SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The No. 23 Notre Dame baseball team is set to host Western Michigan on Tuesday, March 24 with a 4:30 p.m. ET start time at Frank Eck Stadium.
|
Date |
Time (ET) |
Opponent |
Location |
Probable Starters |
|
|
Mar. 24 |
4:30 PM |
Western Michigan |
Frank Eck Stadium |
RHP Kellan Klosterman vs. LHP Joey Wizceb |
THE MATCHUP
- The Irish lead the all-time series 73-69-1. The first meetings between the two sides took place on April 16, 1914.
- The Irish are coming off a series sweep at home against No. 19 Clemson.
- The Broncos fell in a MAC series 1-2 at home against Ball State.
- Notre Dame made their season debut in the D1Baseball Top 25 poll on Monday as the Irish are currently ranked No. 23.
LAST TIME OUT
The Irish swept No. 19 Clemson after posting a complete weekend of work at Frank Eck Stadium.
- GAME ONE – Jack Radel struck out eight, allowed just four singles and did not surrender a walk on his way to a complete-game shutout in a 6-0 Irish win over No. 19 Clemson on Friday night. Jamie Zee had a three-run home run and Mason Barth added a solo home run and scored twice to help pace the Irish offense.
- GAME TWO – Notre Dame used a a dramatic walk-off moment as the Irish came back from a 7-5 deficit in the eighth inning to win 8-7 over No. 19 Clemson. A bases-loaded situation in the bottom of the ninth saw Notre Dame break a 7-7 tie and win at home to secure the series. Drew Berkland was 3-for-4 at the plate with a double, a home run, two runs scored and an RBI. Mark Quatrani went 2-for-5 with a double, two runs and an RBI.
- GAME THREE – The Irish struck first and never trailed in a 7-4 win on Sunday to secure the sweep over the No. 19 Tigers. Drew Berkland went 2-for-4 with a double and three runs scored. Noah Coy added two hits and drove in two. Ty Uber earned the win on the bump after going 5.0 with six strikeouts and one run allowed. Eli Thurmond closed out the final 1.0 of the game and recorded a strikeout.
BY THE NUMBERS
|
.300+ |
The Irish have five players hitting .300 or above, led by Mark Quatrani’s .405 batting average. |
|
38 |
Jack Radel retired 38 consecutive batters spanning from the third inning against FAU to the sixth inning against Alabama A&M. |
|
23 |
The Irish come in at No. 23 in this week’s D1Baseball Top 25 Poll. |
|
16 |
The team features 16 returners from the 2025 Notre Dame squad that put together a 16-2 record to close out the regular season last spring. |
|
12 |
The Irish collected 12 two-out RBIs in their series win at Duke. |
|
12 |
The squad features 12 true freshmen. Six of those 12 were ranked among the top two recruits in the Class of 2025 at their respective positions in their states. |
|
9 |
Caden Crowell was ranked as No. 9 on the D1Baseball Freshman Impact List for 2026. |
|
7 |
Seven transfer student-athletes joined the Irish for the 2026 season, including five graduate student-athletes. |
|
6.0 |
Jack Radel threw 6.0 perfect innings with nine strikeouts on just 68 pitches against UCF. |
|
6 |
The Irish have six players listed in the D1baseball.com Preseason rankings by position. Bino Watters (No. 19 first baseman), Jack Radel (No. 29 starting pitcher), Mark Quatrani (No. 49 catcher), Drew Berkland (No. 63 outfielder), Oisin Lee (No. 74 relief pitcher) and Davis Johnson (No. 132 outfielder). |
|
5 |
The Irish erased a five-run deficit (3-8) to defeat Indiana 9-8 in 11 innings at the Live Like Lou Jax Baseball Classic. |
|
3 |
A trio of Irish players earned All-Tournament Team honors at the Live Like Lou Jax Baseball Classic – Jack Radel, Mark Quatrani and Drew Berkland |
TOP TALENT
The Irish have six players listed in the D1baseball.com Preseason rankings by position.
- Sophomore Bino Watters was the 17th ranked first baseman.
- Junior Jack Radel was 29th on the starting pitchers list.
- Junior Mark Quatrani was 49th on the catchers list.
- Graduate student Drew Berkland was 63rd on the outfielders report.
- Sophomore Oisin Lee came in at 74th on the relief pitchers list.
- Junior Davis Johnson was listed at 132nd in the outfielder rankings.
Additionally, Notre Dame had representation on the D1Baseball Impact Freshman List as Caden Crowell came in at No. 9 on the ranking.