Even after picking Notre Dame (18-7, 16-7 ACC) to lose their first ACC series of the season last weekend, the Irish still took two out of three games from conference foe North Carolina State. Notre Dame hasn’t ’t dropped an ACC series since 2019.
Next up is ACC bottom-feeder Boston College (15-19, 5-16). The Eagles are at least three games behind every other team in the conference standings and have been swept in a weekend series three times.
Game one of the three-game series starts at 5:30 p.m. ET on Friday. The contest will be broadcasted by the ACC Network Extra.
3 Observations
Notre Dame still leads the nation in fielding percentage
On Sunday, Notre Dame boat-raced North Carolina State 11-2, sparked by home runs from infielders Niko Kavadas, Jack Brannigan and Zack Prajzner.
But the game actually almost got away from the Fighting Irish early on. Junior left-handed pitcher Aidan Tyrell started on the bump and got into trouble in the top of the first inning, loading the bases with two outs.
Then the next Wolfpack batter drilled an off-speed pitch from Tyrell to deep center field, but Notre Dame outfielder Spencer Myers made a leaping grab against the wall for out No. 3 and robbed the Wolfpack of a potential three-run double.
When looking at the scorebook, this out doesn't show up as more valuable than the 26 other outs Notre Dame’s defense recorded in the win, but in terms of its actual impact on the game, it was exceedingly more significant.
“The way some of these outs have been recorded has been really effective and keeps the momentum on our side,” said Notre Dame head coach Link Jarrett.
That’s why Notre Dame’s NCAA-leading .988 fielding percentage doesn't actually do the defense justice. As a stat, it doesn’t fully encompass just how great this Notre Dame team is in the field.
Sure, the Irish have recorded just 12 errors in 25 games, but they’re also frequently executing the spectacular play in key moments. And that takes away a run — or three — from the other team.
Bertrand struggles in his return to the rotation
After missing the Georgia Tech series due to arm soreness, Notre Dame left-handed pitcher John Michael Bertrand returned to the lineup against North Carolina State this past weekend.
Halfway through the 2021 season, Bertrand had emerged as Notre Dame’s ace. In his first six starts, he had an ERA hovering just above 3.00 and was averaging almost seven innings per start.
But in his start on Saturday, Bertrand labored through just four and two-thirds innings, surrendering eight hits and two walks. He also allowed four earned runs, tying a season-high.
“It wasn't good,” Jarrett said. “He wasn't sharp.”
But what’s important is that even after his worst outing of the season, Bertrand's throwing arm felt fine the following day.
“My biggest concern was the next day because at Pitt [two weeks prior] he threw a great game. But he didn't feel good the next day. That's when [his soreness got to him] a little bit. But he felt fine and was fine all week.”
The hope is after shaking off the rust against the Wolfpack, Bertrand's arms issues won’t return and he can once again be Notre Dame’s workhorse. Jarrett said he’ll start again this Saturday against Boston College.
“I would hope we see a little bit more of the crispness and the command that we were accustomed to seeing,” Jarrett said. “And I would just guess that him having not been out there in a couple of weeks, that's tough on anybody. He's a very diligent worker, and I would expect and hope that he's back to what we saw for the majority of his starts.”
Tanner Kohlhepp’s Earned Run Average Continues to Improve
Tanner Kohlhepp’s first appearance came in Notre Dame’s opening day 10-8 loss to Wake Forest on Feb. 27. The junior right-handed pitcher and transfer from Iowa Western CC surrendered four earned runs and failed to record an out.
The following Friday at Clemson, Kohlhepp got another chance and his numbers improved, but not by much. In one and two-thirds innings of work, he allowed three hits and a walk and gave up another earned run.
At this time, his ERA was an abysmal 27.00.
Fast forward to April 23, and Kohlhepp has the second-best ERA (2.05) at Notre Dame among pitchers with at least 10 innings of work. He’s accomplished this by allowing just two earned runs over the course of his next 11 appearances.
It just goes to show that early-season struggles, no matter how atrocious, aren’t always indicative of a player’s potential.
Remove Kohlhepp’s first two appearances when he was still shaking off the rust, and the junior has a 0.62 ERA — a figure that would rank No. 1 overall in the NCAA.
2 Questions
How high is the ceiling for third baseman Jack Brannigan?
When it comes to MLB Draft speculation and overall fanfare, first baseman Niko Kavadas is the talk of this Fighting Irish team and rightfully so. He currently leads the NCAA in home runs per game and is first in slugging percentage among players with at least 20 at bats.
But sophomore third baseman Jack Brannigan has also proven in just 38 college baseball games that he possesses all the tools pro scouts often drool over. I'm intrigued to see how his game develops with another year or two in Notre Dame's program.
At 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds, he’s Notre Dame’s fastest player and boasts a .289 batting average, the fourth-best mark on the team.
At the plate, he also has the ability to use the entire field, but he can also turn on an inside pitch and blast that sucker over the scoreboard.
“He's so athletic, and he's a competitive kid,” Jarrett said. “That's a kid that's never played third base before last year, and we asked him to go play third base, and he goes up there and plays it as hard as you can and plays it pretty well. It's been the same thing at the plate.
Then there’s his arm talent. On occasion, Brannigan will go from third baseman to late-inning relief pitcher. In just two innings this season, he has a 4.50 ERA, but his fastball sits in the mid-90s.
In addition to his moderately high batting average, Brannigan has come through in the clutch for Notre Dame at times this season. In a 3-2 win over North Carolina State last Friday, Brannigan recorded all three Irish RBIs.
Typically batting seventh or eighth in the Irish batting order, Brannigan’s success has also made it easier for other Notre Dame players to produce.
“He's been in the bottom half of the lineup for the bulk of the year,” Jarrett said. “When you can get those guys in the bottom starting to roll a little bit it just lengthens out and it makes your 1-2-3-4 hitters more potent because they're getting opportunities with runners on base. Brannigan has been a big part of that.”
Will Notre Dame avoid a major letdown against Boston College?
The Eagles began the season 9-2 and quickly made their way into the top 25. Pundits wondered if Boston College could even host an NCAA Tournament regional. But then they lost 17 of their next 23 games and have the worst record in the ACC at 5-16.
But the Eagles are still loaded with talent and were one of four teams prior to the season to have three players ranked as top-30 2021 collegiate MLB Draft prospects.
Thus far, Boston College outfielder Sal Frelick, a potential first-round pick, leads the team in hitting with a .355 average. He’s also hit five home runs and stolen nine bases. Sophomore outfielder Luke Gold has been almost just as impressive, hitting .325 with eight home runs and 12 doubles.
“The top half of the order is as good as any top half of the order in the country,” Jarrett said.
That’s why, even with Boston College’s recent poor play, the Eagles are dangerous and could sneak up on Notre Dame if the Fighting Irish don’t come ready to play in Chestnut Hill, Mass.
But Coach Jarrett says his players are well aware of how talented Boston College actually is, and thus they shouldn’t take this weekend for granted or anticipate an easy series win.
“You can take the records and throw them all out. It doesn't really matter,” Jarrett said. “Somebody's going to win and lose, so the records result is there, but it's not necessarily an indicator of who's talented and who's not. It's a fine line, and once people sort things out and get things rolling a little bit, anybody can get hot.”
1 Prediction
Get your brooms ready …
Notre Dame and Boston College have near-identical team batting averages, which has them ranked eighth and ninth in the ACC, respectively.
But where the two programs differ is on defense. The Irish have the second-best team ERA in the ACC (3.70) and are, of course, first in fielding percentage. The Eagles, meanwhile, have a solid .975 fielding percentage but an ACC-worst 6.48 ERA.
I anticipate one of this weekend’s games will be close, but I just don’t see Boston College keeping up with Notre Dame given the poor state of their starting rotation and bullpen.
That’s why I predict the Irish will sweep the Eagles and improve to 19-7 in the ACC.
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