Notre Dame baseball gets first true test of season at NC State

Finally, the Fighting Irish get a chance to prove what they’re really made of.

No. 9 Notre Dame (9-1) hasn’t played the toughest of schedules to this point. It would explain why a team ranked in the top 15 of every major poll ranks No. 33 in RPI, a key determinant for NCAA Tournament seeding. The Irish — and every other team in the country — are a long way off from tournament talk. It is mid-March, not mid-May. But this weekend’s road trip could go a long way in forecasting what kind of club head coach Link Jarrett could have by then.

The combined record of all the teams Notre Dame has faced to this point is 43-57. Even the three Big Ten teams the Irish took care of last weekend (Illinois, Michigan State and Minnesota) have a combined record of 12-23. That’s not stout competition. But that changes in Notre Dame’s first true series against a singular opponent.

No. 22 NC State (9-4) got where Notre Dame wanted to be last season. The Wolfpack not only made it to the College World Series by knocking off the No. 1 team in the country, Arkansas, but they also won two games in Omaha. If not for complications with COVID-19 comprising the roster and forcing NC State to forfeit, the Pack could have won even more.

NC State was not a superpower in 2021. It was a case of a team getting hot at the right time. The Irish took two of three games from the Wolfpack in South Bend and won convincingly 11-2 in the rubber match. That series went a long way in helping Notre Dame win the ACC Atlantic Division. NC State finished second, six games back in the win column.

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The slates have been wiped clean in 2022. Both teams bring 0-0 conference records into game one of this weekend’s series, which has been moved up to a 4 p.m. ET first pitch in Raleigh, N.C. Though neither team has played particularly eyebrow-raising competition, Notre Dame has by far looked like the more complete team prior to league play. The Irish boast the best team ERA in the country (1.41). NC State has a mark of 4.38 in the same statistic. The Wolfpack have been a bit better collectively at the plate, though. NC State has the nation’s eighth-best team batting average (.337). Notre Dame has a team average of .311.

NC State is reeling having lost four of its last five games. The Wolfpack lost four in a row last week, including getting swept at home by Northeastern. NC State was outscored 20-6 in three games on its home field, but it was more of a wake-up call than anything. It could have been worse. Northeastern made the NCAA Tournament last season. The Huskies are just 6-5-1 this season, but head coach Mike Glavine gets the most out of his teams more seasons than not.

So does Jarrett.

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Notre Dame has serious aspirations of not only defending its ACC championship but making it to Omaha. Headway can be made on both goals this weekend. The Irish have the tools to make it happen, too. Jarrett’s three starting pitchers — Aidan Tyrell, John Michael Bertrand and Austin Temple — have gone off without a hitch. That trio has an 8-0 combined record, and Temple has the worst ERA of the three at 1.59.

Those arms will be tested in a way they haven’t been this season, but it’s a challenge a team with as lofty a standard as Notre Dame is willing to accept. It helps knowing when a ball is put in play, odds are Notre Dame’s fielders will take care of it. The Irish lead the country with a team fielding percentage of .992. Notre Dame has only committed three errors all year.

Notre Dame is going to have to be better than it was last week offensively, though. The Irish only generated five runs in the last two games. But if winning ballgames when the offense isn’t all there is going to be the Irish’s calling card this season, it’s a good thing for a team to hang its hat on. Pitching wins championships. To win championships, you’ve got to win big-time road series. Buckle up for this one. It should be good.

Probable starting pitchers

Friday (4 p.m. ET): LHP Aidan Tyrell (3-0, 0.56 ERA) vs. RHP Sam Highfill (1-1, 5.02 ERA)

Saturday (2 p.m. ET): LHP John Michael Bertrand (3-0, 0.90 ERA) vs. RHP Matt Willadsen (0-0. 5.02 ERA)

Sunday (1 p.m. ET): RHP Austin Temple (2-0, 1.59 ERA) vs. LHP David Harrison (2-1, 2.81 ERA)

Possible batting order

1. TJ Williams (CF): .435
2. Ryan Cole (LF): .294
3. Jared Miller (2B): .346
4. Carter Putz (1B): .353
5. Brooks Coetzee III (RF): .361
6. Jack Brannigan (3B): .229
7. Zack Prajzner (SS): .313
8. DM Jefferson (DH): .231
9. David LaManna (C): .450