Notre Dame Motivated, Not Frustrated Entering NCAA Tourney
Notre Dame baseball hasn’t dwelled on losses all season and the Irish fully expect to move on from Friday’s 14-1 loss to Virginia in the ACC Baseball Championship.
Sure, Link Jarrett’s squad hasn’t taken one on the chin to that extent, but that’s also why the loss was an outlier for the Irish program.
"Coach just said we have a lot going for us in the next few weeks,” stated shortstop Zack Prajzner. “We put together a pretty good resume the last 40 or so games. We don't want to let this carry over into the regional or anything like that.
"We're a really good team. We're excited to go back out there and prove it again."
Notre Dame certainly proved they belong in the discussions of the top teams in the country in 2021 as the Irish were picked to finish last in the Atlantic Division. Winning the regular-season Atlantic Division wasn’t a small task, but the loss to Virginia simply serves as a reminder there is more work to be done.
"We're upset with how (Friday) went,” explained Prajzner. “We have a lot going for us in the future. I think this is more of a motivating thing than a frustrating thing. We know we have things to get better at and we're excited to get back out there and prove this isn't the type of team we are."
It’s good the program was upset as it shows they care and expect more from themselves. The program's culture is strong as the Irish have lost just one ACC series during Jarrett’s tenure at Notre Dame, which leads to confidence that the Irish will be ready to go next week.
“We had a tough loss at Boston College,” stated Jarrett. “We've had some that just didn't feel like you gave yourself a chance. They're really frustrated, but we talked about what is coming and the season has allowed you to accomplish at this point where you get to potentially play a regional at home.
"We need to play better than we did today, but I could see their disgust. I don't think it was disgust to the point of no bounce-back capability. These are tough guys. They dealt with everything. Boston College, the first night was a tough one and felt like this. They came out and played two remarkable games. They'll be fine."
Despite the loss, D1Baseball currently projects Notre Dame as the No. 6 overall seed and a host site. The body of work is there as the Irish are 30-11 on the year and the Irish will find out its future plans on Monday as the Selection Show will announce the field of 64 at noon on ESPN2.
"This was brutal and not one person in our program enjoyed one second of that game, but there are more important things coming,” said Jarrett. “You have to learn from it and let that frustration help fuel you the next time the scoreboard is on and counts again.
"It's a tough one to shake off, but there are worse ones to shake off if this ends your season. That's the silver lining in the mess that was today."
D1Baseball Field of 64 Projection:
1. Notre Dame (6)
2. South Carolina
3. Indiana
4. Central Michigan