Fighting Irish Media Matt Paras • [email protected] 574-631-9471 (office) • 401-215-5656 (cell) GAME NO. 19-21 NO. 19 FLORIDA STATE (15-5, 3-3) VS. NOTRE DAME (8-10, 4-2) SERIES AT-A-GLANCE Date Time Opponent Location Probable Starters TV March 22 6:00 p.m. ET vs. Florida State Frank Eck Stadium LHP Tommy Sheehan (3-1, 3.34 ERA) vs. LHP Drew Parrish (2-1, 5.88 ERA) ACC Network Extra/WatchESPN March 23 2:00 p.m. ET vs. Florida State Frank Eck Stadium LHP Cameron Brown (0-2, 6.08 ERA) vs. RHP CJ Van Eyk (3-1, 4.85 ERA) ACC Network Extra/WatchESPN March 24 1:00 p.m. ET vs. Florida State Frank Eck Stadium RHP Cameron Junker (1-2, 3.81 ERA) vs. LHP Shane Drohan (2-0, 2.25 ERA) ACC Network Extra/WatchESPN BY THE NUMBERS Know the Opponent: Florida State Seminoles • Florida State, an NCAA Tournament participant a season ago, will be the home- Tommy Sheehan recorded his first career complete game in Notre Dame’s 9-2 win opener for the Irish in 2019 for the second time since Notre Dame joined the ACC. 1 over No. 12 Clemson. It was the first complete game by any pitcher in the ACC this season and the first Irish complete game since April 19, 2016. • Florida State opened the home ACC slate for the Irish back in 2017. • The Seminoles lead the all-time series 17-8, after winning two-of-three last Senior captain Eric Gilgenbach launched two solo home runs against Ball State at the season in Tallahassee. 2 Swig and Swine Classic. It was his third career multi-home run game of his career and the first since April 13, 2018 against NC State. • Florida State’s head coach Mike Martin will be making his final trip to Frank Eck Stadium as he is set to retire after the season. In 40 seasons at FSU, Martin is the The Irish used just two pitchers to shutout Charleston Southern in the second game winningest coach in baseball history (2,001-717-4) and the first ever to surpass of the double header at the Swig and Swine Classic. Cameron Junker went six innings, 2 struck out six and scattered four hits. Tommy Vail came in the seventh and closed the 2,000 wins. door with three innings of work, allowing just one hit and struck out five. Sheehan Complete Game Niko Kavadas and Eric Gilgenbach hold the team lead in home runs with six each. 6 They both ranked tied for the third in the ACC ranks for home runs on the year. • Tommy Sheehan was masterful Friday night at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in Notre Dame’s 9-2 win over No. 12 Clemson. Daniel Jung tallied six RBI in the Alamo Irish Classic opener against Eastern Mich- • The Tigers were white hot, winners of four straight over ranked opponents, 6 igan. It was the most in a game since Eric Gilgenbach had seven against No. 9 LSU on Feb. 18, 2018. including a three-game sweep of No. 3 North Carolina, but Sheehan kept the Tigers bats at bay. Sophomore Tommy Sheehan recorded eight strikeouts to set a career high in the 11-3 • The sophomore lefty recorded his first career complete game, going the distance 8 win over Eastern Michigan. He allowed two runs over seven innings and walked one. on 121 pitches and limited the Tigers to a season-low two runs. The Irish bullpen logged 8.2 innings over work during the Swig & Swine Classic and • It was the first complete game by an Irish pitcher since Michael Hearne on April 19, 8.2 did not surrender a run the entire weekend. Six pitchers (Belcik, Holubecki, Kmet, 2016 against No. 21 Michigan State. Vailcombined for the bullpen shutout and only allowed three hits during that span. • It was also the first complete game by an ACC pitcher this season. 9 Junior captain Cameron Brown also recorded a career high at the Alamo Irish Classic • Although they scored nine runs, the Irish only had one extra base hit of the night with nine strikeouts in Notre Dame’s 2-1 win over Incarnate Word. and it was a three-run blast by Eric Gilgenbach in the ninth inning to break the Cole Kmet tallied 11 strikeouts in 7.1 innings of work against Ball State at the Swig game open. 11 and Swine Classic. It was a career high for the sophomore lefty and the most strikeouts • It was his sixth home run of the season and he is tied with Niko Kavadas for the by an Irish pitcher since 2012. team lead. Sophomore Tommy Sheehan set down 17 consecutive batters against Charleston 17 Southern at the Swig and Swine Classic. After a rough second inning, the lefty did Irish Claim Series in Extras not allow another batter to reach base until the eighth inning. • In the rubber match of the three-game series against No. 12 Clemson, pitching As a team, Notre Dame struck out 17 batters in the 2-1 win over Incarnate Word was on full display for the Irish. 17 on Feb. 22. It was the most combined strikeouts in a game since the Irish had 18 • Cameron Junker had the best start of his career against the Tigers, setting a career against South Florida on May 16, 2008 (15 innings). high in innings (7.1) and strikeouts (8). The Irish starters tallied 23.2 innings of eork in the series win on the road over No. 12 • He had a number of 1-2-3 innings against Clemson and scattered four hits and 23.2 Clemson. Tommy Sheehan pitched all nine innings on Friday while Cameron Brown allowed only one run on the afternoon. went seven on Saturday and Cameron Junker pitched 7.1 on Sunday. The Irish held • After the Tigers tied the game in the eighth, Andrew Belcik entered the game with the Tigers to a season-low two runs twice over the weekend. the go-head run at second and just one away. He struck out the final two batters of the inning to keep the score tied heading to the ninth. • In the ninth, Joe Boyle entered with two runners on and nobody out. After a NDBASEBALL NDBASEBALL NOTREDAMEBASEBALL AT A GLANCE strikeout and fly out to right, the Tigers had the The Record When... winning run 90 feet away. Boyle got the leadoff Kmet a Workhorse for the Irish Home ......................................................0-0 hitter, Hall, to strike out on the eighth pitch of the • Through the first 15 games of the Irish season, LHP at bat to end the inning. Cole Kmet has done it all for the Irish. Away .......................................................4-6 • In the tenth, the Irish platted two runs and Mitch • From middle relief, to closer, to starter, Kmet has Neutral ....................................................4-4 Megias closed the door in the bottom half of the eight appearances over the first 15 games. vs. teams ranked in top 25 ......................2-1 inning to secure the series win. • He has tallied 18.2 innings of work (tied for third vs. teams ranked in top 10 ......................0-0 best) and has a team-leading 2.89 ERA and 27 vs. teams ranked in top 5 ........................0-0 Number of Firsts for Irish in Clemson Series Win strikeouts (second on the team) with two saves. • First career complete game from Tommy Sheehan • The lefty recorded 11 strikeouts in his start against vs. unranked opponents ..........................6-9 in the 9-2 series opening win Ball State, a career-high and the most by an Irish Both teams are ranked ............................0-0 • It was the first complete game by an ACC pitcher pitcher since 2012, in 7.1 innings of work. Neither team is ranked ............................6-9 this season • Kmet had a stretch of four appearances of out ND is ranked higher .................................0-0 • It was the first complete game by an Irish pitcher the pen without allowing a hit or a walk over 6.1 Opponent is ranked higher ......................2-1 since Michael Hearne on April 19, 2016 against No. innings of work while tallying 11 strikeouts in that 21 Michigan State span. In February ..............................................2-5 • First time in school history the Irish have won their • He earned his second save of the season against In March ..................................................6-5 first two ACC series in a season since joining the Wake Forest with two innings of shutdown work In April ....................................................0-0 conference in 2014 after Kavadas gave the Irish the lead in the eighth. In May .....................................................0-0 • It was their first road ACC series win over a ranked In June ....................................................0-0 opponent in school history since joining the Gilgenbach Fuels 9th Inning Rally to Clinch Series conference. • With the series on the line in the second game of a Day Games ..............................................6-8 • It was the first ACC series win over a ranked doubleheader, the Irish used a late inning rally to Night Games ...........................................2-2 opponent since May 9-10, 2015 when the Irish clinch the series. Decided by one run .................................3-0 swept No. 20 North Carolina. • The Irish held a 4-2 lead in the sixth inning before Decided by two runs or more ................5-10 the Demon Deacons ripped off five straight runs Scoring first .............................................6-2 Kavadas’ Power Surge Continues and took a three-run lead into the ninth. • In their midweek matchup against Western • John Arndorfer kicked it off with a full-count walk Opponent scores first ..............................2-8 Carolina, Niko Kavadas made his presence felt in and Spencer Myers followed it up with a single to Leading after six innings .........................5-0 the eighth inning.