Notre Dame Baseball Wins ACC Atlantic Division, Moves Up To No. 3 In Top 25
On a weekend when the Notre Dame baseball team didn’t even play, its magical season added some shine.
Because of losses by No. 15 Louisville and No. 17 Florida State last weekend, the Irish (26-10 overall, 22-10 ACC) secured the ACC Atlantic Division championship by default, one week before their regular season even ends. They also moved up to No. 3 in Baseball America’s latest top 25.
This marks the first time since joining the ACC in 2014 that the Irish claimed a division title. It is also the first time since 2006 as a member of the Big East that Notre Dame won a regular-season league championship.
Though idle this past weekend, Notre Dame still leads the ACC with 22 conference wins, which are the most for the program in a league season since it recorded 22 Big East victories in 2001.
The ACC Atlantic title means Notre Dame has already secured a top-two seed in the upcoming ACC Championship May 25-30 in Charlotte, N.C.
Georgia Tech will likely hold onto first place in the Coastal Division and join Notre Dame as the other top-two seed in the ACC Tournament. The Irish won two out of three games against the Yellow Jackets last month.
The Irish wrap up their regular season this Thursday-Saturday with a three-game series against Virginia Tech (27-20, 16-17 ACC) in Blacksburg, Va.
In a dramatic turnaround the last two seasons under head coach Link Jarrett, Notre Dame has won nine of its 10 ACC three-game series this season, with two three-game sweeps.
As more evidence into the great season that Jarrett and his Irish are putting together, Notre Dame was picked in the preseason by the league coaches to finish last in the eight-team Atlantic Division.
Instead, the Irish are essentially a lock to make the 64-team NCAA Tournament field and will likely earn the right to host one of the 16 regional rounds at Frank Eck Stadium on the Notre Dame campus.
The 2021 NCAA Tournament draw, along with the regional host schools, will be announced on Memorial Day (May 31).
In its most recent projection on May 12, Baseball America listed Notre Dame as a No. 6 NCAA Tournament seed and a host site for a four-team regional that would also include Michigan, Indiana State and Central Michigan.
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