Tag: ND

Notre Dame Baseball: Irish Rally Late to Start 2-0

A nice start for the Irish

Baseball games are nine innings long and Notre Dame used all nine of them to get by Rice in the second of the season opening three game series on Saturday.

Trailing 4-3 entering the eighth inning, Notre Dame rallied for three runs in both the eighth and ninth innings to earn a 9-5 victory and secure a season-opening series win.

David Glancy led off the eighth inning with a game-tying solo home run before a two run home run by Simon Baumgardt a few batters later put the Irish ahead for the first time since the top of the first inning.

Rory Fox recorded two outs in the eighth inning before Nate Hardman recorded the final four outs to secure the Notre Dame win.

The 2-0 Irish look for a sweep of Rice on Sunday in the finale that gets underway at 2:00 p.m. ET in Houston.

Notre Dame Baseball: Irish open season with win over Rice

Great pitching leads the way for Notre Dame’s season opening win

Despite mustering just three hits on Friday night, Notre Dame baseball opened the 2024 season Friday night with a 3-1 victory at Rice.

Rice designated hitter Nathan Becker singled in the first run of the game, scoring Jack Riedel.  That would be the only run Notre Dame starting pitcher Caden Spivey would allow in his three innings of work.

Radek Birkholz came out of the bullpen for the Irish and threw three shutout innings, allowing just one hit along the way, while striking out three.

Left fielder David Glancy got Notre Dame on the board in the second as he drew a bases loaded walk.

First baseman Josh Hahn put the Irish ahead in the fifth as he got hit by a Parker Smith pitch, making the score 2-1.  Simon Baumgardt then hit into a double play which did however end up in another Notre Dame run.

Bennett Flynn (2 IP) and Nate Hardman combined to allow just two base runners over the final three innings to secure the season opening victory, 3-1.

Notre Dame and Rice battle in game two of the series opening series in Houston on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET.

Notre Dame Routed at Home by NC State

Rough night for the Irish

Things started poorly for the Notre Dame women’s basketball team Thursday night in South Bend and they didn’t get any better throughout the evening.

The Irish were outscored by the Wolfpack 16-2 in the first 7:35 of the contest and spent the entire night just trying to get back within shouting distance.

The Irish struggled on the night, shooting just 26.9% from the floor in what resulted in a 59-43 loss.

Maddy Westbeld led Notre Dame with 14 points while Sonia Citron scored 13.  Hannah Hidalgo added 10 but was just 4-19 from the floor.

Madison Hayes led North Carolina State with 15 points.

The Irish fall to 18-6 overall and 8-5 in ACC play while NC State moves to 22-3 overall.

Notre Dame returns to action Monday night when they’ll travel to Duke.

Jim Harbaugh’s Michigan Legacy? Depends Who You Ask

What is John Harbaugh’s legacy at Michigan?

What a long and winding road it has been for current Chargers and former Michigan HC Jim Harbaugh. From the early struggles at the Wolverine helm and continuous battles with Big Ten and NCAA leadership, Harbaugh leaves the college ranks as the champion. For now, anyway.

How will he be remembered? To the Michigan faithful, he exits as a martyr standing for all that is right and just with the world of college football. The victim of a witch hunts out to nail one of the country’s most recognized programs for no apparent reason. To others, he will be viewed as a cheater who pulled a “Carroll” and took off to the NFL before sanctions could hit.

Let’s examine each side of this issue to gain a clearer understanding of the vast differences in how this man is viewed and why.

 

What Does Notre Dame Need To Get Over The Hump?

How can Notre Dame take the step from being a very good program to a really good or great program in 2024?

Notre Dame has been one of the most consistent football programs in the country from 2017 until now in terms of overall record. This in itself is an accomplishment, but not the ultimate one.

Notre Dame fans want trophies.

Major bowl wins.

Playoff wins.

A national championship.

This leaves the Irish in an interesting spot. A perennial top “tenish” team but not much to brag about beyond that point.

Notre Dame’s program is on a stable foundation. Jack Swarbrick and Brian Kelly deserve some credit for that. The mission now is pushing this operation to higher highs. What is keeping Notre Dame from making the jump from really solid to elite or borderline elite?

Let’s examine some obvious answers to this important question.

Notre Dame Football: Adjusting Scheduling for New CFP?

Will Notre Dame’s scheduling look different in the expanded playoff era?

College football as we know it is over. What comes next is a grand experiment known as the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff.

What will it look like in practicality and not just concept? How will it alter the value of the regular season? How will teams set themselves up to best navigate the new system?

These are all questions everyone who enjoys college football will be asking themselves until the answers are revealed in time.

What about Notre Dame’s unique place in the new system? Ineligible for a first-round bye due to their independence, the Irish’s road to hoisting the ultimate trophy will surely be tough. Irish fans may wonder if anything about the regular season scheduling model will be adjusted once this new era is upon us.

Let’s examine this question in more detail.

Marcus Freeman Linked To Alabama Job: Is He A Good Fit?

Freeman named as a potential Saban replacement – but is he a fit?

Every time things seem to settle down in the world of college football, the next big “thing” happens. The latest news is Nick Saban’s retirement from Alabama. This news is not a shock to me after I learned early last year of a mansion Saban purchased near the Tiger Woods compound in Jupiter, Florida.

I took this and the local Jupiter chatter surrounding it as a clear sign.

With more title rings than one hand can handle and a magnificent 206-29 record — six of those losses came in his first year — Saban’s reputation will live forever. But soon the attention will move to the future.

What direction will Alabama go in for their next hire? According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Marcus Freeman is on the candidate list. This is very interesting.

Let’s examine if Freeman would be a fit for Alabama.

Notre Dame Football: Irish Get Special Teams Jolt Through Transfer Portal

Notre Dame special teams got better today.

The transfer portal has been good to Notre Dame so far this winter and they came up with another catch from it Tuesday.  Former Marshall wide receiver and kick returner [autotag]Jayden Harrison[/autotag] is on his way to play for the Fighting Irish.

Harrison is coming off a year where he hauled in 28 receptions for 410 yards and a touchdown which came against North Carolina State, but on kickoff return is where he has done most of his damage.  Returning 23 kickoffs for 705 yards (over 30 yards per return), Harrison returned two for scores and was named a First Walter Camp All-American as a Kick Returner as a result.

This is a major boost for the Notre Dame special teams unit and a win for the Irish over Deion Sanders and Colorado as the Buffaloes were Harrison’s other finalist.

And before you ask, yes, Harrison was on the Marshall team that beat Notre Dame in 2022.  He led the Thundering Herd with 38 receiving yards that day but did not return any kicks.

Harrison originally enrolled at Vanderbilt and played the 2020 season there before spending the last three seasons at Marshall.  He’ll have one year of eligibility remaining with Notre Dame.

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Notre Dame Football: 22 Former Domers in 2024 NFL Playoffs

Notre Dame has a player on 11 of 14 playoff teams this year. Will a former Domer win another Super Bowl?

The NFL’s regular season came to an end Sunday night and the 14 playoff teams are set.

On those 14 teams are 22 players that spent their college years at Notre Dame.

Will any of those 14 find their way to Las Vegas in a few weeks and be playing to join the list of 45 former Golden Domers to win a Super Bowl?

Time will tell on that but 11 of the 14 playoff teams have representation from Notre Dame, including the top seeds in both the AFC and NFC.

So if your favorite NFL team didn’t make the playoffs or if you’re looking for someone to root for in the other conference, here is the list of Notre Dame players on NFL playoff rosters this season.

Key Notre Dame target for 2025 sets commitment date

Is Notre Dame going to stay hot on the recruiting trail on Monday?

Notre Dame received good news on Saturday when four star defensive end Christopher Burgess, Jr. of Chicago (Simeon) announced his commitment to the Irish.  Now could more good news be on the way for Marcus Freeman and company?

Four-star safety Ethan Long (’25) of Connecticut announced on Saturday that he will be making his commitment on Monday.  Notre Dame is among the finalists that also includes Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, and Wisconsin.

Long has been a key target of Notre Dame’s for some time and is coming off a junior season that saw him record 56 tackles, three interceptions, and force three fumbles in nine games.

Will he end up in Notre Dame’s already stacked 2025 recruiting class?

We’ll all know in just a few short days.