The University of Notre Dame softball team makes its 2019 Melissa Cook Stadium debut this weekend, hosting Louisville for a three-game ACC series. The Irish and Cardinals will meet for a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 p.m. before concluding the series on Sunday at Noon. All three games can be seen on ACC Network Extra.
The Irish are coming off a 7-2 spring break trip which included a 7-4 win over third-ranked and defending national champion Florida State. Caitlyn Brooks earned ACC Co-Player of the Week honors after hitting four homers, including a two-run bomb in the win over the Seminoles. Louisville journeys north across Indiana with a 19-8 record and a 2-1 mark in conference play after winning two-of-three from Syracuse last weekend.
| Louisville Series | Melissa Cook Stadium | ||||
| Saturday, March 23 | Notre Dame vs. Louisville | 1 p.m. | Live Stats | Watch |
| Notre Dame vs. Louisville | 3 p.m. | Live Stats | Watch | |
| Sunday, March 24 | Notre Dame vs. Louisville | Noon | Live Stats | Watch |
2019 Notes & Numbers
- The Irish have played 12 games this season against teams ranked in the top 25 or receiving votes, with seven games against top-10 opponents.
- Based on opponent winning percentage, Notre Dame has played the 13th-toughest schedule in the nation. The Irish opponents thus far have combined for a .632 winning percentage. Washington, an Irish opponent, leads the nation in the category at .673.
- During its nine-game spring break trip, Notre Dame had five players hitting at least .360 during the stretch. Abby Sweet paced the group with a .500 average, while Cait Brooks hit .423 and Ali Wester posted a .419 average. Katie Marino (.370) and MK Bonamy (.360) rounded out the group.
- Cait Brooks earned ACC Co-Player of the Week honors on March 19 after hitting four homers with six RBI to go along with her .429 average on the week. Her two-run shot in the fourth inning helped power the Irish to a 7-4 win in game two of the series at No. 3 Florida State.
- Notre Dame has won nine consecutive non-conference games. The Irish won two games at the Red Desert Classic before sweeping five contests at the FAU/FIU Parents’ Weekend Tournament and capturing a game at FIU prior to opening ACC play at Florida State.
- Ali Wester’s 248 career hits rank third in the nation among active players, trailing only Oklahoma’s Sydney Romero (271) and Florida’s Amanda Lorenz (260).
- Notre Dame has played 25 games before playing the home-opnener against UIC.. The Irish will have played 16 of those first 28 games in the state of Florida. The Irish are part of 23 (of 207) Division I teams yet to play a home game as of the last NCAA national statistical update on March 18.
- The Irish collected two weekly ACC honors on March 5 as Katie Marino was named Co-Player of the Week and Payton Tidd earned Co-Pitcher of the Week. Notre Dame went 2-0 at the Red Desert Classic with wins over Utah Valley (16-0) and No. 24 Baylor (14-1).
- Marino knocked-in five runs in the two games in St. George, Utah, while going 6-for-8 with a double and two home runs.
- Tidd earned a complete game win over Baylor, striking out seven in five innings. Tidd allowed the first three hitters to reach before limiting the Bears to four hits and a walk the rest of the way.