Game Thread | (G1) Notre Dame at Lipscomb
Notre Dame (0-0) at Lipscomb (0-0)
When: Feb. 17th
Time: 3:00 PM ET
Where: Ken Dugan Field at Stephen Lee Marsh Stadium | Nashville, Tenn.
Watch: ESPN+
QUICK FACTS
- Friday will be Shawn Stiffler’s debut as the head skipper for Notre Dame.
- Notre Dame and Lipscomb will meet for the second time ever this weekend. The Irish won 7-6 in April of 1960.
- The Irish return seven graduate students and four were every day starters a year ago (Brooks Coetzee, Zack Prazjner, Carter Putz and Jack Zyska).
- Notre Dame’s most experienced returning arms will be three lefties in Jack Findlay, Will Mercer and Aidan Tyrell.
- Findlay led the team in ERA and saves in 2022, while also finishing second in wins.
- Lipscomb finished 36-22 a year ago and finished second in the West Division of the ASUN.
PROBABLE STARTERS
Friday
| SCHOOL | NAME | RECORD (APPEARANCES) | ERA | IP | STRIKEOUTS |
| Notre Dame | RHP Blake Hely | 0-0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Lipscomb | LHP Michael Dunkelberger | 0-0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 |
Saturday
| SCHOOL | NAME | RECORD (APPEARANCES) | ERA | IP | STRIKEOUTS |
| Notre Dame | RHP Radek Birkholz | 0-0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Lipscomb | RHP Ethan Smith | 0-0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 |
Sunday
| SCHOOL | NAME | RECORD (APPEARANCES) | ERA | IP | STRIKEOUTS |
| Notre Dame | RHP Jackson Dennies | 0-0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Lipscomb | RHP Braydon Tucker | 0-0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 |
WHAT TO WATCH
- All eyes will be on Shawn Stiffler and his new staff as they make their debut in the blue and gold. It will be the first look at how he manages a game and the differences post-Link Jarrett.
- Friday’s started will be RHP Blake Hely, who transferred from Davidson. Hely, a weekend starter for the Wildcats last year, started 15 games with a 3.80 ERA and finished with a 9-2 record, which led to him being named the Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Year. Opponents batted just .207 against him and he finished second in the A10 with 97 strikeouts in 85.1 innings.
- Notre Dame only has four left-handed pitchers on the roster and the staff won’t start any of them. It’s an interesting situation for the year as Jack Findlay, Will Mercer and Aidan Tyrell all have starting experience.
- Lipscomb’s Friday starter, RHP Michael Dunkelberger, is from South Bend and attended St. Joseph High School. The 6-foot, 215-pound junior finished 2022 with a record of 7-3 and an ERA of 3.45.
Notre Dame Lineup
| NAME | POSITION | BATTING AVERAGE |
| Jack Zyska | DH | - |
| Carter Putz | 1B | - |
| Brooks Coetzee | RF | - |
| Jack Penney | 3B | - |
| Victor Martinez | C | - |
| Estevan Moreno | 2B | - |
| Casey Kmet | LF | - |
| Zack Prajzner | SS | - |
| TJ Williams | CF | - |
Lipscomb Lineup
| NAME | POSITION | BATTING AVERAGE |
| Caleb Ketchup | SS | - |
| Mason Lundgrin | 1B | - |
| Alex Vergara | CF | - |
| Trace Willhoite | 3B | - |
| Austin Kelly | DH | - |
| David Coppedge | 2B | - |
| Jake Berg | C | - |
| Will Lee | LF | - |
| Hayden Skipper | RF | - |
