Irish Head to No. 13 North Carolina For Three-Game Series

NOTRE DAME, Ind. — The Irish (15-15, 2-13 ACC) go on the road for a three-game series at No. 13 North Carolina (26-7, 11-4 ACC). Led by John P. and Catherine Murphy Head Baseball Coach Shawn Stiffler in his second season with the Irish, Notre Dame welcomes 19 newcomers to the roster.

Game Notes

The Weekend

Friday, April 12

• 6 p.m. ET
• Bryson Field at Boshamer Stadium
• ACCNX
• RHP Matt Bedford vs. RHP Jason DeCaro
• Live Stats

Saturday, April 13

• 2 p.m. ET
• Bryson Field at Boshamer Stadium
• ACCNX
• RHP Jack Radel vs. LHP Shea Sprague
• Live Stats

Sunday, April 14

• 1 p.m. ET
• Bryson Field at Boshamer Stadium
• ACCNX
• RHP Rory Fox vs. TBA
• Live Stats

2024

• Following the series sweep at Rice, Notre Dame received votes in the National College Baseball Writers Association poll.
• Notre Dame’s four wins to begin the season was the program’s best start since 2004, when the Irish opened the season 7-0.
• Notre Dame split the four-game series at FIU, going 2-2 in Miami Feb. 23-25.
• The Irish launched several comeback campaigns to earn the series sweep of Tennessee Tech March 1-3. The Irish posted 15 home runs over the weekend, the most of any Division I team that week and in fewer games than the rest of the Top 10. INF Estevan Moreno hit three home runs in Saturday’s contest, tying a program record, which he had already matched once before.
• Notre Dame scored 43 runs in the series at Tennessee Tech (14-3 game one, 15-11 game two, 14-11 game three). It marked just the third time Notre Dame has scored 40 runs in three straight games against a single team since 2001 (the team scored 40 against Rutgers over three games in 2006 and 42 against Wake Forest over three games in 2022).
• Notre Dame’s home opener was an 11-2 win over Purdue. Moreno set a program record for most career games with three home runs, hitting three bombs in the victory.
• The Irish fell victim to a sweep to open ACC play at Virginia Tech. INF Connor Hincks had a standout weekend for Notre Dame, posting a .417 batting average with five hits, two doubles, two runs scored and three RBI. Three of his hits, two RBI and one run came in Sunday’s game. He started all three games at first base for Notre Dame and played a role in two double plays, including an unassisted double play Saturday. In total, Hincks noted 22 putouts, two assists and zero errors on the weekend.
• Notre Dame took both games at Radford 10-3, 11-6. Five Irish batters posted multi-hit games in the first win, while OF Simon Baumgardt hit his first-career grand slam to cement the second win.
• The Irish fell to Florida State in Tallahassee, as the Seminoles continued their unbeaten streak and entered the national rankings after the weekend.
• Notre Dame earned its first ACC series win at home vs. Miami, as pitching was the difference for the Irish in the wins.
• The Irish fell in all three games at No. 22 NC State. After an eight-inning 10-0 loss in the series opener, Notre Dame battled in both games to a tie score in the second game, and a 6-4 lead in the third game, heading to the bottom of the ninth. In both games, NC State posted walk-off hits to take the games.
• The Irish fell to No. 2 Clemson in three close games, including a 10-run comeback beginning in  the seventh inning of the Sunday game to send the matchup to extra innings.

New Lineup in 2024

• Notre Dame returns five regular starters from the 2023 lineup in DM Jefferson, Brady Gumpf, TJ Williams, Jack Penney and Estevan Moreno.
• With the graduation of key pieces of the 2023 lineup (and 2022 College World Series team) in Carter Putz, Zack Prajzner, Jack Zyska, and Brooks Coetzee, new faces for the Irish have emerged in the lineup.
• Notre Dame welcomes nine graduate transfers and 10 freshmen to the roster in the 2024 season.

The Outfield

• Notre Dame returns three experienced outfielders in TJ Williams, DM Jefferson and Brady Gumpf. Williams, one of the top defensive centerfielders in college baseball, led the ACC in 2023 in sacrifice bunts (11).
• The three are joined by graduate transfers Tito Flores and David Glancy. Flores is a two-time Big Ten all-tournament team selection, while Glancy led St. John’s with 13 home runs in 2023, and is ranked as one of D1Baseball’s Top 100 outfielders entering 2024.
• No. 1 Jefferson: Has played most games as the starting DH for the Irish in 2024.
• No. 2 Glancy: Leads the team in home runs (11) and RBI (33); Hit two home runs in four series this season – at Rice, at FIU, at Virginia Tech and vs. Miami. Was responsible for Notre Dame’s first home run of the season at Rice. Hit two home runs in the 12-10 (10 innings) loss to Miami, including a grand slam. Also went 4-5 with 4 RBI and hit a home run to give Notre Dame a ninth-inning 6-4 lead in the series finale at No. 22 NC State, but the Irish were unable to hold on.
• No. 6 Williams: A four-year member of the Irish, and a leader on the team, Williams currently leads the Irish with a .376 with 38 hits, five home runs and 21 RBI.  His 0.492 on-base percentage ranks sixth in the ACC. He posted the first multi-home run game of his career with two home runs in the 13-4 win at FIU (2/23/24).
• No. 7 Flores: Ranks fourth on the team in RBI (25) on the season. Hit Notre Dame’s first grand slam of the season in the ninth inning of the Rice series finale, cementing the sweep.
• No. 16 Bowen: Has appeared in three games and scored two runs this season; marked his first appearance for the Irish at Rice as a pinch runner, and took his first at-bat at Radford.
• No. 21 Gumpf: Ranks third on the team in doubles (8); Hit two doubles in a single game March 9 at Virginia Tech, a single-game career high for the senior; Hit his first home runs of the season at Tennessee Tech, with one homer on Friday (March 1) and one on Sunday (March 3).

The Infield

• Jack Penney and Estevan Moreno will look to build off their success in the infield in 2023. Penney tied for the team lead with 10 home runs before being sidelined by an injury, while Moreno, in a breakout freshman season, became the first Irish player since 2016 to hit three home runs in a single game (4/21/23 vs. Virginia). He has again achieved the feat twice since then, setting a program record.
• The Irish also return Connor Hincks, Casey Kmet, Nick DeMarco and Rory Fox, all of whom saw playing time last season.
• Joining the infield are impact transfers Simon Baumgardt and Josh Hahn. Baumgardt is ranked in D1Baseball’s Top 50 third basemen entering 2024.
• No. 3 Moreno: The only player in Division I baseball to have three home runs in two separate games this season; Hit three home runs in the 15-11 win at Tennessee Tech and the 11-2 win vs. Purdue, tying a program record for home runs in a single game. He has achieved the feat three times, the only Irish player in program history to do so (also hit three homers April 21, 2023 vs. Virginia). Moreno leads the team in doubles (12).
• No. 11 Penney: Leads the team with in runs scored (35) and walks drawn (23) this season.
• No. 12 Hincks: Leads the ACC in fielding double plays (26) and is tied for the third in triples (3). Had a standout weekend for the Irish at Virginia Tech, posting a .417 batting average with five hits, two doubles, two runs scored and three RBI; started all three games at first base for Notre Dame and played a role in two double plays, including an unassisted double play.
• No. 15 Hahn: Recorded the go-ahead RBI after being hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the first game of the series at Rice.
• No. 18 Baumgardt: Has started all 30 games at third base, and ranks second on the team in total bases (59).

Behind the Plate

• With the departure of Vinny Martinez, the catcher position is open entering 2023-24 for the Irish, and multiple players could compete for playing time from the catchers group, which includes senior Tony Lindwedel, junior Joey Spence, and freshmen Carson Tinney, Troy Reader and Davis Johnson.
• No. 8 Tinney: Started 12 games at catcher; hit the first homer of his career to score the go-ahead run in the series finale at Rice.
• No. 13 Spence: Started 12 games at catcher, one at Tennessee Tech and one at FIU; posted his first home run of the season at Virginia Tech (March 10).
• No. 28 Lindwedel: Started eight games at catcher, posting his first hit of the season at Radford (March 12).
• No. 55 Johnson: Saw first collegiate action as a pinch hitter on March 8 at Virginia Tech, and saw first action behind the plate on March 9 at Virginia Tech.

On the Mound

• Matt Bedford, Jack Radel and Rory Fox have earned starting roles over the past few weeks for the Irish, as Caden Spivey, Bennett Flynn and Ricky Reeth have seen significant time as relievers.
• Senior Jackson Dennies comes off a season in which he pitched 46.1 innings and posted 49 strikeouts. Dennies is ranked in D1Baseball’s Top 150 starting pitchers in the nation entering 2024.
• Radek Birkholz also returns for the Irish, and will join transfers Bennett Flynn, Will Jacobsen and Nate Hardman in relief roles for Notre Dame.
• Jack Findlay continues to recover from an injury.
• Rice: The Irish started Spivey (Friday), Dennies (Saturday) and Bedford (Sunday). Birkholz (Friday), RHP Tobey McDonough (Saturday) and LHP Ryan Lynch (Sunday) earned the wins.
• Hardman posted two saves on the weekend, a figure which was tied for the ACC lead after the first week.
• FIU: The Irish started Spivey (Friday), Dennies (Saturday Game One), Bedford (Saturday Game Two) and McDonough (Sunday) at FIU. Flynn and RHP Jack Radel earned the two wins, and Bedford and Hardman absorbed the losses. Radel’s win was the first of his college career, while Flynn’s win was his first in an Irish uniform. Flynn also earned a save, his first at Notre Dame.
• Tennessee Tech: The Irish started Bedford (Friday), Dennies (Saturday) and Spivey (Sunday) against the Golden Eagles. On Friday, Bedford went three full innings only allowing one hit. Birkholz entered to pitch for his second win, and Flynn got three innings of work, earning a save with an impressive seven strikeouts in nine batters faced. After a rocky start Saturday, Rory Fox secured the win, while Ricky Reeth pitched an impressive four innings with four strikeouts. The Irish got down early on Sunday, but a group effort including Jack Radel’s three full innings allowed the Irish to battle back. Keenan Mork secured his first-career win, and Hardman earned the save.
• Purdue: Bedford earned the win via the bullpen day setup, going three innings and only allowing two hits and zero runs.
• Virginia Tech: The Irish started Reeth (Friday), McDonough (Saturday) and Bedford (Sunday). All three shouldered losses. Fox and Flynn entered in their respective games for meaningful innings, but the Irish were unable to secure a lead.
• Radford: Notre Dame took the bullpen approach at Radford, as 11 different pitchers saw action over the two-game span. Freshman RHP Jack Radel made his first-career start and earned the win on March 12, and RHP Nate Hardman posted a win, his first in an Irish uniform, in the March 13 contest.
• Florida State: The Irish struggled at Florida State, as McDonough, Bedford and Reeth shouldered the losses. Notre Dame’s staff showed promise through impressive performances from Radel, Cooper, Fox and Spivey.
• Western Michigan: Radek Birkholz pitched two scoreless innings in relief to earn the win.
• Miami: Notre Dame made a statement on the mound Friday and Saturday, with Spivey and Reeth earning the wins after strong starts from Bedford and Radel. After extra innings on Sunday, Flynn shouldered the loss.
• NC State: Bedford, Radel and Fox again started on the mound for the Irish, with Radel allowing just one run in 4.0 innings of work on Saturday. Bedford, Spivey and Reeth absorbed the losses.
• Clemson: Bedford, Radel and Fox continued in their starting roles against No. 2 Clemson, and got off to strong starts, but the Irish were unable to hold on. Bedford pitched a career-high 4.2 innings Friday, Radel went a career-high 5.0 innings on Saturday night, and Fox went 4.1 innings with six strikeouts Sunday.

John P. And Catherine Murphy Head Baseball Coach

• Shawn Stiffler is in his second season with the Irish, and led Notre Dame to a 30-24 record in his first season. He owns a 385-237 career record.
• Stiffler came to South Bend after spending the last 10 seasons at the helm of the VCU program where he accrued a 340-198 overall record, and dominated the Atlantic 10 with a record of 146-71.
• He was a monumental piece in VCU’s success where he turned the Rams into one of the most consistent programs in the country, as it is one of just seven programs nationally to earn 34 or more wins in each of the last eight full seasons.
• In Stiffler’s 10-seasons at the helm of the VCU program, the Rams won Atlantic 10 Regular Season Championships in 2017, 2019 and 2021. The 2017 A-10 Regular Season Championship was the first in program history at VCU.
• Stiffler also led VCU to the NCAA Championship Tournament in 2015, 2021 and 2022.
• Stiffler earned American Baseball Coaches’ Association (ABCA) East-Region Coach of the Year honors following the 2015 season in which he led VCU to the A-10 Championship and its first-ever Super Regional.
• The 2019 A-10 Coach of the Year guided four Rams to All-American honors, five Freshman All-Americans, 20 ABCA All-Region honorees and 48 All A-10 selections.
• Meet the Assistants
• Assistant coach Logan Robbins (position players) enters his second season at Notre Dame and joined the Irish after spending seven seasons at Old Dominion in Norfolk, Virginia.
• Robbins led the Monarch offense to new heights as hitters finished second in Conference USA in 2021 and 2022, hitting a .301 and a .296 team average, respectively.
• In 2021, the Monarchs finish second in the country with 105 home runs, smashing the previous home run record of 67, followed by a 2022 squad that hit 128 home runs as a team, finishing third nationally.
• Robbins offense finished in the top 15 nationally in home runs, home runs per game, scoring and slugging percentage.
• Robbins played at Western Kentucky University and was a 10th round draft pick by the Atlanta Braves in 2011.
• Assistant coach Seth Voltz (pitchers) begins his second season with Notre Dame, having joined the Fighting Irish after spending the 2022 season under Stiffler at VCU, and previously worked as an assistant coach at Wofford College.
• Voltz led the Rams to the 2022 Atlantic 10 Championship, winning 17-consecutive games `Hill Regional where they notched wins over North Carolina and Georgia.
• VCU finished the 2022 campaign with a 42-20 record, and ranked in the top 20 in Division I in ERA (3.91 – 9th), WHIP (1.29 – 12th) and walks allowed per nine innings (3.12 – 10th).
• Voltz was an assistant coach with the Wofford Terriers from 2017-20.
• He helped the Terriers win the first Southern Conference Regular Season Championship in program history in 2021, after a 36-21 regular season and a 21-9 SoCon record.
• The 492 strikeouts in the 2021 campaign is the second-most in SoCon history and the third-most in program history.
• After graduating from VCU in 2012, where he was a four-year letterwinner under Stiffler, he began his coaching career as the Rams’ volunteer coach and then coached as an assistant at UT Martin from   2015-16.
• Ryan Munger (position players/catchers) assumes an assistant coach role after serving as Notre Dame’s volunteer assistant coach in 2023. Munger served as an assistant coach at Davidson for the previous seven seasons, and was elevated to recruiting coordinator in July of 2018.
• After joining Davidson in the fall of 2013, Munger worked primarily with the catchers and assisted with hitting. In 2022, he helped guide the Wildcats to a 43-13 overall mark, a 20-4 Atlantic 10 Conference record as Davidson earned the 2022 Atlantic 10 Regular Season Championship, finishing a game ahead of Stiffler’s VCU team.
• In his time with Davidson, Munger helped lead the program to new heights, winning the most games in a season in program history in 2017, 2018 and further improving that total during the 2022 season. He led the Wildcats to their first-ever conference title in the program’s 115-year history in 2017, and was just the second four-seed to ever sweep an NCAA Regional.
• Munger played baseball at Duke and was a team captain in 2012 and 2013.