Coming off three wins over Belmont this past week, the Notre Dame baseball team is now gearing up to face the Eastern Michigan Eagles for its home opener on Wednesday, March 5. The last time the two teams met was on Feb. 21 and 22, 2019, when Notre Dame took the first game in an 11-3 win, but lost 2-4 in the second game.
Notre Dame
The Irish have started off the season successfully, winning eight of their first nine and maintaining a six-game win streak, with their single loss coming against North Florida. The defense has led the team to victory as the top four pitchers have held their opponents at bay.
Leading the Irish on the mound is graduate right-hander Jackson Dennies, along with graduate right-hander Dylan Heine, senior right-hander Ricky Reeth and sophomore right-hander Jack Radel, all of whom are contributing heavily to the team’s success.
Originally from New Orleans, Dennies leads the team with a total of 15.2 innings on the mound. In addition to this, Dennies has totaled 19 strikeouts so far on the season, with only three walks. Heine, in two starts and one relief appearance, has pitched 9.1 innings. The graduate student from Haddonfield, New Jersey, has a total of 11 strikeouts on the season and only two walks.
Hailing from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Radel has pitched nine innings this season. The sophomore has a total of nine strikeouts with only two walks. Last but not least, Reeth has stepped up on the mound to throw nine innings so far. The senior from Windermere, Florida has a total of 10 strikeouts and two walks.
Meanwhile, newcomers continue to lead the way for the Irish at the plate. Freshman infielders Parker Brzustewicz and Bino Watters are each hitting .375 or better, with an on-base plus slugging (OPS) above 1.000. The two have combined to make 17 starts, total seven extra-base hits, drive in 16 runs and score 19 more. Watters has notably taken 12 walks in nine games, showing tremendous patience and composure for a young hitter. Graduate outfielder Jared Zimbardo, a Quinnipiac transfer, has made an impact as well by hitting .333 with four stolen bases.
Notre Dame’s returning bats have made contributions in key moments as well. Sophomore catcher Carson Tinney leads the team with 11 RBI and is tied for home run leader with graduate infielder Connor Hincks. Graduate outfielder Brady Gumpf was cold to start until he hit a go-ahead home run in the eighth inning of Sunday’s win. The Irish are still waiting on junior shortstop Estevan Moreno to return to last year’s form, though, as he’s hitting .108 with minimal productivity beyond his opening-weekend grand slam.
Eastern Michigan
Currently 4-6 on the season, the Eagles head into this game coming off of two losses and two wins in their series against Presbyterian.
On the mound, the Eagles have four pitchers that stand out. Drew Beckner, a senior from Ohio, leads the team with a total of 17.1 innings pitched. Additionally, Beckner has a total of 17 strikeouts and nine walks. Out of the bullpen, juniors Nick Keane and Ethan Davis and sophomore Niko Kreuzer have each posted earned run averages below 3.70 while working at least five innings. Keane leads all Eagles relievers with 11 strikeouts but has also walked 11 batters.
Offensively, junior Devan Zirwas leads the team with a batting average of .389, while junior Bruce Jellison is hitting .385 with an on base percentage of .468. Graduate catcher Harrison Travis has been the team’s top power bat with four home runs on the season, while senior outfielder Logan Hugo leads the Eagles in RBI (13) and OPS (1.181)
Notre Dame will face the Eagles at Frank Eck Stadium on March 5 at 4:30 p.m.
