Notre Dame baseball looks to continue hot start
It could have been a sweep.
It very nearly was a perfect opening weekend.
Nonetheless, Notre Dame baseball made an emphatic opening statement for its 2021 season when it was dominant in taking two of three games last weekend from then-No 16 Wake Forest.
The Fighting Irish led in all three games; scored in the opening inning in all three games; found key contributors throughout the lineup and their pitching staff.
This weekend presents another stern test for Link Jarrett's diamond squad, as Notre Dame (2-1, 2-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) continues its marathon season-opening road-swing with a scheduled three-game set at Clemson.
The Tigers (4-2, 0-0) are in the process of playing their first 10 games of the season within the Palmetto State; they travel next weekend to North Carolina.
Clemson swept Cincinnati at home to open its season, lost a two-game set to rival South Carolina and then pounded ETSU, 7-3, in its most recent outing. The Irish are their first ACC foe.
Notre Dame brings a two-game winning streak into Doug Kingsmore Stadium and, stretching to last year's truncated campaign, has won nine of its last 10.
PROBABLE PITCHERS:
GAME 1 FRIDAY: ND LHP Tommy Sheehan (0-0, 2.25 ERA) vs. CL RHP Davis Sharpe (1-0, 2.00 ERA) 4 p.m., ACC NET EXTRA
GAME 2 SATURDAY: ND LHP John Michael Bertrand (0-0, 9.82 ERA) vs. CL RHP Ty Olenchuk (1-0, 2.00 ERA) 3 p.m., ACC NET EXTRA
GAME 3 SUNDAY: ND RHP Christian Scafidi (1-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. CL RHP Carter Raffield (0-0, 2.25) 12 p.m., ACC NET EXTRA
FOND MEMORY
When last Notre Dame visited Clemson, two years ago, budding staff ace Tommy Sheehan twirled the first complete game of his collegiate career, the Irish point out this week in their notes package. Sheehan went the distance against a Tigers team that finished the year with 35 wins and advanced into the NCAA Tournament. He allowed just two runs and fanned four batters.
Sheehan fanned seven in four innings of one-run ball last Friday against Wake.
BASH BROTHERS?
Niko Kavadas and Alex Brait busted out the big sticks last weekend for the Irish. Kavadas belted a pair of home runs in the season-opening contest and drove in five of Notre Dame's eight runs in the 10-8 setback.
Brait, a grad-transfer from Florida Gulf Coast University, smashed a grand-slam in his first-ever Irish at-bat in helping Notre Dame get into the win column.
PEN PALS
Notre Dame utilized six arms out of its bullpen last weekend against the Demon Deacons, as Jarrett eased his starters into the season with none throwing more than four-plus innings.
Aidan Tyrell, Alex Rao and Liam Simon combined to throw 10 innings of scoreless relief in the three-game set.
