SERIES AT-A-GLANCE Date Time Opponent Location Probable Starters TV June 12 2 P.M
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Fighting Irish Media Matt Paras • [email protected] 401-215-5656 (cell) GAME NO. 45-47 #10 NOTRE DAME (33-11) VS. #7 MISSISSIPPI STATE (43-15) SERIES AT-A-GLANCE Date Time Opponent Location Probable Starters TV June 12 2 p.m. ET at #7 Mississippi State Polk Dement Stadium LHP John Michael Bertrand (8-2, 2.98 ERA) vs. RHP Wil Bednar (7-1, 3.17 ERA) ESPN June 13 6 p.m. ET vs. #7 Mississippi State Polk Dement Stadium TBA vs. LHP Christian MacLeod (6-4, 3.81 ERA) ESPN2/ESPNU June 14 7 p.m. ET at #7 Mississippi State Polk Dement Stadium TBA vs. TBA ESPN2/ESPNU BY THE NUMBERS Starkville Super Regional • For the first time since 2002, Notre Dame has advanced to the Super Regional The Irish currently rank No. 1 in the nation in fielding percentage (0.984). The Irish round of the NCAA Tournament. 0.984 have only committed 26 errors in 44 games this season and have had two series • The Irish are heading to SEC country as they travel to Starkville to take on the where they have not committed any errors over the entire weekend. No. 7 seed Mississippi State Bulldogs at Dudy Noble Field. After three weeks of conference play, Notre Dame was the only ACC team to not drop • The Bulldogs went 3-0 in the Starkville Regional with wins over Samford, VCU 1 a conference series this season. They had series wins over Wake Forest, Clemson and Campbell to advance. and Virginia with all three coming on the road. The Irish did not drop a conference • This is the second time the Irish and Bulldogs have met in the NCAA series until their 11th of the season against Florida State. Tournament as they battled in the Starkville Regional in 2000. With the series wins over Wake Forest, Clemson, Virginia, Pitt, Boston College and • The Irish forced a decisive game seven after a 7-0 win in the regional final but Virginia Tech this season, Notre Dame has won its last seven road conference series ultimately fell to the Bulldogs 10-9 in the final game. (dating back to last season) for the first time since joining the ACC. The last time the • The Irish hold a 4-2 advantage all-time over Mississippi State and are 3-2 in 7 Irish won seven straight conference series on the road was during the 1991-1993 games held in Starkville. The last time the two teams faced each other was the seasons when they won seven series in a row between the three seasons in the Mid-Western Collegiate Conference. opening weekend of the 2002 season and the Irish won both matchups. • Mississippi State finished the regular season in second place in the SEC West With the series win over Virginia Tech, the Irish won 10 ACC series this season. That and was just one game back of No. 1 overall seed Arkansas. 10 leads the ACC this season and it is the most conference series wins in a season in program history. The previous record was nine back in 2001. • The Bulldogs bring a 43-15 record into the weekend and have won their last four games at Dudy Noble Field. The Irish scored 13 unanswered runs in the 13-9 comeback win over Boston College • The last time the Irish went to a Super Regional, they defeated Florida State in on April 24. It is the most unasnwered runs in a game since March 24, 2016 when 13 two out of three games to advance to the College World Series for the second the Irish scored 15 unanswered runs in a 16-4 road win over Virginia Tech. time in program history. With his solo home run in the fourth inning against Central Michigan on June 6, Niko Kavadas set a program record for most home runs in a single season with Kavadas Named Golden Spikes Award Semifinalist 21 21. He bested the previous record of 20 that was set by Frank Jacobs back in the 1991 season. • Senior infielder Niko Kavadas was named one of 30 semifinalists for the Golden Spikes Award on Tuesday June 8. Notre Dame set a postseason program record with 26 runs in the win over UConn • He just finished off an impressive weekend at the plate during the South Bend 26 in the South Bend Regional. The previous postseason record was 25 in a 25-1 win over South Alabama in 2002. Regional. He hit .600 with 5 home runs, nine runs and 13 RBI over the three games and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Regional. The Irish overcame a nine-run deficit to beat Boston College 13-9 on April 24. It • Kavadas set a program record for most home runs in a single season with his is the first time since May 22, 2009 that the Irish overcame a seven run deficit or solo blast against Central Michigan on June 6. He bested the previous record 2009 more to win a game. Back in 2009, they trailed St. John’s 9-0 in the fourth inning and won the game 11-10. The Irish also overcame a seven-run deficit to win gainst that was held by Frank Jacobs in 1991 with 20. No. 14 Georgia Tech on April 9 • Heading into the Super Regional round, Kavadas leads the NCAA with 0.48 home runs per game and is third in the nation with 21 home runs. • He leads the team in home runs, RBI (62) and slugging percentage (.785) heading into the weekend. Bats Continue to Rake in Regional Clinching Win over Central Michigan • After hitting 10 home runs in the first two games of the South bend Regional, NDBASEBALL NDBASEBALL NOTREDAMEBASEBALL 2021 NOTRE DAME BASEBALL GAME NOTES AT A GLANCE ACC STANDINGS the bats stayed red hot in the 14-2 win over • In a four-run fourth, Kavadas added to his RBI Atlantic ACC Overall Central Michigan to advance to the first Super total with a bases loaded walk followed by a 2-RBI #1 Notre Dame 25-10 33-11 Regional since 2002. single from Brooks Coetzee and an RBI single by #3 NC State 19-14 33-17 • The Irish trailed for the first time all weekend after David LaManna. #5 Florida State 20-16 31-23 Central jumped in front in the fourth inning but it • In the sixth, the Irish put together another four- #7 Louisville 16-16 28-22 did not last long. run inning. TJ Williams walked with the bases #11 Clemson 16-20 25-27 • The first batter in the bottom of the fourth, Niko loaded and Ryan Cole tallied a 3-RBI double to Wake Forest 10-22 20-27 Kavadas hit his fifth home run of the weekend to pad the Irish lead. Boston College 10-23 21-28 tie the game at 1-1. • After a solo home run from Brooks Coetzee in the • After taking the lead later in the fourth, the Irish eighth, the Irish had their most explosive inning in Coastal ACC Overall got some breathing room in the fifth from Carter the ninth as they scored eight runs. #2 Georgia Tech 21-15 30-25 #4 Miami 20-15 33-21 Putz. He unloaded a grand slam over the wall in • Jack Brannigan and Williams tallied RBI singles in #6 North Carolina 18-18 28-27 left center to put the Irish up 6-1. the inning and the Irish hit two more bombs. #8 Virginia 18-18 32-24 • Later in the game, Ryan Cole blasted his third • Kavadas tallied his second of the game, this time #9 Duke 16-17 33-22 home run of the weekend, a three-run shot, to left a three-run homer, to tie the Notre Dame single #10 Pitt 16-17 23-20 in the seventh. season record for home runs in a season with 20. #12 Virginia Tech 16-20 27-25 • Two more home runs left the yard in the eighth • Ryan Cole also hit a three run home run in the to put the game out of reach. The first one was by inning and it was his second home run of the Putz for his first career multi-home run game, and regional. INDIVIDUAL STATS the other by Brooks Coetzee for his second of the • Kavadas finished the game with career highs in Individual Leaders Category # ACC NCAA weekend. runs (5) and RBI (8). It was the most RBI in a game Rank Rank • On the mound, Aidan Tyrell had the best start of by an Irish player since Jake Shepski had nine in Niko Kavadas HR Per Game 0.48 1 1 his career after going eight innings and allowed 2016 against Virginia Tech. It was the most runs SLG% .785 1 4 Home Runs 21 2 3 just two runs and no walks. scored by an Irish player since AJ Pollock had five RBI Per Game 1.41 1 3 • Over the course of the weekend, the Irish got 24 in 2008 against UW-Milwaukee. BB Per Game 1.07 1 4 innings pitched out of a possible 27 innings from • Cole finished the game with a career high six RBI RBI 62 3 18 their three starters. and tied career highs with three runs and three OBP% .476 2 58 • The Irish finished the regional with 15 home runs hits. hit in three games by five players and all five had • On the mound, Will Mercer set a career high with John Michael Victories 8 2 47 Bertrand multiple home runs.