Game Thread | College World Series: Notre Dame vs. (9) Texas

Notre Dame (40-15) vs. (9) Texas (47-20)

When: June 17

Time: 7:00 PM ET 

Where: Charles Schwab Field | Omaha, Neb.

Watch: ESPN 

QUICK FACTS

- Friday will mark Notre Dame’s third appearance in the College World Series, while it will be trip No. 38 for Texas. 

- Notre Dame is 52-21 (.712) away from Frank Eck Stadium under head coach Link Jarrett. In 2022, the Irish are 12-9 in true road games and 11-3 in neutral site games.

- The Irish are 85-30 (.739) 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 13th in the NCAA and first in the ACC in fielding percentage with a .980 mark this season. The Irish have committed 41 errors in 1,475 putout opportunities this season.

- The Irish rank 12th nationally and are first in the ACC in team ERA with 3.95. They have given up 216 earned runs in 491.2 innings this season.

- The Irish are sixth in the NCAA and first in the ACC with 7.67 hits allowed per nine innings. They have given up 419 hits in 491.2 innings pitched this season.

- Notre Dame allowed three runs or less for the 28th time this season in the 7-3 win over No. 1 Tennessee on June 12. They are 28-0 this season and 54-2 overall under Jarrett in games they allow three runs or less.

- The Irish set a program record for most home runs in a single season with 75 heading into the College World Series. The previous record of 73 was broken in the final game of the Knoxville Super Regional on June 12.

- Notre Dame is the only school in the country to have a team in the College World Series, both March Madness tournaments and a New Year’s Six bowl game.

- Texas and Notre Dame have met six times and the series record is tied 3-3. 

PROBABLE STARTERS
 

WHAT TO WATCH 

- The Longhorns enter the College World Series hot from the plate. in six postseason games, Texas has 14 doubles and 14 home runs while batting .350. 

- Notre Dame might have set a program record with 73 home runs this year, but Texas also set a school record for long balls. Texas enters the College World Series with 128 home runs in 67 games, which ranks No. 3 in the nation. The Longhorns have 35 multiple home run games this year and seven players have hit 10 or more home runs in 2022. 

- Texas is led by Ivan Melendez as he has hit 32 home runs, which is No. 1 in the nation and he broke Kris Bryant’s national record of 31 homers in a single season (BBCOR era). And yes, for good measure, Melendez also leads the nation in RBI (94), slugging percentage (.888) and is No. 16 in the nation with a batting average of .396.

- Notre Dame showed maturity during the course of the Tennessee series as the Vols had big plays, but the Irish never folded. Link Jarrett’s squad will likely need to do the same this weekend as the Texas lineup will score, but the Irish can’t get trapped in the emotions or momentum of the moment.  

- LHP Pete Hansen is one of the nation’s best as he was named Second Team All-American by Collegiate Baseball. Hansen has only walked 19 batters this year, but similar to John Michael Bertrand, the strikeout numbers are solid, but not overwhelming as he enters Friday with 115 strikeouts in 103.1 innings pitched. 

- The Irish would be smart to stay aggressive on the base paths, but Notre Dame doesn’t need to be ultra-aggressive. Notre Dame needed to ramp it up against Tennessee, but Texas is much better at holding runners and the Irish will face lefties on the mound, which complicates stealing. 

- Charles Schwab Field is bigger, so it could be good for Notre Dame’s small-ball approach as there will be more gaps. It will be the opposite of Tennessee’s little league park where every fly ball was a threat to get out. 

- Notre Dame’s bracket overall consists of two of the hottest teams in the country in Texas A&M and Oklahoma, while Texas and Notre Dame were ranked No. 1 in the country at various times during the regular season. 

Notre Dame Lineup

Texas Lineup

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