Game Thread | (G3) Notre Dame vs. No. 1 Tennessee

Notre Dame (39-15) vs. No. 1 Tennessee (57-8) 

When: June 12

Time: 1:00 PM ET 

Where: Lindsey Nelson Stadium | Knoxville, Tenn. 

Watch: ESPN 

QUICK FACTS

(Entering the weekend)

- Notre Dame is 50-20 (.714) away from Frank Eck Stadium under head coach Link Jarrett. In 2022, the Irish are 10-8 in true road games and 11-3 in neutral site games.

- The Irish are 83-29 (.741) since the start of the 2020 season. That winning percentage ranks second in the NCAA over the past three seasons, trailing only Tennessee.

- Notre Dame is 14th in the NCAA and first in the ACC in fielding percentage with a .980 mark this season. The Irish have committed 39 errors in 1,394 putout opportunities this season.

- The Irish rank seventh nationally and are first in the ACC in team ERA with 3.82. They have given up 197 earned runs in 464.2 innings this season.

- Notre Dame is 10th in the NCAA and first in the ACC with a 1.27 WHIP this season. They have surrendered 393 hits and 197 walks in 464.2 innings pitched.

- The Irish rank fourth in the NCAA and first in the ACC in strikeouts per nine innings with 11.0. The Irish pitching staff has struck out 569 batters in 464.2 innings this season.

- Notre Dame is 27-0 this season and 53-2 overall under Jarrett in games they allow three runs or less.

- The Irish allowed just seven runs in the three games at the Statesboro Regional.  It was the second fewest runs scored in the Regional Round behind Texas (6).

- Tennessee is 37-3 in games at home this season. 

- The Volunteers bring one of the top offenses in the country into the weekend as they lead the NCAA in home runs (150), runs (592) and slugging percentage (.607). Tennessee also leads the nation in ERA (2.38), hits allowed per nine innings (6.34) and WHIP (0.980).

- The Irish also have one of the best pitching staffs in the country heading into the weekend. They rank fourth in strikeouts per nine innings (11.0), seventh in ERA (3.72) and hits allowed per nine innings (7.61) and 10th in WHIP (1.27).

- This will be the second time in program history that the Irish will face the No. 1 overall seed in the Super Regionals. Back in 2002, Notre Dame traveled to Tallahassee to face the top-ranked Seminoles in the supers. The Irish won the first and third game to advance to the College World Series for the second time in program history.

PROBABLE STARTERS
 

WHAT TO WATCH 

- Game 1 and 2 have been defined by the home run. Notre Dame won the battle on Friday and Tennessee dominated Saturday. The long ball will surely be a factor on Sunday, but for Notre Dame, it will simply be to do what they’ve done all year and not get caught up in a home run derby. 

- Liam Simon has had two really good performances and will need another dynamic outing. Simon will push 98-99 mph with his fastball, but he must have his secondary stuff working against Tennessee. Ball placement and confidence have been inconsistent this year, but Simon’s confidence should be at all-time high heading into today. That said, if he does give up a home run, Simon can’t get down and let the crowd or emotion in the stadium get to him. We will see if that happens. 

- Notre Dame will need to get on base and continue to be aggressive on the bases. Tennessee has shown they aren’t overly focused on the runners as they trust pitchers to get strikeouts and outs. The Irish need to take extra bases whenever possible to keep pressure on the Vols defense. 

- The Irish will need to weather the storm. The Vols aren’t going to roll over, but Notre Dame needs to answer back. Notre Dame couldn’t find a way to overcome the 5th inning on Saturday and it starts with not giving up four home runs in one inning. 

- Notre Dame needs to remember they have nothing to lose here. Tennessee is the team with pressure, so Link Jarrett’s club can add even more pressure if they can get into the bullpen and have this be a game late. 

- The Irish bullpen should be ready to go on Sunday. Jarrett managed his pitchers well on Saturday as Alex Rao and Matt Bedford didn’t pitch while lefties Aidan Tyrell and Will Mercer have yet to see action in the series. It’s all hands on deck and the pen will need to execute. 

- Tennessee will get centerfielder Drew Gilbert back for Game 3 after his suspension for arguing balls and strikes - and it’s safe to say he’ll want to have a big game. 

Notre Dame Lineup

Tennessee Lineup

Notre Dame Fighting Irish Raglan Game Day Triad Full-Zip Jacket