Newsstand: Notre Dame baseball season starts Friday
The boys are back. Notre Dame baseball season begins Friday afternoon.
The Fighting Irish have a new coach in Shawn Stiffler, but plenty of familiar faces return for a team that made it to the College World Series last summer. There are 11 graduate students on the roster, seven of whom are returning from last year.
The Irish also boast a slew of offseason transfer additions including right-handed pitcher Blake Hely, who is set to get the start on the mound in Friday’s season opener vs. Lipscomb in Nashville (3 p.m. ET, ESPN+). Hely went 9-2 with a 3.80 ERA last season at Davidson. He had 97 strikeouts and 40 walks.
The Irish plan to start sophomore righty Radek Birkholz on Saturday (3 p.m. ET, ESPN+) and junior Jackson Dennies on Sunday (2 p.m. ET, ESPN+). Birkholz had a 4.98 ERA in 21 appearances last year. He only started once. Dennies had a 6.35 ERA in 20 relief appearances. He never started.
Lefty Jack Findlay, who had a 2.17 ERA and 54 strikeouts against 16 walks in 20 appearances with 8 starts, is set to come out of the bullpen to start the season. The Irish pitching staff is backed up by returning position players Carter Putz, Jack Zyska, Zack Prajzner and Nick Juaire among others. The newcomers are headlined by prized football signee Drayk Bowen.
Notre Dame tweets of the day
Olivia Miles is an absolute monster.
Turning back the clock on the Irish’s new quarterbacks coach.
Quote of the day
“In the last couple minutes, I told the team, ‘It’s time to separate ourselves.’ That shot is what you call separation. That was unbelievable.”
— Irish women’s basketball coach Niele Ivey on Miles’ game-winning buzzer-beater
Headlines of the day
Notre Dame WBB coach Niele Ivey named to COTY watch list
What they’re saying about Gerad Parker becoming the Notre Dame OC
Family and faith led Christian Gray to ‘choose hard’ with his Notre Dame decision
How to process the promotion of Gerad Parker to Notre Dame offensive coordinator
The recruiting impact: Gino Guidugli as Notre Dame’s new QB coach; Gerad Parker elevated to OC
2025 ATH Dorian Brew on recent Notre Dame visit, position preference?
