Tag: Niko Kavadas

Baseball: Notre Dame takes game 1 in Pittsburgh behind Kavadas’ HR

Game 1 belonged to the Irish

The season Notre Dame first baseman Niko Kavadas is having is one for the ages. The Irish slugger after connecting on yet another long ball, now has 11 homers on the season, good for the ACC lead and top-4 nationally. The long fly was one of two the Irish hit en-route to a 4-1 opening series road victory against Pittsburgh.

Back to Kavadas, the lefty is inside the top-10 nationally in slugging, has been on his game all year.

It’s not just about the deep fly’s, Kavadas is second on the team in on-base percentage, and runs while leading the team in RBI’s, total bases, slugging, walks and obviously home runs. As the Irish continue to be among the top teams in the country, more and more recognition will go to Notre Dame’s star.

Kavadas wasn’t the only player to have an impact yesterday, as the pitching trio of Will Mercer, Tanner Kohlhepp and Joe Sheridan combined for 7 strike-outs, three walks, five hits and just one run.

Offensively, Carter Putz put one over the fences as well.

The Irish get back on the field today for game 2 of the series, as they look to lock up the series.

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.

Make it 7 straight wins for Notre Dame baseball

Don’t look now but a certain school is sitting well-atop the ACC standings…

Make it a perfect four-for-four in terms of series wins for Notre Dame baseball this season as the Irish used a five-run sixth inning on Saturday to clinch the weekend series with Duke.

Trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the sixth, Niko Kavadas hit his third home run in as many games and seventh on the season to put Notre Dame in front, 4-2.

A few batters later it was Friday night’s hero, Ryan Cole, hitting an inside-the-park home run to stretch Notre Dame’s lead to 6-2.

John Michael Bertrand did the rest, pitching a complete game and surrendering just two runs, and mostly scattering five hits throughout.

The win was Notre Dame’s seventh in a row and puts them atop the ACC at 9-2 overall.

You can watch the Irish go for the sweep on Sunday afternoon as they wrap their home-opening series with Duke at 2 p.m. ET on ACC Network.

Watch: Notre Dame baseball’s walk-off homer ends home opener

Tough to have a better way to finish the home opener…

Notre Dame baseball has started the 2021 season appearing to have been shot out of a cannon as they won each of their first three series and seven of nine games overall.

Finally on Friday the 15th ranked Irish were able to start their home schedule as they welcomed Duke to town for a weekend series.

After Niko Kavadas tied the game at four with a two-run home run in the sixth inning, the Irish slugger doubled to the start of Notre Dame’s half of the 13th with the game still knotted at four.

Catcher David LaManna did his job getting Kavadas to third base with less than two outs and needing a ball to just be hit to the outfield to win it, Ryan Cole did even more as his first career home run walked off the Blue Devils.

Will Mercer started the game on the mound for Notre Dame but didn’t have his best night as he allowed three runs in 3.1 innings pitched.  Notre Dame’s bullpen picked up the rest of the squad, however, allowing just one run over the final 9.2 innings of action.

Joe Sheridan had a valiant effort in relief, going 6.1 innings and allowing just one run.

The win moves the Irish to an ACC-best 8-2 on the season and has them looking what would be their fourth-straight series win to start the year and potentially sixth-straight series win dating back to 2020 with a win either of the next two days.

Notre Dame and Duke resume action on Saturday with the first pitch set for 2 p.m. ET at Frank Eck Stadium.

SWEEP! Notre Dame baseball sweeps hosting Virginia

Break out the brooms!

So far in Link Jarrett’s tenure at Notre Dame, his team’s have gotten off to fast starts. With today’s 8-3 road victory against Virginia, the Irish completed a road sweep, winning their fourth series away from South Bend in a row. A five-game winning streak now has elevated their record to 7-2.

After getting ranked for the first time this year, the Irish didn’t let that number next their name effect their game. Once again, it was the long ball that Notre Dame relied on, as first baseman Niko Kavadas, second baseman Jared Miller and shortstop Zack Prajzner all hit homers for the victorious Irish.

Both Kavadas and Miller hit two homers during the series, Miller added three other hits today as well.

The pitching trio of Dominic Cancellieri, Aidan Tyrell and Tanner Kohlhepp limited the Cavaliers to just three runs, two earned.

When the new rankings come out this week expect the Irish to be on the rise, as Virginia was ranked No. 21 coming into the weekend and couldn’t get a win on their home-field. Notre Dame won’t have a chance to extend their road series winning streak as they will host their first home series of the season against Duke starting Friday night.

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.

Seven-Eleven, Notre Dame Baseball Wins 7th in a Row, 11th Overall

Notre Dame Baseball goes on the road and defeats Radford 9-8 to keep win streak alive.

It didn’t come easy, but the Notre Dame Baseball team showed plenty of resilience on Wednesday night, battling back to get a 9-8 win over Radford in Virginia. The Highlanders jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, something the Irish aren’t accustomed to, making Link Jarrett’s team fight back from multiple deficits.

Starter Dominic Cancellieri gave up those three runs in two innings and the Irish got on the board in the 3rd when Catcher David LaManna drove in DH Carter Putz on a fielder’s choice. The offense got the game back to even at 3 in the top of the 4th after leftfielder Eric Gilgenbach tripled home SS Zach Prajzner and then LaManna singled home Gilgenbach.

Radford took back the lead in the bottom of the 4th off reliever Tommy Vail, but the Irish bat’s woke up and took the lead right back in the top of the 5th. First baseman Niko Kavadas blasted a 2-Run Homer to get the lead back, infielder Jared Miller stole 3rd and scored on an errand throw, 3B Jack Brannigan tripled home Gilgenbach, then CF Spencer Myers finished the scoring with a single bringing home Gilgenbach.

Although the Irish would give up three runs in the bottom of the 9th, they would escape Radford with a 9-8 win, Joe Boyle getting the save, their 7th in a row. The Irish win total now sits at 11, which took them until the end of March to attain last year, a stark contrast with Jarrett now at the helm.

The Irish have one more road series before their home opener, they travel to #2 Louisville this weekend for a 3-game set. It still remains to be seen what the NCAA will rule in regards to athletics with the COVID-19 epidemic.

Notre Dame Baseball Ranked in Top 25 Heading into Game Today

Winners of 10 of their first 12 games, Notre Dame Baseball has been ranked for the first time since 2015.

After a disappointing 2019 season for Notre Dame Baseball, Mik Aoki was let go after his third straight losing season. In came new head coach Link Jarrett who has revitalized the program, leading them to a 10-2 record, six straight wins and being ranked inside the Top 25 by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. It is the first time the Irish have been ranked since the 2015 season, the last year they made the NCAA tournament.

The offense has been the biggest factor in the Irish’s resurgence in the ACC, led by 1B Niko Kavadas and CF Spencer Myers. Kavadas is second in the conference in homers while Myers is sixth in batting average and first in stolen bases. Myers leads the country in steals with 15, two ahead of his closest competition.

As a team the Irish rank 27th in slugging nationally which has helped them score 8.9 runs a game, 10th in the country heading into tonight’s first midweek game against Radford. The pitching as a well has been solid, allowing a team ERA of 3.58, but clearly the offense has stood out in Jarrett first year.

The Irish take to the field this afternoon, in Radford, Virginia, at 4pm EST as they look to extend their winning streak to 7 games. Since the Irish have yet to play a midweek game, it is unknown how they will handle their pitching staff, but if the offense continues to smack the ball all around the field, it really won’t matter much.

Kavadas Homers Again, Notre Dame Baseball Defeats UNC 8-5 in ACC Opener

Notre Dame Baseball improved to 8-2 after beating North Carolina 8-5 in Chapel Hill.

Once again, the Irish offense got on the board early to stake ace Tommy Sheehan a lead to work with. Another long ball from 1B Niko Kavadas, his 6th of the year, in the second and three more runs in the third gave Sheehan a nice 4-0 early cushion in Chapel Hill.

The big blow in the second came off shortstop Zach Prajzner’s bat, as the other two runs weren’t as exciting with a 2B Jared Miller walk with the bases loaded and a Kavadas Sac-Fly.

Sheehan then gave up two in the bottom of the 4th to the Tar Heels, which ended his night and gave way to Tommy Vail. Vail was extremely effective giving up just three more runs in his five innings to close the game out.

The Irish got one back on CF Spencer Myers RBI single in the top of the 6th but Carolina made it a game in the bottom of the seventh, with Notre Dame keeping a 5-4 lead at the stretch.

Miller’s second RBI of the game in the top of the 8th gave the Irish a two-run lead once again and they never looked back.

Two more runs in the 9th off 3B Jack Brannigan’s double and DH Carter Putz scoring on a wild pitch. Although Vail gave up a run in the bottom of the ninth, he still earned the win. First year manager Link Jarrett has to be ecstatic about this start, Notre Dame improving to 8-2 so far this year after the 8-5 win. The Irish look to win their 4th straight series tomorrow with first pitch scheduled at 2pm EST.