Game Thread | No. 7 Virginia Tech vs. No. 10 Notre Dame

No. 7 Virginia Tech vs. No. 10 Notre Dame

When: May 20

Time: 5:00 PM ET 

Where: Truist Field | Charlotte, N.C.

Watch: ACC Network 

QUICK FACTS

- Notre Dame is 19-15 all-time against the Hokies, including 3-2 on neutral ballparks. 

- Shawn Stiffler earned his first ACC Championship win on Tuesday as the Irish beat Clemson 5-4. 

- The Irish and Hokies did not meet in the regular season. 

- RHP Jack Radel and outfielder Bino Watters were named First Team All-ACC this season. Catcher Mark Quatrani was named Second Team All-ACC. 

PROBABLE STARTERS

Saturday 

WHAT TO WATCH
Notre Dame grinded out Tuesday’s win over Clemson 5-4. Drew Berkland led off with a home and then Bino Watters and Jayce Lee followed with solo shots on the night. Junior RHP Jack Radel moved to 8-4 on the year, going 6.1 innings with eight strikeouts on 93 pitches in what could be his last time on the bump for the Irish. The star of the day was Jayce Lee, as he went 3-for-3 with two doubles and a 399-foot shot to right field. 

The early word on the street is that Virginia Tech isn’t throwing ace Brett Renfrow (5-4, 4.65) on Wednesday, which is interesting as the Hokies aren’t a complete lock to make the NCAA Tournament. If Renfrow isn’t on the mound, it’s significant as he has recorded 86 strikeouts in just 69.2 innings. 

If you like scoring, you might see the scoreboard light up this evening. Virginia Tech’s pitching staff finished the regular season No. 14 (ACC) in ERA at 6.74, while the Irish finished No. 12 (ACC) with an ERA of 5.99. 

That said, Virginia Tech isn’t an overly powerful offensive team as they have hit .276 on the year, which was No. 13 in the ACC. That could be helpful for a Notre Dame pitching staff that has been inconsistent if Radel isn’t on the bump. Only two Hokies have hit double-digit home runs this year as Ethan Ball has 13 and Hudson Lutterman added 10. That’s relevant as Truist Field is batter-friendly, so on the flipside, it might not matter that the Hokies aren’t a long-ball team. 

The key for Notre Dame remains the same. It’s going to be about scoring runs. Outside of Radel, Notre Dame should have its full bullpen available as LHP Dylan Singleton threw six pitches and LHP Noah Rooney threw 22 to earn his sixth save of the year. 

OFFENSIVE STATS 

PITCHING STATS 

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