(Notre Dame, IN) Since Notre Dame now trails West Virginia 11-2, I thought I would take a look back at a few of the more memorable baseball series that have taken place here at Notre Dame on the same weekend as the Blue-Gold football scrimmage.
Easily the most memorable baseball match-up during a Blue-Gold weekend came in 2002, when former ND head coach, Pat Murphy, brought his Arizona State Sun Devils to town. It was the first time a former Irish head coach of ANY sport returned to coach against Notre Dame.
The atmosphere at Frank Eck Stadium was electric, with members of the Irish marching band in attendance playing the Notre Dame fight song and other tunes between innings. Several rowdy Irish hockey players were also there to cheer J.P. Gagne, who picked-up the win in relief (Gagne was himself a high school hockey player in Minnesota).
Paul Mainieri's Irish won the game 9-4. The ASU line-up featured three players who are currently in the Major Leagues: Reigning AL MVP Dustin Pedroia (Red Sox) was the Sun Devils' starting shortstop, Andre Ethier (LA Dodgers) started in right field and Jeff Larish (Tigers) started at third base. The trio combined to go 1 for 9 with 2 RBIs (both RBIs by Larish).
That '02 Irish team would go on to the school's first College World Series appearance since 1957. While that ND team had several players who were drafted by MLB clubs, none advanced past the AAA level.
A then Eck Stadium record crowd of 2,900 saw the game. The second and only other scheduled game of the series was canceled by rain.
Friday, April 17, 2009
It's Dinging Again
(Notre Dame, IN) West Virginia has struck again with another "dinger". Justin Parks just belted a 3-run home run, his 9th of the season, to give West Virginia an 11-2 lead with Notre Dame now batting in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Eight of West Virginia's eleven runs have come with two outs.
Eight of West Virginia's eleven runs have come with two outs.
They Ding It In West Virginia
(Notre Dame, IN) When I was with Notre Dame in Morgantown, WV last year, a Mountaineer fan told me "We ding it around here!" West Virginia didn't really "ding it" that weekend as the Irish took two out of three games, while limiting the home run hungry Mountaineers to four home runs in the 3-game series. The Irish won two of the three games, and three of the WVU home runs came in the series finale, which ND won 9-4.
West Virginia has been dinging it so far tonight though. It now leads Notre Dame 7-2 after Jedd Gyorko, the reigning Big East Rookie of the Year, hit a 3-run opposite field home run into the trees beyond the right field wall.
Blue-Gold weekend has traditionally produced some of the top crowds in Notre Dame baseball history, and there's a big crowd on hand here tonight as well. I'll be looking back at some of the top crowds and memorable Blue-Gold weekend baseball moments shortly.
West Virginia has been dinging it so far tonight though. It now leads Notre Dame 7-2 after Jedd Gyorko, the reigning Big East Rookie of the Year, hit a 3-run opposite field home run into the trees beyond the right field wall.
Blue-Gold weekend has traditionally produced some of the top crowds in Notre Dame baseball history, and there's a big crowd on hand here tonight as well. I'll be looking back at some of the top crowds and memorable Blue-Gold weekend baseball moments shortly.
The Only Remaining Game In The Big East Tonight
(Notre Dame, IN) With the Mountaineers batting and leading 3-1 in the top of the second, this game is the only contest on today's Big East slate that's still in progress. The other five games around the league today have all gone final. Here's a quick rundown:
Cincinnati 11 St. John's 8
UConn 9 Georgetown 5
Louisville 6 Rutgers 1
Pittsburgh 3 Seton Hall 1
South Florida 6 Villanova 4
The USF win makes them 11-2 in Big East play, and makes this game that much more important for if WVU is to keep pace with the conference leading Bulls. USF and WVU go head-to-head next weekend in Tampa.
ND is now batting and trailing 3-1 in the bottom of the 2nd.
Cincinnati 11 St. John's 8
UConn 9 Georgetown 5
Louisville 6 Rutgers 1
Pittsburgh 3 Seton Hall 1
South Florida 6 Villanova 4
The USF win makes them 11-2 in Big East play, and makes this game that much more important for if WVU is to keep pace with the conference leading Bulls. USF and WVU go head-to-head next weekend in Tampa.
ND is now batting and trailing 3-1 in the bottom of the 2nd.
Mountaineers Plate Three In Top Of First
(Notre Dame, IN) The team that has one of the best offenses in the Big East year-in and year-out got the game started with three runs off Cole Johnson in the top of the first inning on a beautifully sunny 69 degree night at Frank Eck Stadium.
WVU shortstop Jedd Gyorko started the scoring with an RBI single-the third of three straight singles to start the game, catcher Tobias strike plated another with a double to left-center field and Grant Buckner got the third of the runs home with a ground out.
It could have been worse-with two outs and a runner on Joe Agreste lined a ball up the middle that ricocheted in the air off Johnson's glove and into Mick Doyle's leather at second base to end the inning.
The Irish just scored a run off WVU starter Jarryd Summers to make the score 3-1 in the home half of the first inning.
WVU shortstop Jedd Gyorko started the scoring with an RBI single-the third of three straight singles to start the game, catcher Tobias strike plated another with a double to left-center field and Grant Buckner got the third of the runs home with a ground out.
It could have been worse-with two outs and a runner on Joe Agreste lined a ball up the middle that ricocheted in the air off Johnson's glove and into Mick Doyle's leather at second base to end the inning.
The Irish just scored a run off WVU starter Jarryd Summers to make the score 3-1 in the home half of the first inning.
Blue-Gold Weekend Notre Dame vs. West Virginia
(Notre Dame, IN) It's Blue-Gold football weekend at Notre Dame, and in addition to the Irish football team's annual scrimmage tomorrow, two teams wearing blue and gold are going head-to-head on the baseball diamond this weekend.
Notre Dame is hosting West Virginia, and this is actually the third straight year these two teams have meet during the Blue-Gold football weekend. Two years ago they played here at Notre Dame, and in 2008 they met in Morgantown, WV. WVU hosted its spring game on Saturday last year, and Notre Dame played its spring game that same day. The Irish won two of three games both times.
This is an important three-game series for both teams. West Virginia (27-7, 10-2)is tied with USF atop the Big East Conference standings, while the Irish (20-13, 6-6) need at least a couple wins to stay in contention for a spot in the 8-team Big East Championship next month.
One of the top pitchers in the league, Cole Johnson (4-0, 2.30 ERA), is on the mound for the Irish tonight, but WVU has runners at first and third with no outs in the top of the 1st as I clack away at the keyboard. I'll be checking-in on the blog throughout tonight's game.
Notre Dame is hosting West Virginia, and this is actually the third straight year these two teams have meet during the Blue-Gold football weekend. Two years ago they played here at Notre Dame, and in 2008 they met in Morgantown, WV. WVU hosted its spring game on Saturday last year, and Notre Dame played its spring game that same day. The Irish won two of three games both times.
This is an important three-game series for both teams. West Virginia (27-7, 10-2)is tied with USF atop the Big East Conference standings, while the Irish (20-13, 6-6) need at least a couple wins to stay in contention for a spot in the 8-team Big East Championship next month.
One of the top pitchers in the league, Cole Johnson (4-0, 2.30 ERA), is on the mound for the Irish tonight, but WVU has runners at first and third with no outs in the top of the 1st as I clack away at the keyboard. I'll be checking-in on the blog throughout tonight's game.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Mid-Week Blog Thoughts...
A few thoughts about a few teams around the country, starting with a couple Big 12 teams in the Sunflower state...
1. Kansas State...The Wildcats tied a school record for the best start in school history with Tuesday's 13-5 win over the state's traditional baseball power, Wichita State. K-State is 27-9 overall, and you have to go all the way back to 1976 to find a KSU team that has started that well. They also have the best pitcher in the Big 12, and possibly the country, in A.J. Morris. The right-hander is 9-0 (the only 9-game winner in the country), he's third in the nation with his 1.19 ERA and his 64 strikeouts are 16th. The Wildcats have quality non-conference wins over San Diego State and Arizona State. In the latter Morris won a head-to-head match-up with the Sun Devils' Mike Leake (8-1, 1.53 ERA). At 7-5, KSU is tied for fourth-place in the Big 12 with...
2. Kansas...The Jayhawks (24-12) picked-up their sixth straight win Tuesday when they downed Creighton 7-6 in 10 innings. Brett Bochy, the son of San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy, got his third win in relief. Like K-State, KU has a quality win over Arizona State and another over Arkansas in Fayetteville. Kansas has also swept two Big 12 series from Texas and Oklahoma State to improve to 18-2 at home. The 18 wins matches their home win total from 2008. They're just 4-7 on the road, and they go to Texas Tech this weekend. KU and K-State play a 3-game series to close the regular season.
Sidetrack...I caught the last inning of the KU-Creighton game last night on CBS College. The game was played at Rosenblatt Stadium. Was that REALLY the same stadium where the College World Series is played? No wonder Omaha's building a new downtown park. I still love Rosenblatt for the CWS.
Sidetrack II...Kevin Kugler was calling the game on TV. Talk about a charmed life. The dude started calling CWS games locally for an Omaha station, parlayed that into the CWS for Westwood One, and now he can add the Olympics and the NCAA Final Four (including the championship game) to his impressive resume.
Back on track...
3. I've said this before, Washington State is a good team, but a brutal non-conference schedule may kill its chances for an NCAA bid. Among the Cougars' non-conference losses: Rice, Arkansas (3), Oklahoma (2 of 4), Oral Roberts, Pepperdine (2), and a 17-6 loss to Gonzaga Tuesday night. WSU is 15-16 overall, and 5-4 in the Pac 10 after finishing 30-26 and 8-16 in the conference last year. UCLA received an at-large bid with a 33-27 overall record and 13-11 overall mark last year. The Cougars should get consideration if they can get close to that this year, but a little less Arkansas at the front of the schedule would have helped a team that has to navigate an already tough Pac 10 slate to begin with. Their remaining schedule includes series with Oregon State and Stanford, which makes this weekend's home series with Arizona (15-16, 3-9 Pac 10) crucial.
4. Gonzaga...The Bulldogs (24-10, 7-2 WCC) are in third place in the West Coast Conference behind San Diego and Loyola Marymount. They've already racked-up two non-conference wins over Missouri as well as conference series wins over Pepperdine and San Diego. Their top two starters, Matt Fields and Steven Ames, have combined to go 11-1 with 89 strikeouts and just 25 walks in 105 1/3 innings.
5. Arkansas...the Razorbacks appear to be in a classic hangover after two big home wins over Arizona State last week. The Hogs (24-9) have lost three straight for the first time this season after a 3-2 home setback to Louisiana-Monroe Tuesday at Baum Stadium. They have a big SEC series at Georgia this weekend.
6. West Virginia...the Mountaineers (26-7) are #26 in this week's Collegiate Baseball poll. It's the first time they've been in the CBN rankings since 1982, when they finished two wins away from the College World Series. WVU took two of three games from defending Big East regular season champion, St. John's, last weekend. Their 10-2 conference mark has them tied with South Florida atop the Big East standings. The Mountaineers visit Notre Dame this week and then travel to USF April 24-26. WVU's non-conference schedule has never been overly challenging, and its top inter-conference wins this year are over Indiana, Tennessee and Kentucky. The Mountaineers have losses to Illinois and Minnesota, which have been two of the better teams (along with Ohio State) in the Big 10 this season.
1. Kansas State...The Wildcats tied a school record for the best start in school history with Tuesday's 13-5 win over the state's traditional baseball power, Wichita State. K-State is 27-9 overall, and you have to go all the way back to 1976 to find a KSU team that has started that well. They also have the best pitcher in the Big 12, and possibly the country, in A.J. Morris. The right-hander is 9-0 (the only 9-game winner in the country), he's third in the nation with his 1.19 ERA and his 64 strikeouts are 16th. The Wildcats have quality non-conference wins over San Diego State and Arizona State. In the latter Morris won a head-to-head match-up with the Sun Devils' Mike Leake (8-1, 1.53 ERA). At 7-5, KSU is tied for fourth-place in the Big 12 with...
2. Kansas...The Jayhawks (24-12) picked-up their sixth straight win Tuesday when they downed Creighton 7-6 in 10 innings. Brett Bochy, the son of San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy, got his third win in relief. Like K-State, KU has a quality win over Arizona State and another over Arkansas in Fayetteville. Kansas has also swept two Big 12 series from Texas and Oklahoma State to improve to 18-2 at home. The 18 wins matches their home win total from 2008. They're just 4-7 on the road, and they go to Texas Tech this weekend. KU and K-State play a 3-game series to close the regular season.
Sidetrack...I caught the last inning of the KU-Creighton game last night on CBS College. The game was played at Rosenblatt Stadium. Was that REALLY the same stadium where the College World Series is played? No wonder Omaha's building a new downtown park. I still love Rosenblatt for the CWS.
Sidetrack II...Kevin Kugler was calling the game on TV. Talk about a charmed life. The dude started calling CWS games locally for an Omaha station, parlayed that into the CWS for Westwood One, and now he can add the Olympics and the NCAA Final Four (including the championship game) to his impressive resume.
Back on track...
3. I've said this before, Washington State is a good team, but a brutal non-conference schedule may kill its chances for an NCAA bid. Among the Cougars' non-conference losses: Rice, Arkansas (3), Oklahoma (2 of 4), Oral Roberts, Pepperdine (2), and a 17-6 loss to Gonzaga Tuesday night. WSU is 15-16 overall, and 5-4 in the Pac 10 after finishing 30-26 and 8-16 in the conference last year. UCLA received an at-large bid with a 33-27 overall record and 13-11 overall mark last year. The Cougars should get consideration if they can get close to that this year, but a little less Arkansas at the front of the schedule would have helped a team that has to navigate an already tough Pac 10 slate to begin with. Their remaining schedule includes series with Oregon State and Stanford, which makes this weekend's home series with Arizona (15-16, 3-9 Pac 10) crucial.
4. Gonzaga...The Bulldogs (24-10, 7-2 WCC) are in third place in the West Coast Conference behind San Diego and Loyola Marymount. They've already racked-up two non-conference wins over Missouri as well as conference series wins over Pepperdine and San Diego. Their top two starters, Matt Fields and Steven Ames, have combined to go 11-1 with 89 strikeouts and just 25 walks in 105 1/3 innings.
5. Arkansas...the Razorbacks appear to be in a classic hangover after two big home wins over Arizona State last week. The Hogs (24-9) have lost three straight for the first time this season after a 3-2 home setback to Louisiana-Monroe Tuesday at Baum Stadium. They have a big SEC series at Georgia this weekend.
6. West Virginia...the Mountaineers (26-7) are #26 in this week's Collegiate Baseball poll. It's the first time they've been in the CBN rankings since 1982, when they finished two wins away from the College World Series. WVU took two of three games from defending Big East regular season champion, St. John's, last weekend. Their 10-2 conference mark has them tied with South Florida atop the Big East standings. The Mountaineers visit Notre Dame this week and then travel to USF April 24-26. WVU's non-conference schedule has never been overly challenging, and its top inter-conference wins this year are over Indiana, Tennessee and Kentucky. The Mountaineers have losses to Illinois and Minnesota, which have been two of the better teams (along with Ohio State) in the Big 10 this season.
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