David LaManna remembers the first team meeting with Notre Dame head baseball coach Link Jarrett back in July of 2019 as nothing special.
It was when LaManna and his Irish teammates got out on the field for the first time with Jarrett for a practice when it struck the ND catcher the places Jarrett might be able to lead them.
“We just were doing what we do now every single day,” LaManna said earlier this week. “And we all looked at each other after practice and we were like, ‘This is the most work we’ve ever gotten done in that amount of time. We’re going to be so ready for the season when it comes.’ Even from just the first practice, we knew we were going to be prepared.”
Prepared enough to go 85-30 (.739) the past three seasons, the second-best record in all of college baseball, including 40-15 in the current season that’s extended into the College World Series.
Hours before the Irish opened their CWS run against ninth-seeded Texas (47-20), Jarrett was named the Mike Martin National Coach of the Year by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
The award is named after Jarrett's college coach at Florida State, where Jarrett wasd a two-time All-America shortstop (1993-94) and three-time participant in the College World Series.
Last year he was DI Baseball’s Coach of the year, and in 2020 the Irish started 11-2 overall and 3-0 in the ACC with a road sweep of North Carolina when the season was truncated because of COVID-19.
“These guys are just exceptional,” Jarrett said recently of his players, who won an NCAA regional on the road, then took out No. 1 Tennessee in Knoxville in the Super Regional.
“I look at what they do out here and that’s amazing, how they work at it. And I also realize academically how hard they have to work. And countless people — email, call, in person — tell us how remarkable those guys are — outside of the stadium, be it home or road, away from campus.
“So taking that group to the pinnacle of college baseball would be the best.”
Notre Dame is in the College World Series for just the third time in its history, following the 2002 and 1957 teams. They’ll meet 38-time CWS qualifier Texas Friday night at 7 EDT on ESPN.
BRACKET 1
At Charles Schwab Field; Omaha, Neb.
(All Times EDT)
Friday, June 17
Game 1: Texas A&M vs. Oklahoma, 2 p.m. (ESPN)
Game 2: Notre Dame vs. Texas, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
Sunday, June 19
Game 3: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
Game 4: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, 2 p.m. (ESPN)
Tuesday, June 21
Game 5: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner, 2 p.m. (ESPN)
Wednesday, June 22
Game 6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 2 p.m. (ESPN)
Thursday, June 23 (If necessary)
Game 7: Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner, TBA (ESPN)
BRACKET 2
Saturday, June 18
Game 1: Stanford vs. Arkansas, 2 p.m. (ESPN)
Game 2: Auburn vs. Ole Miss, 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
Sunday, June 20
Game 3: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
Game 4: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, 2 p.m. (ESPN)
Tuesday, June 21
Game 5: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
Wednesday, June 22
Game 6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
Thursday, June 23 (If necessary)
Game 7: Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner, TBA (ESPN2)
FINALS
Saturday, June 25
Game 1: Bracket 1 winner vs. Bracket 2 winner, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
Sunday, June 26
Game 2: Bracket 1 winner vs. Bracket 2 winner, 3 p.m. (ESPN)
Monday, June 27 (If necessary)
Game 3: Bracket 1 winner vs. Bracket 2 winner, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
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