What sweeping No. 8 Virginia did for Notre Dame baseball RPI
Notre Dame started this past weekend with a bang. Six bangs, actually. And the Fighting Irish finished it with two wins in a double-header to sweep their series vs. No. 8 Virginia at Frank Eck Stadium in South Bend.
Now Notre Dame (23-15, 11-10 ACC) can start thinking about a potential NCAA Tournament berth as a result.
The Irish hit six home runs in the series opener Friday on their way to a 10-7 victory. Freshman infielder Estevan Moreno had three of the homers. The Irish routed the Cavaliers 10-2 in the first leg of Sunday’s double-header and held on for a gutsy 5-4 comeback victory in the second. The three wins over a top-10 team took Notre Dame from No. 53 to No. 36 in the Rating Percentage Index (RPI), a key determinant in the eventual NCAA Tournament’s field of 64.
Notre Dame is right in the mix with a slew of annual staples in the tournament. Here’s a snapshot of the teams the Irish are jockeying for position with now in the RPI.
No. 26 Tennessee (26-14)
No. 27 Campbell (31-8)
No. 28 Miami (25-15)
No. 29 NC State (25-14)
No. 30 Texas A&M (25-15)
No. 31 Arizona State (27-12)
No. 32 Louisville (26-13)
No. 33 Troy (28-13)
No. 34 Texas (27-15)
No. 35 Oregon State (26-13)
No. 36 Notre Dame (23-15)
No. 37 Mississippi State (23-17)
No. 38 Auburn (23-16)
As much as big wins can skyrocket a team’s RPI, losses to bad teams — especially at home — can have an equally detrimental effect. Former Notre Dame coach Link Jarrett makes his return to South Bend this weekend with his reeling Florida State Seminoles, losers of 19 of their last 21 games. FSU is ranked No. 90 in the RPI, one spot ahead of Valparaiso (16-16). The Irish beat Valpo twice this season; 8-4 and 7-3.
With just three ACC series left for Notre Dame in the regular season, it’s go time for head coach Shawn Stiffler and company. Rising a five-game winning streak, the Irish are playing their best baseball of the season at the right time. Now it’s all about not letting up and continuing an ascent that could bring postseason to the Notre Dame program for the third-straight season.
Here’s a look at the current ACC baseball standings.
ATLANTIC
- Wake Forest (34-6, 16-4)
- Boston College (27-12, 12-9)
- Notre Dame (23-15, 11-10)
- Clemson (25-16, 9-9)
- Louisville (26-13, 8-10)
- NC State (25-14, 8-12)
- Florida State (14-25, 5-16)
COASTAL
- Duke (27-12, 12-8)
- Virginia (32-9, 12-9)
- Miami (25-15, 12-9)
- Virginia Tech (23-14, 10-10)
- North Carolina (25-15, 9-10)
- Pitt (17-21, 8-11)
- Georgia Tech (22-18, 8-13)
