Game Thread | No. 2 Clemson at Notre Dame
No. 2 Clemson (25-3, 7-2) at Notre Dame (14-12, 2-10)
When: April 5th
Time: 4:30 PM ET
Where: Frank Eck Stadium | South Bend, Ind.
Watch: ACC Network Extra (ESPN+)
QUICK FACTS
- Clemson leads the all-time series 15-14, but the teams are 6-6 at Notre Dame.
- Notre Dame swept the Tigers in 2022 at Frank Eck Stadium.
- The Irish rank No. 2 in the nation in fielding percentage at .985 entering this weekend.
- INF Connor Hincks ranks No. 2 in the ACC in triples with three.
- Clemson has won 14 regular season series in a row.
- The Tigers bullpen is 16-1 with seven saves, 4.00 ERA with 135 strikeouts in 126.0 innings pitched.
PROBABLE STARTERS
FRIDAY
| SCHOOL | NAME | RECORD | ERA | IP | STRIKEOUTS |
| Notre Dame | RHP Matt Bedford | 1-4 | 5.60 | 27.1 | 20 |
| Clemson | RHP Matthew Marchal | 4-0 | 3.24 | 16.2 | 16 |
SATURDAY
| SCHOOL | NAME | RECORD | ERA | IP | STRIKEOUTS |
| Notre Dame | RHP Jack Radel | 2-0 | 2.96 | 24.1 | 16 |
| Clemson | LHP Ethan Darden | 4-0 | 5.23 | 20.2 | 18 |
SUNDAY
| SCHOOL | NAME | RECORD | ERA | IP | STRIKEOUTS |
| Notre Dame | RHP Rory Fox | 1-0 | 5.48 | 23.0 | 17 |
| Clemson | RHP Aidan Knaak | 2-0 | 3.76 | 38.1 | 48 |
WHAT TO WATCH
Notre Dame will be fresh entering this weekend’s series as they haven’t played since last Saturday and it could be just what the doctor ordered with No. 2 Clemson coming to South Bend.
The Tigers have played just six true road games this season and hold a record of 4-2. Clemson’s 25-3 is the best start for the program since 2002 and it’s built on pitching. The Tigers pitching staff holds a team ERA of 3.49 and the 2.45 strikeout-to-walk ratio stands out.
In talking to sources, Clemson will be without one of its starters once again this weekend as Tristan Smith (2-0, 1.07) isn’t expected to go due to injury.
The good news for Notre Dame is Clemson isn’t an overpowering team on offense. Both teams sit No. 4 and No. 5 in the ACC in strikeouts at the plate and Clemson’s .294 team batting average is No. 10 in the conference. Notre Dame’s pitchers will be careful with the home run ball, but that might not matter, pending the wind at Frank Eck.
At the plate, Notre Dame’s keys remain the same as the last few weekends. Patience, working counts and two-out hitting will be the story of the weekend. Yes, every team needs to maximize those areas, but the Irish fail to get ahead in counts and have struggled moving runners with two outs all season.
That said, Notre Dame is 4-1 at home this year and Clemson hasn’t played much on the road. Frank Eck isn’t going to be an intimidating atmosphere, but temperatures will be in the low to mid-40s on Friday and slightly higher the rest of the weekend.
*Lineups will be added when released.
NOTRE DAME LINEUP
| NAME | POSITION | BATTING AVERAGE |
| TJ Williams | CF | .407 |
| David Glancey | LF | .295 |
| Connor Hincks | 1B | .297 |
| Simon Baumgardt | 3B | .287 |
| Jack Penney | SS | .206 |
| Tito Flores | RF | .248 |
| Joey Spence | C | .351 |
| Josh Hahn | DH | .161 |
| Estevan Moreno | 2B | .312 |
CLEMSON LINEUP
| NAME | POSITION | BATTING AVERAGE |
| Cam Cannarella | CF | .333 |
| Jimmy Obertop | C | .294 |
| Blake Wright | 3B | .331 |
| Aiden Mathes | RF | .351 |
| Jacob Hinderleider | 1B | .319 |
| Will Taylor | LF | .224 |
| Nolan Nawrocki | DH | .295 |
| Andrew Clufo | SS | .267 |
| Jarren Purify | 2B | .286 |
OFFENSIVE STATS
| STAT | CLEMSON | NOTRE DAME |
| Batting Avg. | .294 | .276 |
| Runs | 235 | 203 |
| Hits | 277 | 249 |
| 2B | 38 | 56 |
| 3B | 5 | 9 |
| Home Runs | 51 | 46 |
| RBI | 222 | 184 |
| SLG% | .507 | .512 |
| Walks | 171 | 109 |
| Hit by Pitch | 35 | 37 |
| Strikeouts | 230 | 232 |
| OB% | .417 | .374 |
PITCHING STATS (Entering the series)
| STAT | CLEMSON | NOTRE DAME |
| ERA | 3.94 | 6.70 |
| Hits | 213 | 245 |
| Runs | 126 | 176 |
| ER | 108 | 167 |
| Walks | 114 | 107 |
| Strikeouts | 279 | 194 |
| Opponent Batting Avg. | .231 | .280 |
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