April 6, 2015
NOTRE DAME, Ind. — Looking to keep its home momentum rolling as the 2015 season continues, the University of Notre Dame softball team hosts a pair of midweek contests this week at Melissa Cook Stadium. Winners of 13 consecutive games, the Irish welcome Western Michigan on Tuesday at 5 p.m. and Butler at 6 p.m. (ET) during a brief two-game homestand back on the Notre Dame campus.
Live stats for both midweek games will be available via CBS Gametracker. Video coverage will also be carried free of charge on WatchND.
No. RV Notre Dame (27-11) is a perfect 9-0 to open its 2015 campaign at Melissa Cook Stadium, batting a cumulative .406 as a team in the friendly confines of its home facility. Senior co-captain and Granger native Jenna Simon has carded the top Irish home batting average at .571 (12-for-21) through her first nine starts, stealing six bases while scoring 10 runs. Sophomore All-American Karley Wester has the most hits (13), steals (8) and runs scored (11) among all Notre Dame players during home games this season.
The 10 consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) victories earned by Notre Dame firmly moved the Irish into solo fourth place in the conference standings following this past weekend’s sweep of seventh-place Pittsburgh. Notre Dame was selected second in the preseason ACC predicted order of finish.
The Irish have posted a combined 26-6 (.813) all-time record against Western Michigan (12-16), with Notre Dame winning 13 of its last 14 meetings with the Broncos. The Irish downed Western Michigan 6-1 in the most recent game between the squads on May 1, 2013 in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Notre Dame holds a 28-2 (.933) edge against Butler (15-19), claiming 20 straight victories over the Bulldogs dating back to the 1993 season. The Irish and Butler were formerly league foes in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference (now the Horizon League) from 1989-94.
For the latest news and updates on all things Notre Dame softball, visit www.und.com/softball, follow the Irish@NDsoftball and@NDcoachGumpf on Twitter and at Instagram.com/notredamesoftball, and Like the team at Facebook.com/NDSoftball.
–ND–
No. RV Notre Dame vs. Western Michigan and Butler
April 7-8, 2015
Melissa Cook Stadium
Notre Dame, Ind.
No. RV Notre Dame Fighting Irish
(27-11 in 2015)
Western Michigan Broncos
(12-16 in 2015)
Butler Bulldogs
(15-19 in 2015)
Notre Dame Midweek Schedule
Tuesday, April 7
/WatchND
Wednesday, April 8
/WatchND
IRISH SLAP HITS
· Notre Dame improved to 27-11 this season with its 13th straight victory, a 3-2 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) win over No. RV Pittsburgh on Saturday at Vartabedian Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Irish have now won their last four true road games dating back to a 12-0 triumph in five innings at No. 9/10 Florida State on March 15.
· During its current 13-game winning streak, Notre Dame has outscored opponents by a combined margin of 112-16. The Irish have won six of those 13 decisions by way of run-rule, including eight wins by five or more runs.
· With its three-game sweep at Pittsburgh last weekend, Notre Dame has now won 12 straight games against the Panthers dating back to the 2009 season. The own a dominant 32-2 edge (.941) in the all-time series against Pittsburgh.
· Senior infielder and co-ACC Player of the Week Katey Haus continued her All-America caliber season with another stellar stand at the plate during Notre Dame’s undefeated week. She batted an even .500 (7-for-14) with two doubles, three home runs, 10 RBI and six runs scored in 16 total plate appearances against Eastern Michigan and at No. RV Pittsburgh. The Irish third baseman slugged a team-high 1.286 for the week and added a .563 on-base percentage to power the Notre Dame attack.
· Haus leads all Notre Dame players with 11 home runs, 38 RBI, 86 total bases and a .741 slugging percentage through 38 starts this season. She has added the second-best batting average (.388) and on-base percentage (.455) and the second-most runs (29), hits (45), doubles (8) and walks (14) on the Notre Dame roster.
· Senior co-captain and two-time All-American outfielder Emilee Koerner became the latest professional draft choice in program history on April 1, as she was selected 17th overall in the 2015 National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) College Draft that was held at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee. The Irish standout was the third pick of the draft’s fourth round by the 2014 NPF champion USSSA Pride. Koerner is the third Notre Dame player drafted into the NPF since 2007.
· Irish softball is one of only two Notre Dame varsity athletic programs to have never posted a losing record. The softball team has completed its first 26 seasons with a .500 record or above in each campaign. Notre Dame’s three-time national champion women’s soccer program has posted 27 straight winning seasons since its inception at the varsity level in the fall of 1988.
On This Date…
Notre Dame is a combined 13-3 (.813) all-time in games played on April 7 of a given season. The Irish have won nine straight games they have played on the date since downing Western Michigan 5-0 at Ivy Field in 1999.
Notre Dame has added a 10-6 (.625) mark on April 8, the planned date of its midweek matchup with Butler at Melissa Cook Stadium.
Lucky 13 In A Row
Notre Dame completed its third straight Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) sweep with a Saturday 3-2 victory over Pittsburgh, outscoring the Panthers 30-7 during the three-game series. Notre Dame clubbed seven doubles and seven home runs over the course of the set to run its current winning streak to 13 straight games, the longest such string for Notre Dame since the 2012 season. In their past 10 ACC victories, the Irish have outscored league foes a remarkable 85-11.
Haus Is Top Player In The ACC Yet Again
Senior infielder Katey Haus did what she has done throughout her final season on the diamond, rise to the top. In recognition of her efforts at the plate and solid play on the hot corner at third base, the ACC selected Haus as a co-ACC Player of the Week alongside North Carolina State’s Renada Davis on Monday, Haus’ second conference weekly honor this season. Haus was named the very first 2015 ACC Player of the Week on Feb. 9.
Haus continued her All-America caliber season with another stellar stand at the plate during Notre Dame’s undefeated week. She batted an even .500 (7-for-14) with two doubles, three home runs, 10 RBI and six runs scored in 16 total plate appearances against Eastern Michigan and at No. RV Pittsburgh. The Irish third baseman slugged a team-high 1.286 for the week and added a .563 on-base percentage to power the Notre Dame attack.
Emi Drafted By NPF Champion USSSA Pride
Senior co-captain and two-time All-American outfielder Emilee Koerner became the latest professional draft choice in program history on April 1, as she was selected 17th overall in the 2015 National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) College Draft that was held at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee. The Irish standout was the third pick of the draft’s fourth round by the 2014 NPF champion USSSA Pride.
Koerner is the second Notre Dame player to be drafted into the NPF in as many seasons, joining the 2014 seventh overall choice to the Akron Racers and former teammate Laura Winter (`14). In the modern NPF era, Koerner and Winter are two of three Notre Dame draft choices along with Stephanie Brown (`07), who was the 11th overall pick in the 2007 NPF Draft by the Chicago Bandits.
Koerner has staked her claim to being one of the greatest offensive players in Notre Dame softball history. Through the first 38 Irish games in 2015, Koerner leads all Irish softball players in career doubles (68, active NCAA leader), total bases (414) and slugging percentage (.671), checking in ranked second in career batting average (.389), runs scored (165) and on-base percentage (.457).
Irish Lineup Mashes Over .400 Last Week
Eight of Notre Dame’s nine regular starters logged a .300 or higher batting average (.424 team average) during the 4-0 Irish surge last week, with six players posting a .385 clip or better for the week. Junior Megan Sorlie led all hitters with a .636 average, followed by senior Cassidy Whidden at .583. Senior Katey Haus and sophomore All-American Karley Wester tied with an even .500 batting average each.
`Bones’ Is Rollin’
Junior pitcher Allie Rhodes has earned either a win or save in her last six outings (five starts) dating back to the nightcap against Georgia Tech on March 21, posting a team-best 5-0 record with an 0.66 ERA in her past 21.1 innings pitched. Rhodes has surrendered a mere two runs in her last six appearances, walking nine while striking out 20 opposing batters to post a .187 batting average against.
Irish Stock Trending Upward
Notre Dame has coasted to a 15-2 (.882) record in its last 17 games, which has included 10 consecutive ACC victories dating back to a 12-0 win in five innings over No. 9/10 Florida State on March 15. The Irish have outscored opponents 129-30 since downing Campbell 4-3 on March 10 to start the string, more than doubling the opposition in hits (169-72) and extra base hits (53-22).
Big Leads Early Have Keyed Irish Surge
Scoring swiftly, and consistently, will almost always yield success in the sport of softball. It is that very basic ideology that has powered Notre Dame’s 13-game winning streak, and led the Irish to 15 total victories in their last 17 starts.
Notre Dame has outscored opponents 71-7 (25-2 in the first; 20-1 in the second; and 26-4 in the third) during the first three innings dating back to a 4-3 win at Campbell on March 10.
Irish Against The Opposition
Notre Dame is 26-6 (.813) all-time against Western Michigan and 28-2 (.933) all-time against Butler entering this week’s games at Melissa Cook Stadium.