Weekend Preview: No. 6/10 Notre Dame
It's rivalry weekend and the Irish come in with a top-10 ranking and a conference-best 16 ACC wins.
After a narrow, hard-fought Sunday victory to salvage a weekend in Tallahassee, Boston College faltered in midweek action against Rhode Island. Now, with the Eagles’ (15-19, 5-16 Atlantic Coast) backs up against the wall in conference play, they have to contend with a rivalry weekend that features one of the top teams in the nation.
No. 6/10 Notre Dame arrives in Brighton having won every conference series (except for a two-game split with No. 7 Louisville thanks to a postponement) it’s played in. The Irish (18-7, 16-7) have thrived despite playing a predominantly conference slate, the result of several early-season cancellations.
The Irish enter with the conference’s second-best pitching staff by ERA, having held ACC opponents to two or fewer runs in five straight games, and also feature a dangerous lineup top-to-bottom. Notre Dame head coach Link Jarrett, as D1Baseball noted, has developed a reputation as a strong hitting coach and has a lineup that can grind down opposing pitchers.
Here’s what you need to know about the three-game set:
When are the games and how can I watch them?
Friday’s first pitch is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. and will be aired on ACC Network Extra. Saturday and Sunday will also both be on ACC Network Extra at 3 p.m. and noon, respectively.
Projected lineup
Notre Dame (AVG/OBP/SLG, OPS+)
C) David LaManna (.237/.326/.316, 88)
1B) Niko Kavadas (.329/.487/.866, 186)
2B) Jared Miller (.288/.373/.479, 117)
SS) Zack Prajzner (.183/.286/.354, 88)
3B) Jack Brannigan (.289/.360/.433, 109)
LF) Ryan Cole (.355/.468/.597, 146)
CF) Spencer Myers (.223/.299/.282, 80)
RF) Brooks Coetzee (.247/.313/.384, 96)
DH) Carter Putz (.360/.416/.530, 130)
Who’s hot and who’s not?
In the last 10 games, Carter Putz is slashing .400/.419/.650 with 16 hits, two doubles, two home runs, and a team-best 12 RBIs. Niko Kavadas leads the team over that span with a 1.354 OPS, racking up 11 hits, three home runs, and three doubles. His approach at the plate has been phenomenal as he has a 28 BB% to a 15 K%.
The bottom half of the Irish lineup has been up and down, though. Outside of the top six—Putz, Spencer Myers, Ryan Cole, Jack Brannigan, Zack Prajzner, and Kavadas—Jarrett has had to mix and match for the final three spots and has had six guys there. Danny Neri (.308, 4-for-13) has looked decent as a secondary catcher but other than that, it’s been tough sledding. Over the last 10 games, the likes of Coetzee, Zyska, and David LaManna are all hitting under .220.
Who are the starting pitchers?
Friday
For the first time, Emmet Sheehan gets the nod on Friday for the Eagles, the result of Mason Pelio missing last weekend and needing a bullpen day in the midweek. It’s a big stage for Sheehan but he’s pitched to the level of a No. 1 starter almost throughout the entire year. Sheehan’s average game score when you remove the tough Auburn start is 77, a remarkably high mark, and his ERA falls more than a point to 3.58. On the year, Sheehan boasts a 30 K% and a slim 9 BB%, which was something that held him back in the past.
He faces off against Will Mercer, a left-hander who has pitched both in the rotation and out of the bullpen. His average start length is just 3 1/3 innings, but he went five innings of two-run ball against N.C. State last time out. Mercer has been better out of the bullpen albeit with a smaller sample size.
Saturday
Game two sees the return of Mason Pelio to the weekend rotation after he was unavailable during the Florida State series. Pelio made a bullpen start on Wednesday and gave up three straight hits and two runs to Rhode Island in an inning of work, raising his season ERA to near seven in the process. It’s been a tough season for the junior, as he followed up a strong start against Virginia Tech two weekends ago by giving up seven earned runs to the Wolfpack. The Eagles will need the best of Pelio this weekend.
Notre Dame, meanwhile, has its most reliable starter set to start Saturday—Furman graduate transfer John Michael Bertrand. The left-hander leads the team in starts (7), innings pitched (45.2), and strikeouts (36). Bertrand is a workhorse, having gone seven-plus innings in five of his seven starts. He gave up a season-high four runs last week against N.C. State, but his season numbers are terrific. Bertrand has a 1.07 WHIP, a 7 BB%, and a strong 19 K%.
Sunday
TBA
Neither team listed a probable starter for Sunday. The Eagles have done this the last few weekends even with Alex Stiegler establishing himself as a quality Sunday arm. Since Stiegler has been used in high-leverage moments as a reliever before, there’s always the chance that BC turns to him out of the bullpen in a big moment on Saturday. However, after three straight strong starts—against Virginia Tech, N.C. State, and Florida State—it seems more than likely he’ll toe the rubber on Sunday. As for the Irish, it could be another southpaw in Aidan Tyrell, who went four innings last week against the Wolfpack. Tyrell has had some command struggles, though, so there’s definitely an opportunity for the Eagles to jump on him if he makes the start.
How will the Notre Dame bullpen line up after the starters?
The Irish bullpen has been one of the teams strengths as they boast a 3.16 ERA and have registered 10 saves. Jarrett hasn’t been shy from using the same core four arms week in and week out, and they’ve proven effective. Expect to see Tanner Kohlhepp, Joe Sheridan, Alex Rao, and Liam Simon in big spots throughout the weekend. Rao, a 6-foot-4 right-hander, has a microscopic 0.79 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 22 2/3 innings. Sheridan, a southpaw graduate transfer from UCF, leads the team with three saves. Kohlhepp is an innings-eater, totaling 30 2/3 over 13 appearances with a sub-1.00 WHIP and a bullpen-high 32 strikeouts. Finally, Simon is second on the team with 10 appearances and while he’s struggled with control (15 walks in 16 2/3 innings), he’s been able to limit the damage.
Conference Overview
Featured Images courtesy of Notre Dame Athletics