Game Thread | Pitt at Notre Dame
Pittsburgh (18-22, 5-16) at Notre Dame (23-20, 7-17)
When: May 3
Time: 6:30 PM ET
Where: Frank Eck Stadium | South Bend, Ind.
QUICK FACTS
- Notre Dame leads the all-time series 53-27
- The Irish are 26-4 at home against Pitt
- Notre Dame will enter the weekend with the nation’s top fielding percentage at .984
PROBABLE STARTERS
Friday
| SCHOOL | NAME | RECORD | ERA | IP | STRIKEOUTS |
| Notre Dame | RHP Matt Bedford | 2-5 | 4.86 | 46.1 | 29 |
| Pittsburgh | RHP Ryan Andrade | 0-4 | 9.64 | 42.0 | 48 |
Saturday
| SCHOOL | NAME | RECORD | ERA | IP | STRIKEOUTS |
| Notre Dame | RHP Jack Radel | 4-2 | 3.86 | 44.1 | 35 |
| Pittsburgh | RHP Jack Sokol | 5-2 | 4.78 | 58.1 | 46 |
Sunday
| SCHOOL | NAME | RECORD | ERA | IP | STRIKEOUTS |
| Notre Dame | RHP Rory Fox | 1-1 | 6.03 | 37.1 | 28 |
| Pittsburgh | LHP Ryan Reed | 0-5 | 6.47 | 49.2 | 41 |
WHAT TO WATCH
Notre Dame will enter the weekend with something to play for as the Irish are fighting for a spot in the ACC Tournament. The top 12 teams make the tourney, which means the bottom two teams are done for the year.
Entering the weekend, it’s a four-team race for the last two spots:
Miami: 8-16
Boston College: 8-17
Notre Dame: 7-17
Pitt: 5-16
The Irish will need a series win over last place Pitt to stay in the race. Boston College will host Louisville (11-11) while Miami will play a non-conference series against BYU.
As it relates to Notre Dame, Shawn Stiffler’s club is coming off an impressive series win over then No. 8 Wake Forest last weekend and a mid-week win at Michigan State. The program certainly seems to have a bit more life than a month ago, but the schedule has also helped when push comes to shove.
The difference in the Wake Forest series was Notre Dame was not only able to get timely hits, but they were able to score when it mattered, especially in game three as TJ Williams walked off the Demon Deacons.
On the bump, freshman RHP Jack Radel has continued to impress as he holds a record of 4-2, 3.86 ERA with 35 strikeouts in 44.1 innings of work. RHP Matt Bedford has put together a nice run despite his 2-5 record as his ERA sits at 4.86 with 29 strikeouts in 46.1 innings of work.
The catcher situation is still hit or miss. Joey Spence has the best bat as he’s batting .286 with five home runs, so Notre Dame has to live through some growing pains behind the dish as continues his transition to the position.
Estevan Moreno is playing as well as anyone in the ACC when you combine hitting and fielding.
Notre Dame isn’t playing for a national seed this weekend, but the Irish are playing for pride and a chance to extend the season at the end of the month.
NOTRE DAME LINEUP
| NAME | POSITION | BATTING AVERAGE |
| TJ Williams | CF | .349 |
| David Glancy | LF | .290 |
| Jack Penney | SS | .256 |
| Estevan Moreno | 2B | .302 |
| Connor Hincks | 1B | .278 |
| Simon Baumgardt | 3B | .296 |
| Tito Flores | RF | .256 |
| Brady Gumpf | DH | .288 |
| Joey Spence | C | .286 |
PITT LINEUP
| NAME | POSITION | BATTING AVERAGE |
| Dom Popa | CF | .325 |
| Luke Cantwell | 1B | .329 |
| Jayden Melendez | C | .230 |
| Josh Spiegel | DH | .354 |
| Justin Fogel | LF | .298 |
| Tyler Bischke | 2B | .312 |
| CJ Funk | RF | .261 |
| Ryan Zuckerman | 3B | .259 |
| Jake Kendro | SS | .263 |
OFFENSIVE STATS (Entering the series)
| STAT | PITT | NOTRE DAME |
| Batting Avg. | .282 | .274 |
| Runs | 275 | 320 |
| Hits | 389 | 399 |
| 2B | 63 | 84 |
| 3B | 2 | 14 |
| Home Runs | 52 | 75 |
| RBI | 254 | 288 |
| SLG% | .444 | .505 |
| Walks | 213 | 184 |
| Hit by Pitch | 56 | 59 |
| Strikeouts | 3337 | 372 |
| OB% | .397 | .374 |
PITCHING STATS (Entering the series)
| STAT | PITT | NOTRE DAME |
| ERA | 6.21 | 5.92 |
| Hits | 414 | 377 |
| Runs | 280 | 268 |
| ER | 241 | 243 |
| Walks | 164 | 183 |
| Strikeouts | 356 | 325 |
| Opponent Batting Avg. | .293 | .266 |
Under Armour White Notre Dame Fighting Irish T2 Tipped Performance Polo
