Game Thread | Valpo at Notre Dame
Notre Dame (9-8, 2-4) at Valparaiso (7-6)
When: March 20th
Time: 4:00 PM ET
Where: Frank Eck Stadium | South Bend, Ind.
Watch: ACC Network Extra
QUICK FACTS
- Notre Dame leads the all-time series 85-21.
- The Irish are 58-10 at home against Valpo.
- Notre Dame will enter Tuesday’s game with a 13-game winning streak against Valpo.
- The Irish took both games in 2022 (12-1 and 5-1).
PROBABLE STARTERS
| SCHOOL | NAME | RECORD (APPEARANCES) | ERA | IP | STRIKEOUTS |
| Valparaiso | RHP Nathan Chasey | 0-0 | 2.45 | 14.2 | 16 |
| Notre Dame | RHP David Lally Jr. | 0-0 | 9.00 | 5.0 | 4 |
WHAT TO WATCH
- After spending the first month of the season on the road, Notre Dame will finally play its first home game 17 games into the year. The Irish aren’t good enough to just show up and Shawn Stiffler’s team certainly needs to look at Tuesday as a chance to gain confidence heading into another big ACC series this weekend as No. 6 Louisville (17-2, 2-1) comes to South Bend.
- Notre Dame freshman David Lally Jr. will get the start on Tuesday and it will be an opportunity for him to get some quality work. The Michigan native has made four appearances on the year and has been up and down as you’d expect from a true freshman. Mid-week games are crucial for players like Lally as he’ll be able to get important experience and a chance to build confidence if he’s needed in a weekend series - and Notre Dame needs a couple more arms to step up out of the pen.
It’s also a chance for the bullpen to get some quality work behind Lally. Carter Bosch, Justin Moore, Sammy Cooper, Radek Birkholz, Matt Bedford and Rory Fox all could use an inning or two before the weekend.
- Offensively, it’s about getting guys on base. Notre Dame has struggled to consistently get on base and then move runners around. Now, they have certainly improved from the first weekend, but the Irish enter the week dead last in runs scored in the ACC (89), doubles (21), home runs (13), RBIs (181), SLG% (.326) and OB% (.334).
A week ago, Notre Dame used a 17-4 win at Georgia Tech as momentum to win two mid-week games against St. Joseph’s and the Irish need to do the same this week coming off the 4-1 win over No. 2 Wake Forest.
Notre Dame Lineup
| NAME | POSITION | BATTING AVERAGE |
| Brooks Coetzee | RF | .269 |
| Zack Prajzner | SS | .274 |
| Danny Neri | C | .286 |
| Carter Putz | 1B | .274 |
| Jack Penney | 3B | .158 |
| Jack Zyska | DH | .080 |
| Casey Kmet | LF | /125 |
| Estevan Moreno | 2B | /167 |
| TJ Williams | CF | .164 |
Valpo Lineup
| NAME | POSITION | BATTING AVERAGE |
| Kaleb Hannahs | 3B | .265 |
| Nolan Tucker | 2B | .383 |
| Kyle Schmack | LF | .309 |
| Brady Renfro | 1B | .279 |
| Jake Skrine | DH | .288 |
| Ryan Maka | RF | .265 |
| Alex Thurston | SS | .217 |
| Kade Reinertson | C | .250 |
| Alex Ryan | CF | .286 |
Under Armour Navy Notre Dame Fighting Irish HOVR Sonic 5
