, 13-11 (0-2)