Tag: Jack Brannigan

Quick primer ahead of Notre Dame baseball’s season opener Friday

It’s almost time to play ball for the Irish

The NCAA baseball season begins for the Irish this weekend and the expectations are sky high. After a run to the Super Regionals last year, Link Jarrett has establish the program as one of the best in the Midwest quickly. In his first full season, the Irish finished first in the ACC’s Atlantic division, racking up a 25-10 conference record, 34-13 overall. Obviously we all remember their run in the NCAA tournament, but the brilliance spanned the whole season. Gone is slugging first baseman Niko Kavadas, but the Irish are still viewed as one of the best teams in the country heading into the 2022 season. Here is a quick primer of what to expect from this seasons squad.

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Tyrell magnificent as Notre Dame forces an elimination game three

The Irish battle back to force game three

With the Irish’s backs against the wall, head coach Link Jarrett looked to left-hander Aiden Tyrell to take the mound and stave off elimination for Notre Dame. It wasn’t pretty, after two batters Mississippi State held a 1-0 lead, but Tyrell settled down held the Bulldogs offense in check before getting pulled in the top of the seventh with one out and two on.

Reliever Alex Rao would get out of the jam but the story was the offense this afternoon. While Tyrell was holding the MSU offense down, the Notre Dame offense continued to stay hot. They immediately answered the run allowed in the top of the first with two of their own on a Zach Prajzner infield single.

The Irish offense would add an unearned run in the bottom of the fourth before starting to pull away. Catcher David LaManna blasted a three-run shot to left as the lead grew to 6-1.

Two innings later in the sixth, Jack Brannigan got into the action as well with a two-run blast of his own to give the Irish a 8-1 lead.

The scoring wasn’t over for the Irish as they added another run when Ryan Cole scored on an RBI single from Carter Putz.

Even though the Irish bullpen didn’t get the job done yesterday, Tyrell made sure they got some rest with his long outing. Rao finished off the Bulldogs, forcing the elimination game tomorrow.

Regardless of how tomorrow turns out, we should all be proud of the effort the Irish displayed this year. Hopefully Notre Dame’s season doesn’t end tomorrow and they head off to Omaha and the College World Series next weekend.

Three-for-three, Notre Dame scores again to extend lead over MSU

More runs for the Irish!

Through just three innings, the Notre Dame offense has not let up. A run in each of the first and second was matched in the third as Jack Brannigan added a single to right to extend the Irish lead to 3-1.

The base-knock brough in Ryan Cole but unfortunately for the Irish they could not plate any more runs after having the bases loaded with just one out. Regardless of not being able to add-on more runs, the Notre Dame offense continues to put pressure on the Bulldogs pitchers.

It’s safe to say that if the Irish continue to score a run every inning, the results could be very good for Link Jarrett’s squad. When the Irish score more than three runs, they are 33-3 this season.

Kavadas goes off, Notre Dame baseball gets back in the win column

One was not enough for Kavadas

It was the first time all year that the Notre Dame baseball team faced a midweek opponent, Valparaiso, and after their 7-game winning streak was snapped on Sunday, the Irish got back to their winning ways today.

The 6-3 defeat of Valpo saw the Irish’s biggest star shinning bright. First baseman Niko Kavadas hit two homers, upping his season total to 9 on the year. His first long ball gave the Irish the lead in the bottom of the 4th inning.

Kavadas’ second blast was in the bottom of the 7th, to extend the Irish lead to 5-3.

It was a back an forth battle for the Irish, as they jumped out to a 2-0 lead after four innings then Valpo answered with three runs in the top of the 5th to take a 3-2 advantage heading into the sixth. Link Jarrett’s team then played small ball in the bottom of the frame, with Jack Brannigan dropping a sacrifice bunt to bring Ryan Cole in to score to tie the game.

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Carter Putz singled home Brooks Coetzee to give the Irish the lead later in the inning.

The second Kavadas homer and a Cole sac-fly would cap the scoring as Notre Dame’s bullpen would close out the rest of the game. The win improves their record to 10-3. Even though it’s not as impressive as their start last year, 11-2, it’s still good enough for the Irish to get national recognition coming into the game.

The Irish next hit the diamond this weekend, as they welcome in Louisville for a three-game series that begins on Friday afternoon.

Notre Dame baseball wins series opener at Virginia

The Irish stay hot and beat Virginia to begin the series

Heading into this weekends top 25 matchup against Virginia was going to be a big test for the Irish baseball team. After last nights 10-5 series opening win, which was the 3rd-in-a-row for Link Jarrett’s team, the national ranking has more than been justified.

Early on the contest went back and forth, with the Irish taking an early lead with Jared Miller’s 2-run homer to open up the scoring.

The Cavaliers would then storm back to score 4-runs in the bottom of the third to take the lead. The lead for the host team wouldn’t last long as a sacrifice fly by Jack Zyska then a Jack Brannigan single would tie the game and a Carter Putz single would give the Irish a 5-4 lead after the top of the 4th inning. Jarrett’s team wouldn’t trail for the rest of the game.

The Irish would then extend their lead on a Niko Kavadas solo homer, his 4th of the year.

Brook Coetzee would then hit a 3-run opposite field homer to give the Irish an ever bigger cushion, at 9-5 after the top of the 8th inning.

Kavadas would then double in the top of the 9th, brining in another run for the final tally. The win pushes the Irish’s record to 5-2 so far this year.

For the first time in the early portion of the season, the Irish have won the opening game of a series. They get back on the field this afternoon, as Notre Dame looks to take the series, which would be their 4th straight on the road dating back to last year.

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Notre Dame baseball update: 2021 season set to begin next week

A primer on what to expect when Notre Dame baseball gets their season started next week.

Notre Dame baseball is getting closer to their opening day, a week from this Friday. Last year, in Link Jarrett’s first season with the Irish, prior to the season being canceled, the Irish posted  a sparkling 11-2 record. The fast start had the Irish ranked as the 24th best program in the country in one of the major polls.

There are high expectations for this years team, with the majority of players returning with the exception of pitcher Joe Boyle, who was drafted by Cincinnati Reds in the 5th round of the MLB Draft. Here is a quick primer on Notre Dame baseball news as the season is set to begin next week.

Notre Dame’s Jack Brannigan Named Freshman All-American

Although Notre Dame was limited to only 13 games during the 2020 season, that was enough for Jack Brannigan to show he’s arrived.

Although Notre Dame was limited to only 13 games during the 2020 season, that was enough for Jack Brannigan to show he’s arrived. The Orland Park, Illinois, native is one of three multi-position players to be named a 2020 Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball. He’s the first Notre Dame player to earn this honor since Matt Vierling, now a Philadelphia Phillies prospect, in 2016.

Brannigan was one of three players to start every game for the Irish, the others being Zach Prajzner and Niko Kavades. He hit .255, had three doubles, one triple and home run apiece and drove in 11 runs. He also stole three bases. As a relief pitcher in four games, he had a 1.93 ERA and earned his first win March 7 against North Carolina.

There’s no telling how much more success Brannigan would have had if COVID-19 hadn’t stopped the season. Still, all signs point to him having a nice career for the Irish. He’ll be back, and we’ll be watching.

Notre Dame Baseball’s Winning Streak Hits 6 Games, Sweep UNC on the Road

Notre Dame Baseball defeats North Carolina 14-8 on the road to earn second sweep in a row.

The Irish have yet to play a home game, but that hasn’t mattered to Link Jarrett’s team, as they won their 6th game in a row defeating North Carolina 14-8 in Chapel Hill. In their three-game series against the Tar Heels, the Irish offense scored a total of 33 runs, with the offense getting going early in each of the games.

Notre Dame started the scoring in the top of the second, plating five runs to give starter Will Mercer the early lead again. Catcher David LaManna singled home two runs, which started the offensive explosion.

An unearned run off 3B Jack Brannigan’s grounder added another run putting LaManna in scoring position. It was CF Spencer Myers turn next, his second at-bat of the inning, also a single to drive in another run as the lead stretched to four runs. A sacrifice-fly from DH Carter Putz capped the scoring with the Irish leading 5-0 after the top of the 2nd.

Carolina scored one back in the bottom of the second, but the Irish offense put up another crooked number. Shortstop Zack Prajzner hit a solo homer and Branningan singled home another run to stretch the lead to 7-1.

The Tar Heels then fought back to tie the game after 4, scoring a run in the third then getting the first two on in the bottom of the 4th to chase Mercer. Reliever Andrew Belcik couldn’t stop the bleeding as he failed to record while allowing two runs and leaving with the bases loaded. Liam Simon came into the jam and walked in a run. A fielder choice plated another run then a Sac-Fly evened the game.

The tie wouldn’t last long as Notre Dame’s bats came alive for three runs, getting the lead back 10-7 after five and a half. Putz blasted a two-run bomb, his first of the year, as part of the three-run rally.

Carolina kept the game close, scoring a run in the bottom of the 6th before Brannigan had the play of the game. Tar Heel reliever Max Alba came in with the bases load and his first pitch the Irish executed a triple steal, with Brannigan taking home on the play.

Brannigan would then add a 2 RBI single in the 8th to cap an impressive day, going 3 for 4 with five RBI, two runs scored and the steal of home. An insurance Sac-Fly from Miller ended the scoring and propelled the Irish to a 14-8 win, sealing their second consecutive sweep.

The win brings the Irish’s record to 10-2 and a clean 3-0 in the ACC. Their first in-conference sweep since 2014 has gotten Jarrett’s team off to a rousing start. They winning streak is on the line next on Wednesday, as they Irish travel once again to face Radford in Virginia. One more road series before the home opener, but if the Irish continue playing the way they have been, maybe they don’t want to come home just yet.

Five Alive, Notre Dame Baseball Win Streak Hits 5 Games, Go For Sweep of UNC Tomorrow

Notre Dame Baseball wins its fifth straight game, go for series sweep of UNC tomorrow.

The Irish offense struck early again, this time a 2-run Homer from LF Jack Zyska, to give starter Alex Rao a lead over host North Carolina before throwing a pitch.

Rao worked three plus innings, getting a great defensive play by RF Brooks Coetzee that ended a two-on situation in the bottom of the third.

Rao started the fourth but gave up a leadoff double and was pulled by first-year Manager Link Jarrett. Reliever Joe Boyle entered the game and allowed the inherited runner to score, evening up the game at 4 after four. Shortstop Zack Prajzner made a phenomenal play to start an inning ending double-play.

The offense awoke in the top of the 6th, as David LaManna’s pinch hit single drove in two runs giving the Irish a 4-2 lead.

Four more runs in the top of the 7th broke the game open for Notre Dame, Coatzee’s three-run bomb after a Prajzner RBI double accounted for the damage.

The Tar Heels fought back in the bottom of the inning, scoring five times to trim the Irish lead to one at 8-7 after seven. North Carolina would tie the game in the bottom of the 8th on the second unearned run allowed by the Irish defense. The game would head into extra innings and in the top of the 10th pinch-hitter Eric Gilgenbach cleared the bases with a double giving the Irish a 11-8 lead.

It was a complete team effort to get this win, as Jack Brannigan started the game at third base and ended the game on the mound to get the win. That makes 5 straight wins for the Irish, winners of their first four series of the year and an opportunity for their second sweep in a row tomorrow. It has been quite a start for Jarrett in his first season in South Bend. Notre Dame attempts to bring out the brooms again tomorrow, with first pitch set for 1pm EST.