Notre Dame at Wake Forest – Game Notes
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Notre Dame baseball team is set to open up conference competition this weekend with a three-game series at #15 Wake Forest starting on Friday.
|
Date |
Time (ET) |
Opponent |
Location |
Probable Starters |
TV |
|
Mar. 7 |
6:00 PM |
#15 Wake Forest |
David F. Couch Ballpark |
RHP Jack Radel vs. RHP Logan Lunceford |
ACCNX |
|
Mar. 8 |
5:00 PM |
#15 Wake Forest |
David F. Couch Ballpark |
RHP Jackson Dennies vs. LHP Matthew Dallas |
ACCNX |
|
Mar. 9 |
1:00 PM |
#15 Wake Forest |
David F. Couch Ballpark |
RHP Rory Fox vs. RHP Blake Morningstar |
ACCNX |
THE MATCHUP
- The Irish enter the weekend 8-1 overall and have won their last six games. The team is 6-1 in true road games through the first three weeks of the season.
- The Demon Deacons are 11-3 and are ranked No. 15 in the latest D1baseball.com poll. They have a 10-2 record at home this season.
- Wake Forest leads the all-time series between the teams 20-17. The Irish won the series last spring after taking the Saturday and Sunday contests in South Bend.
LAST TIME OUT
- Notre Dame swept a three-game series at Belmont last weekend.
- The two sides combined for six home runs in the opener, and the Irish prevailed in a 12-8 final. Connor Hincks blasted a grand slam, and Nick DeMarco added his first home run of the season to break open a sizable lead. Chase Van Ameyde added his first collegiate save down the stretch.
- A pitchers’ duel in game two ended with a 2-1 victory for Notre Dame. Jackson Dennies went a career-high 6.1 innings, Justin Mayes Jr. had an effective 0.2 innings, and Tobey McDonough closed out the final 2.0 as the trio allowed just three hits. Davis Johnson had a big day with his first career home run while scoring the other run in the win.
- Down 1-0 in the top of the seventh, the Irish outscored the Bruins 6-1 over the final three innings for a 6-2 win for the series sweep. Brady Gumpf drilled a pinch-hit, three-run home run in the top of the eighth to give Notre Dame the lead.
2025 CAPTAINS
The 2025 Irish baseball team will look to four captains to help guide the way this spring. John P. and Catherine Murphy Head Baseball Coach Shawn Stiffler announced graduate students OF Brady Gumpf and RHP Jackson Dennies, senior RHP Radek Birkholz, and junior INF Estevan Moreno as team captains for the season.
- Gumpf has played in 92 career contests for the Irish heading into the spring season. He had a single-season career-high 48 games played in 2024 and boasted a .352 on-base percentage with 31 RBI, 12 doubles, and nine home runs.
- Dennies has 41 career appearances and 76.1 innings pitched over his career heading into 2025. During his 2023 campaign, Dennies struck out 49 batters over 46.1 innings of work.
- Birkholz has made 48 appearances with 83.0 innings of work over three seasons for the Irish. He went 3-0 on the mound during the 2024 season with 20 strikeouts in 17.1 innings over nine appearances.
- Moreno had a team-best .625 slugging percentage in 2024 with 13 home runs and 17 doubles. His 42 runs scored was third on the team, and he has competed in 100 games for the Irish through two seasons of play.
TOP TALENT
The Irish have four players listed in the D1baseball.com Preseason rankings by position.
- Junior Estevan Moreno was 24th on the Top 50 shortstops list.
- Sophomore Carson Tinney was tabbed 47th on the Top 50 catchers listing.
- Graduate student Jared Zimbardo was 40th on the Top 100 outfielders report.
- Junior Rory Fox was 106th on the Top 150 starting pitchers list.