The Notre Dame softball team returns to ACC play this weekend when it hosts NC State for a three-game series at Melissa Cook Stadium. Admission is free for all three games in conjunction with the Notre Dame football team’s Blue and Gold Game on campus. Early arriving fans can get a Notre Dame softball bracelet on Friday night and Saturday’s contest will feature the second trading card set of the season as a giveaway with postgame autographs from selected players.
2019 Notes & Numbers
- The Irish have played 13 games this season against teams ranked in the top 25 or receiving votes, with seven games against top-10 opponents (at the time of the game).
- Ali Wester’s 266 career hits rank third in the nation among active players, trailing only Oklahoma’s Sydney Romero (286) and Florida’s Amanda Lorenz (271).
- This season, Ali Wester has notched 53 hits, ranking second in the ACC and 15th nationally. In the league, she trails only Georgia Tech’s Breanna Roper (57), while George Washington’s Sierra Lange leads the nation with 63 hits.
- Ali Wester has struck out once every 21.8 at-bats this season, making her the second-toughest hitter in the ACC to strikeout. Donna Friedman of Virginia leads the league at 22.5 at-bats per strikeout.
- Cait Brooks ranks 18th in the nation and second in the ACC with 13 home runs this season. NC State’s Brigette Nordberg leads the conference with 14 round trippers.
- Cait Brooks ranks second in the ACC in slugging percentage, checking in at a clip of .806. She ranks 34th in the nation in the category.
- Katie Marino’s 1.05 runs per game slots third in the ACC and 25th in the nation.
- Abby Sweet has driven in runs on five sacrifice flies this season, seventh in the country and tops in the ACC (tied with Virginia Tech’s Caitlyn Nolan). The national leaders are at seven sac flies this season.
- MK Bonamy drove in seven runs last week as part of a 6-for-9 performance in four games, all Irish victories, earning ACC Player of the Week honors. She had 10 total bases, three walks, two stolen bases, a double and a homer. It marked the fourth weekly ACC honor for and Irish player this season.
- Cait Brooks earned ACC Co-Player of the Week honors on March 19 after hitting four homers with six RBI to go along with her .429 average on the week. Her two-run shot in the fourth inning helped power the Irish to a 7-4 win in game two of the series at No. 3 Florida State.
- During its nine-game spring break trip, Notre Dame had five players hit at least .360 during the stretch. Abby Sweet paced the group with a .500 average, while Cait Brooks hit .423 and Ali Wester posted a .419 average. Katie Marino (.370) and MK Bonamy (.360) rounded out the group.
- The Irish collected two weekly ACC honors on March 5 as Katie Marino was named Co-Player of the Week and Payton Tidd earned Co-Pitcher of the Week. Notre Dame went 2-0 at the Red Desert Classic with wins over Utah Valley (16-0) and No. 24 Baylor (14-1).