What they're saying: Notre Dame topples Tennessee to reach College World Series
If only for one weekend, a University of Notre Dame Athletics program was America’s Team. That doesn’t happen often, if ever.
It’s occurring now to a degree in football because of new head coach Marcus Freeman, but even the love the Irish have received from outsiders largely due to the commendable way in which Freeman operates will be fleeting. It’ll wear off eventually, especially if Notre Dame piles up wins on the field.
This weekend was different.
Just about the entire country rooted for the Irish to play Cinderella and knock off No. 1 Tennessee in the Knoxville Super Regional. Notre Dame didn’t view itself as a lovable underdog — rather, a completely competent foe worthy of a high ranking itself — but baseball fans abroad did. Tennessee played the role of the sport’s powerfully potent villain all spring, meanwhile, and the Vols played it well. To the tune of a 56-7 record entering the Super Regional series.
But they won’t play it anymore.
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Notre Dame beat Tennessee two games to one with a 7-3 victory in Game 3 Sunday. Sports personalities far and wide on social media loved every bit of Vols players, coaches and fans haplessly watching the Irish dog pile at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
A Tennessee loss meant no more bat flips (and bat spikes), cursing at umpires, chest-bumping umpires, fur coats and whatever other excessiveness emanated out of Knoxville during the Vols’ unprecedented run. None of that will be a fixture at this year’s CWS. Not to the extent of which Tennessee did it game after game.
“When you make America root for Notre Dame, you’ve truly accomplished something,” Barstool Sports podcast host Brandon Walker said.
“No team or fan base has ever deserved this ending more,” Walker’s coworker “Mintzy” added. “There is no joy in Knoxville tonight.”
Even ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit chimed in. He was less anti-Tennessee and more pro-Notre Dame.
“Incredible accomplishment by @NDBaseball taking 2 of 3 against Tennessee. Earned their way to the CWS- especially winning the series in Knoxville. Be a fun team to watch in Omaha!”
Will Notre Dame be a fan favorite in Omaha? Probably not. The ship has likely already sailed. All fans needed was for the Irish to knock off the Vols. Check.
In a way, though, Notre Dame has now moved past the house money stage by beating the No. 1 team in the country at its own ballpark. Four of the first five seeds to punch tickets to this year’s College World Series, including Notre Dame, were not national seeds in the tournament field. Notre Dame will face hot opponents in Omaha, but it will not face another team with top to bottom talent like Tennessee. It won’t face another all-around juggernaut.
The Irish have already gone through a gauntlet in the Statesboro Regional and the Knoxville Super Regional. The goal isn’t going to be to just show up and see what happens this weekend and beyond. Every one of the eight teams to make it to middle America could realistically win it all, and that most certainly includes the Irish.
ESPN’s “Stanford Steve” tweeted before the series started that he was betting on Notre Dame to “shock the world and advance to Omaha.” Now that the Irish are there, they’re not going to catch anybody else by surprise. And that’s likely just fine with head coach Link Jarrett and his players. They’re not worried about what anybody else thinks.
They’re just out to play great ball.
“We have a lot of experienced guys, and we can attack you in many facets of the game and just go out there and beat you at the game of baseball,” graduate senior left fielder Ryan Cole said.
