Game Thread | Western Michigan at Notre Dame
Western Michigan (9-9) at Notre Dame (11-8)
When: March 19
Time: 4:30 PM ET
Where: Frank Eck Stadium | South Bend, Ind.
Watch: ACC Network Extra (ESPN+)
QUICK FACTS
- Notre Dame leads the all-time series 64-59-1.
- The Irish won the last meeting 2-1 in 2023.
- Western Michigan is 5-0 in true road this season.
- Notre Dame ranks No. 7 in the country with 42 home runs, but are No. 3 in the ACC in the category. Virginia Tech (51) and Duke (49) have hit more dingers, while this weekend’s opponent, Miami, has also hit 42.
- Notre Dame’s .980 fielding percentage ranks No. 23 nationally.
PROBABLE STARTERS
SUNDAY
| SCHOOL | NAME | RECORD | ERA | IP | STRIKEOUTS |
| Notre Dame | RHP Hagan Ward | 0-0 | 9.82 | 3.2 | 2 |
| Western Michigan | RHP Matt Hoover | 1-0 | 7.62 | 13.0 | 9 |
WHAT TO WATCH
Notre Dame will have the chance to flush the Florida State series on Tuesday as Western Michigan comes to South Bend for a mid-week game. The Irish need a win to gain momentum into this weekend’s series against Miami, which should favor the Irish as the temperatures will be in the high 40s.
Shawn Stiffler’s club needs to find a way to win against the Broncos, whether it looks sexy or is a grind-it-out affair. A win is a win and Notre Dame needs one.
The ideal game for Notre Dame would be to see the pitching staff carry the momentum from the weekend into Tuesday. It was far from perfect against Florida State, but Notre Dame found some momentum by playing low-scoring games against one of the top offenses in the country. It should be a group of pitchers with confidence.
On the flip side, Notre Dame’s offense needs to find its groove again. The bats had carried the team into last weekend, so they were due to struggle, especially against a Florida State staff with multiple future big leaguers. That said, Notre Dame will have the chance to face a hittable Broncos pitching staff and it can put them in a good rhythm for the weekend.
It’s been a tough two weeks, but looking at D1Baseball’s rankings today, Florida State (18-0) is ranked No. 12 and Virginia Tech (14-4) checks in at No. 19. Notre Dame will need to start winning series in the ACC, but the schedule appears to be a bit tougher than it first looked on paper when the season started.
However, Notre Dame simply needs to get a win and go from there. Baseball is a hard and weird game where a simple win can change things in a hurry.
NOTRE DAME LINEUP
| NAME | POSITION | BATTING AVERAGE |
| TJ Williams | CF | .379 |
| David Glancey | DH | .262 |
| Connor Hincks | 1B | .333 |
| Simon Baumgardt | 3B | .333 |
| Tito Flores | RF | .240 |
| Jack Penney | SS | .197 |
| Brady Gumpf | LF | .302 |
| Joey Spence | C | .250 |
| Estevan Moreno | 2B | .259 |
WESTERN MICHIGAN LINEUP
| NAME | POSITION | BATTING AVERAGE |
| Jackson Kitchen | CF | .262 |
| Michael Maloney | SS | .304 |
| Cade Sullivan | 1B | .403 |
| Dylan Nevar | RF | .347 |
| CJ Richmond | DH | .391 |
| Connor Ostrander | LF | .222 |
| Ben Campos | C | .133 |
| Brendan Harrity | 3B | .246 |
| Grady Mee | 2B | .292 |
OFFENSIVE STATS
| STAT | NOTRE DAME | WESTERN MICHIGAN |
| Batting Avg. | .266 | .315 |
| Runs | 154 | 149 |
| Hits | 176 | 197 |
| 2B | 35 | 37 |
| 3B | 6 | 4 |
| Home Runs | 42 | 21 |
| RBI | 140 | 139 |
| SLG% | .527 | .487 |
| Walks | 79 | 105 |
| Hit by Pitch | 30 | 31 |
| Strikeouts | 177 | 141 |
| OB% | .367 | .431 |
PITCHING STATS
| STAT | NOTRE DAME | WESTERN MICHIGAN |
| ERA | 6.57 | 6.78 |
| Hits | 171 | 202 |
| Runs | 125 | 145 |
| ER | 119 | 116 |
| Walks | 76 | 98 |
| Strikeouts | 148 | 140 |
| Opponent Batting Avg. | .271 | .315 |
