May 22, 2017
By Michael Scholl
After starting all 56 games and leading the Irish in batting average, home runs and RBI, centerfielder Matt Vierling has been named third team All-ACC.
The Saint Louis, Missouri, native hit. 329 during the regular season with seven homers and 40 RBI, leading his club in all three categories. In addition, his 19 doubles and four triples both rank among the top-five in the conference.
Vierling has been just as good in ACC play, hitting .322 in conference games, ranking 19th. His 14 doubles in league games rank second.
The sophomore has also pitched for the Irish this season, making nine appearances on the mound with seven strikeouts in 11 innings of work and a pair of saves.
The accolades follow a freshman season in which Vierling earned Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America honors after starting 54 games while hitting .258 with six homers and 29 RBI. He also struck out 12 in 10 innings of work. This was after being selected in the 30th round of the 2015 MLB Draft by his hometown Saint Louis Cardinals.
Vierling becomes the fourth Irish player to earn All-ACC honors since Notre Dame joined the league for the 2014 campaign. Robert Youngdahl, Ryan Smoyer and Kyle Fiala all earned the nod in 2015. In program history, Notre Dame has now had 165 all-conference honorees during its 34 seasons playing in the Midwest Collegiate Conference, BIG EAST and ACC.
Vierling and the Irish open the 2017 ACC Baseball Championship on Wednesday, May 24 against Florida State at 11 a.m. Notre Dame then completes Pool A action by facing Louisville on Thursday, May 25, at 7 p.m. The tournament is being held at Louisville Slugger Field in Louisville, Kentucky. For tickets or more information, visit TheACC.com.
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Michael Scholl joined Fighting Irish Media in August 2016, coordinating communications for the baseball program and assisting with the football team at his alma mater. The South Bend native earned a degree in political science from the College of Arts & Letters in 2009 before going on to work in athletics communications at Providence College, Vanderbilt and Cincinnati.