Notre Dame, North Carolina set for first matchup of the season in ACC semifinals
After going 2-0 in pool play against Florida State and Virginia, fourth-seeded Notre Dame baseball (35-13) will face one of the country’s hottest teams in the ACC semifinals on Saturday.
North Carolina (36-19) is the No. 8 seed in the ACC Tournament, but they aren’t playing like it. The Tar Heels have won 13 of their last 15 games. They beat Clemson 9-2 in their first pool game and hammered No. 1 seed Virginia Tech 10-0 on Friday night. The Tar Heels hit four home runs against the Hokies, including two by center fielder and freshman Vance Honeycutt. They can strike quickly, something for which the Irish pitching staff will need to be prepared Saturday afternoon.
Saturday’s game will be North Carolina’s third ACC semifinal appearance in the last five years (2017, 2019, 2022).
Irish top Cavaliers in Game 2 of pool play
Notre Dame had already earned a spot in the ACC semifinals after topping Florida State on Thursday, but the Irish got a ranked 3-0 win on Friday against No. 15 UVA.
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Liam Simon got the start and pitched five innings, a new career high. He tied his career high with eight strikeouts and allowed just two hits. Four additional Irish pitchers come on in relief, and the bullpen preserved the shutout to give the Irish pitching staff good momentum heading into the weekend.
The bats have been relatively quiet for Notre Dame thus far in Charlotte, although shortstop Zack Prajzner is playing very well. After a home run and a double on Thursday, Prajzner drove in a pair of runs via a single and a sacrifice fly on Friday against the Cavaliers. He is now batting .296 on the year with 50 hits, five home runs and 31 RBIs.
As of Friday night, Notre Dame was No. 8 in the RPI rankings from D1 Baseball. North Carolina jumped to No. 6 after beating the Hokies, and the Tar Heels have moved up 10 spots in the last week. The Irish are the seventh seed in the updated D1 Baseball Field of 64 Projections.
Notre Dame-North Carolina details
Where: Truist Field (Charlotte, N.C.)
When: 1 p.m. ET
Watch: ACC Network
Probable starters: TBA vs. TBA
Noting Notre Dame: The Irish defense entered the ACC Tournament with a .982 fielding percentage, which leads the ACC and is 10th in the nation; catcher David LaManna currently has the fifth-best batting average in the conference (.379); center fielder Spencer Myers leads the ACC with 10 sacrifice bunts this year; Notre Dame is the top seed remaining in the ACC Tournament.
Noting North Carolina: Three UNC batters have at least 15 some runs this season; right fielder Angel Zarate has 85 hits this year, which is second in the conference; first baseman Hunter Stokely leads the ACC with 41 fielded double plays in 2022; as a team, North Carolina has a .973 fielding percentage, which is seventh in the conference.
