The road hasn't been kind for Notre Dame baseball, which has played in-conference games since last April. The Irish are 1-12 in their last 13 ACC games at Frank Eck Stadium, including a 10-game losing streak in such games. This season, Notre Dame suffered sweep losses to No. 13 Virginia Tech and No. 17 Florida State.
The schedule doesn't get any easier this weekend as No. 22 North Carolina State hosts the Irish in Raleigh for a three-game series. Both teams come into the match riding momentum from their home successes. Notre Dame (14-9, 2-7 ACC) took two of three games from Miami last weekend and could have easily won if they had held a 7-1 lead. North Carolina State (15-7, 5-4 ACC) performed similarly, defeating No. 9 Duke in three straight games after dropping No. 13 Coastal Carolina in a midweek game.
Last year, the Irish and Wolfpack met in South Bend for Notre Dame's final home ACC series in early May. After Notre Dame won Thursday's opener, the Wolfpack shut down the Irish batting lineup for a come-from-behind series victory. Before that, Notre Dame won three straight series against North Carolina State dating back to 2019.
To throw or not to throw?
It's hard to imagine a team's pitching staff having a week as up-and-down as Notre Dame's. Going back to the March 15-17 series at Florida State, the Irish allowed just eight runs in their final two games. But then, on Tuesday against Western Michigan, Notre Dame scored 10 points through the fourth inning to win 16-11.
But that wasn't the only turmoil. Notre Dame started the Miami series with incredible pitching, giving up just two runs in the first two games. But in a 12-10 loss in the 10th inning on Sunday, the Irish blew a six-run lead, giving up eight runs in one inning.
At this point, there seem to be two reasonable conclusions regarding Notre Dame's pitching staff. First of all, it's still not good enough to play three or four games a week. The Irish have never allowed fewer than seven points in three consecutive games this season and have allowed more than 10 points in 10 games. Overall, the Irish have a 6.53 ERA, which isn't bad in the rankings, but there is room for improvement.
The second important thing is that Notre Dame's most consistent hurler is now more clearly in sight. Senior right-hander Matt Bedford, the only Irish pitcher to start each weekend's series, heads the list. He started Friday against Miami and set career highs in innings (4 1/3) and strikeouts (7), giving Bedford a 4.56 ERA on the year.
The players who pitched behind him on Friday are settling in as well. Sophomore right-hander Kayden Spivey has allowed just three runs in eight 2/3 frames since returning to the bullpen three weeks ago despite a 9.20 ERA on the season. Spivey also had 12 strikeouts and only two walks during that span. Bennett Flynn, a college right-hander who pitched 4 2/3 innings last weekend, led the Irish with 34 strikeouts and still maintains an ERA under 4.00.
Notre Dame's right-hander could have been even better Saturday. Freshman Jack Ruddell and junior Ricky Reese combined to score two runs in the ninth inning. Ruddell started the first four frames and has posted a 1.64 ERA in three starts since debuting in the rotation. Reese homered the Irish and pitched five innings, lowering his season ERA to 4.71.
Comeback Wolfpack to second straight series win
From March 12 to March 17, NC State lost four straight games, something the Irish haven't experienced this year. The Wolfpack suffered a blowout 18-3 loss at home to UNC Greensboro, followed by a sweep loss at Georgia Tech.
That losing streak could have easily extended to eight last week, but NC State wouldn't let it. The Wolfpack earned a winning record against a No. 2 ranked opponent with three one-run, come-from-behind victories.
North Carolina State's sixth come-from-behind victory of the season on Saturday marked perhaps the defining moment of the past month. After trailing 8-2 to Duke until the top of the 8th inning, the Wolfpack got to work. With one run in the 8th inning, the Pac gave way to the 9th inning, trailing 8-3.
The game ended with a wild celebration at home plate. North Carolina State scored six points in the frame and ended the game with a two-run walk-off home run by center fielder Eli Serrano III. However, Duke defeated North Carolina State by no score in Game 3, making this weekend's series an important one for the Wolf Pack and its momentum.
Looking at the big picture, NC State lost roughly 75% of its offensive production at the end of last season. But a balanced attack has kept the Wolfpack's lineup in high gear until this point in 2024. Alek Makarevich is the team's best hitter with 10 doubles, 10 home runs, 37 RBIs, and a slash line of .359/.433/.793. Garrett Pennington, who has 10 doubles and a batting average over .350, ranks second on the team with 26 RBIs.
On the mound, NC State surprises no one and is still working on finding a true ace. Friday's starting pitcher Sam Highfill, who pitched well for Notre Dame last year, boasts an opponent batting average of .196, but with timely hits and walks, his ERA is 4.70. Logan Whitaker (5.14 ERA) and Dominique Fritton (8.37 ERA) will finish the series on North Carolina State's pitching staff.
Notre Dame and North Carolina State begin the series in Raleigh at 7 p.m., followed by games Friday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 3 p.m.
