The (3-0) Irish will travel to Miami for a four-game series at FIU (Feb. 23-25). 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.
Click to view game notes here.
Schedule
| Date | Time (ET) | Opponent | Location | TV |
| Feb. 23 | 6:30 p.m. | FIU | FIU Baseball Stadium (Miami, FL) | ESPN+ |
| Feb. 24 (DH1) | 2 p.m. | FIU | FIU Baseball Stadium (Miami, FL) | None |
| Feb. 24 (DH2) | 6 p.m. | FIU | FIU Baseball Stadium (Miami, FL) | None |
| Feb. 23 | 12 p.m. | FIU | FIU Baseball Stadium (Miami, FL) | ESPN+ |
By The Numbers
| 2 |
Shawn Stiffler is in his second season with the Irish, after leading Notre Dame to a 30-24 season in 2023. He owns a 373-222 career record. Stiffler came to South Bend after spending the 10 seasons at the helm of the VCU program. |
| 2 |
RHP Nate Hardman earned two saves in the sweep at Rice, which ties him for the season lead among ACC pitchers. Hardman’s two saves rank T-2 in Division I Baseball, as just one player owns more (3). |
| 3 |
Notre Dame’s three wins to begin the season is the program’s best start since 2010, when the Irish opened the season 3-0 with a three-game sweep of Mississippi Valley State. The last time Notre Dame swept a three-game, non-conference road series was in 2020 (Feb. 28-March 1 at Presbyterian; 13-5, 10-4, 9-0). |
| 3 |
Three Irish pitchers have been named to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Watch List: RHPs Radek Birkholz, Bennett Flynn and Nate Hardman. All three played major roles in the series sweep of Rice. |
| 4 |
D1Baseball tabbed four Irish players among the top national players in their positions. Jack Penney enters 2024 ranked No. 32 among the nation’s shortstops, Simon Baumgardt ranked No. 50 amond third basemen, David Glancy ranked No. 97 among outfielders, and Jackson Dennies ranked No. 105 among starting pitchers. |
| 4 |
The Irish are set to face four teams ranked in the preseason Top 25 in 2024, including No. 1 Wake Forest, No. 10 Clemson, No. 13 NC State and No. 15 North Carolina. |
| 5 |
Notre Dame’s five sac bunts at Rice tie for the lead in the ACC, while OF T.J. Williams’ two on the season are tied for the ACC lead with two other players. |
| 5 |
The Irish hit five home runs in the series finale at Rice on Feb. 18, 2024. It was the most in a single game for Notre Dame since 2021, when Carter Putz (2) Ryan Cole, Brooks Coetzee and Niko Kavadas combined for five vs.. Central Michigan on June 6, 2021. |
| 7 |
The Irish combined for seven home runs in the first series at Rice (ranking fifth in the ACC), with INF Simon Baumgardt and OF David Glancy each noting two apiece, one each in the second and third games of the series. OF Tito Flores marked Notre Dame’s first grand slam of the season in the series finale, cementing the win. |
| 7 |
Notre Dame was hit by seven pitches at Rice, a figure which ties for the ACC lead. OF and DH DM Jefferson leads the conference with four HBP. |
| 10 |
Jack Penney tied for the Irish team lead with 10 home runs in 2023, and will look to be a major piece of the Notre Dame lineup in 2024. His 1.000 stolen-base percentage (8-8) in 2023 tied for third all-time in single-season Irish records. |
| 11 |
11 Irish made their first apperances in a Notre Dame uniform in the opening series at Rice: INF Simon Baumgardt, OF Drayk Bowen, OF Tito Flores, RHP Bennett Flynn, OF David Glancy, INF Josh Hahn, RHP Nate Hardman, RHP Will Jacobsen, RHP Tobey McDonough, RHP Jack Radel and C Carson Tinney. |
| 19 |
The Irish introduce 19 newcomers, featuring 10 freshmen and nine grad transfers, to the 2023 roster. |
| 27 |
Notre Dame drew 27 walks at Rice, a figure which ranked T-third in the ACC for the weekend. INF Jack Penney leads the ACC in walks per game (2.33) and single-game walks with four on Feb. 18 at Rice, including an IBB). |
| 100 |
Perfect Game ranked two Irish players in their Top 100 Lists for each class. David Lally Jr. ranked No. 69 among the nation’s sophomores, and Jack Penney came in at No. 71 among juniors. |
| .991 |
The Irish own a .991 fielding percentage on the season, ranking second in the ACC. Notre Dame’s 31 assists rank second in the conference. |
2024
- Following the series sweep at Rice (Feb. 16-18), Notre Dame received votes in the National College Baseball Writers Association poll.
- Notre Dame’s three wins to begin the season is the program’s best start since 2010, when the Irish opened the season 3-0 with a three-game sweep of Mississippi Valley State.
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 will earn the opportunity to compete.
- Notre Dame welcomes nine graduate transfers and 10 freshmen to the roster in the 2024 season.
- Several transfers will look to earn significant playing time, including OF Tito Flores (Michigan), OF David Glancy (St. John’s), INF Josh Hahn (UCLA), INF Simon Baumgardt (Tulane), RHP Will Jacobsen (Harvard), RHP Bennett Flynn (Davidson) and RHP Nate Hardman (Evansville).
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.
- OF Drayk Bowen also marked his first appearance for the Irish at Rice as a pinch runner.
- No. 1 Jefferson: Earned the leadoff hitter slot for Notre Dame’s opening series at Rice as the designated hitter, posting one hit but drawing four HBP and three walks. Jefferson scored three runs at Rice.
- No. 2 Glancy: Started all three games in the outfield at Rice and was responsible for Notre Dame’s first home run of the season, a no-doubter into the wind. Glancy notched another homer in the following game, also drawing four walks and scoring five runs. In the outfield, he posted 11 putouts on the weekend.
- No. 6 Williams: A four-year member of the Irish, and a leader on the team, Williams currently leads the Irish in hits (4) in just six at-bats. He owns two RBI and stole a base vs. Rice. His outfield single scored OF Drayk Bowen to take the 9-8 lead in the series finale.
- No. 7 Flores: Notched a hit in all three games at Rice, including Notre Dame’s first grand slam of the season in the ninth inning of the Rice series finale, cementing the sweep. On the weekend, he posted three hits and two runs, drawing two walks.
- No. 21 Gumpf: Started one game at Rice in left field, and entered to hit in another, earning a hit on the weekend.
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).
- 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: Earned two starts at second base at Rice; drew a pair of walks and tallied 8 assists from the middle infield for the Irish.
- No. 11 Penney: Scored three times, tallying seven walks, and stole a base at Rice; leads the ACC in walks per game (2.33) and single-game walks with four on Feb. 18 at Rice, including an IBB).
- No. 12 Hincks: Posted his first-career home run in the series finale at Rice.
- 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: Tied for the team lead in home runs with two at Rice; totaled three hits and three runs with four RBI.
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 one game at catcher at Rice, and entered for innings in the series finale; hit the first homer of his career to score the go-ahead run in the series finale.
- No. 13 Spence: Entered at catcher in the series finale at Rice, delivering an RBI double to tie the game.
- No. 28 Lindwedel: Made two starts at Rice behind the plate, scoring one run.
On the Mound
- Senior Jackson Dennies leads a group with another year of collegiate experience under their belts. Dennies will be a mainstay started for the Irish, coming 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.
- Caden Spivey, David Lally and Matt Bedford all return for the Irish and will look to see significant time on the mound, in addition to Will Jacobsen, a Harvard transfer and 2023 second-team All-Ivy selection.
- Radek Birkholz also returns for the Irish, and will join transfers Bennett Flynn 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 is tied for the ACC lead.
John P. And Catherine Murphy Head Baseball Coach Shawn Stiffler
- 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 373-222 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.