Notre Dame can’t close North Carolina late, lose series opener

This one hurts

For eight innings it looked like [autotag]Notre Dame[/autotag] baseball was going to start their weekend with a bang. The Irish hit four home runs and held onto a 8-4 lead heading into the ninth inning.

Unfortunately, Notre Dame couldn’t hold onto the lead and squandered a chance to defeat a ranked [autotag]North Carolina[/autotag] team.

It’s a tough loss for a team that looked to be hitting their stride after taking last weekend’s series against Louisville, two games to one, and blanking Butler in their midweek game.

The Irish pitching gave up two home runs, one a grand slam, in the top of the ninth, as they struggled to stop the Tar Heel’s bats.

Notre Dame’s season record now stands at 13-10, with a 4-6 record in ACC play. The series resumes tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. EST barring another change due to weather conditions.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

[mm-video type=video id=01g5fhd7hv7ret48sck3 playlist_id=none player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g5fhd7hv7ret48sck3/01g5fhd7hv7ret48sck3-2298ab7a76fda6a25b57c3d8d6fc4993.jpg]

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Mike on Twitter: @MikeFChen

See Notre Dame Baseball’s College World Series rings

🤟 mustache 🍌

It was an epic season for the Irish, as they had an opportunity to play for a national championship as they advanced to the College World Series. Knocking off the number one seeded Tennessee Volunteers along with finishing 41-17 was quite the accomplishment even if they weren’t able to bring the hardware back to South Bend.

Regardless of the outcome, Notre Dame went to Omaha for the third time in program history and the 40 wins was a program first along with a single-season high of 79 team home runs. Those feats deserved to be honored and that is exactly what has happened as the Notre Dame Baseball twitter page tweeted out photos of the rings they awarded the 2022 team.

The caption reads it’s all in the details and on the inside of the rings are the most inserting detail of them all. No doubt the three fingers, mustaches grown by the team during their postseason run and bananas eaten in the dugout will not be forgotten for this impressive group of young men and their accomplishments.

[mm-video type=video id=01gjh09ehjzsb1pyjvzp playlist_id=01eqbz1mmy7gev0xbr player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gjh09ehjzsb1pyjvzp/01gjh09ehjzsb1pyjvzp-89c789233edfb160dc4c69edcae99518.jpg]

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Mike on Twitter: @MikeFChen

One former Notre Dame baseball player impresses after being drafted

No surprises here

When the San Francisco Giants selected former Notre Dame ace John Michael Bertrand, it should have been viewed as one of the steals of the draft. I was somewhat shocked that he went so late, getting selected in the 10th round. After what JMB did in his short time with the Giants, that assertion was spot on.

When MLB.com looked at the best 2022 professional debuts, Bertrand was named among top performers. The lefty led the Atlantic Coast Conference with a 2.81 ERA and struck out twice as many hitters as he allowed walks. Since his transfer from Furman and through his first season of pro ball, JMB has been fantastic.

The Irish will miss their ace from the past two years but it is great seeing Bertrand having success so early into his professional career.

[lawrence-related id=58297]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz1mmy7gev0xbr player_id=none image=https://fightingirishwire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Mike on Twitter: @MikeFChen

Former Notre Dame 3B/P Brannigan signs with Pittsburgh

Congrats Jack!

One of the most electric players in Major League Baseball is Anaheim Angels pitcher, outfielder, designated hitter Shohei Ohtani. With an fastball that touches 100 miles-per-hour and prodigious power, Ohtani has changed the way many teams view two-way players.

Notre Dame’s [autotag]Jack Brannigan[/autotag] is one of those, the regular Irish third-baseman over the last two seasons and occasional pitcher will get his opportunity to do what Ohtani does, play both ways. When drafted in the 3rd round by the Pittsburgh Pirates, Brannigan wasn’t given one position description, he was labeled as both, leading many to wonder if he will be able to do that at the highest level. After officially signing with the Pirates, it seems like Brannigan will.

It will be interesting to watch Brannigan during his professional career, especially how long the Pirates will allow him to play both ways and how they will handle it. Either way, the former Irish star will get his chance to play both ways at the professional level.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Mike on Twitter: @MikeFChen

Which Notre Dame Baseball stars got selected in MLB Draft on day two

The Irish continue to show why this past season was so productive

The Irish saw the first day of the MLB Draft go without a current player on the roster selected, although Illinois signee [autotag]Owen Murphy[/autotag] was selected by the Atlanta Braves with the 20th overall pick. The second day of the draft saw a few current Irish stars get selected. Find out who and where they were selected below.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Mike on Twitter: @MikeFChen

Watch: New Notre Dame Baseball coach Stiffler introduced

Welcome coach!

The Irish are coming off a stretch over the last three seasons where they were one of the best teams in the country. [autotag]Link Jarrett[/autotag] did what many didn’t think was possible, making a Midwest baseball team into a perennial contender. Unfortunately for Notre Dame, the timing of Jarrett’s alma mater having an opening and his success with the Irish saw him leave to return home and take over the Florida State opening.

The Irish needed to find his replacement, which they did in [autotag]Shawn Stiffler[/autotag], who for the past 15-years was at the helm of the VCU program. It was tough for him to leave, but taking over a program that is coming off a College World Series berth was too much to pass up. Take a look at Irish AD [autotag]Jack Swarbrick[/autotag] introduce the newest Notre Dame Baseball head coach.

[lawrence-related id=58256]

[lawrence-related id=58206]

[listicle id=57754]

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Mike on Twitter: @MikeFChen

Could Notre Dame Baseball signee spur the Irish for the MLB?

The allure of being a 1st-round pick is tempting

There is a lot to be said about potentially going in the first round of any draft, let alone the MLB Draft. That is exactly the scenario for Irish verbal [autotag]Owen Murphy[/autotag] of Riverside Brookfield High School in Illinois.

Currently the right-handed pitcher is viewed as a potential supplemental first-round selection, most recently by ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel (insider). He could end up going the same route as current Notre Dame two-way star Jack Brannigan, but that’s only if he actually ends up in South Bend.

Committing to [autotag]Link Jarrett[/autotag], who now has gone back to his alma mater Florida State to be their head coach, Murphy will have a massive life choice in front of him. It is entirely possible that due to the uncertainty of who the Irish manager will be, that Murphy could skip college and get his professional career started.

On the other hand, he could get drafted by a team he may not want to play for, decided that his draft stock and subsequent signing bonus could improve and make more money while getting close to completing a degree in three-years.

At this point it’s an unknown what Murphy’s intentions will be. What we do know is that he is a highly-thought of prospect, the state’s Gatorade Player of the Year, that will be an asset wherever he lands next.

[lawrence-related id=57894]

[listicle id=57754]

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Mike on Twitter: @MikeFChen

Notre Dame’s ace adds another pair of honors to his fantastic season

Surprised?

It didn’t end how everyone wanted, but what the Irish baseball team did this spring will be remembered for a long time. A massive part of their success, breaking a 20-year drought and making it to the College World Series was ace pitcher [autotag]John Michael Bertrand[/autotag].

The graduate senior was excellent all year, pitching 109-innings, striking out 111-batters, winning 10 games with his stellar 2.81 ERA. When you’re the best pitcher on one of the best teams in the country, you’re going to get noticed. That’s exactly what happened with JMB, after being named to Baseball America and D1Baseball’s All-American teams, it made five different outlets giving Bertrand the distinction.

The lefty will now move on to the professional ranks, but his Irish legacy will live on.

[lawrence-related id=57894]

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Mike on Twitter: @MikeFChen

Three factors for Notre Dame Baseball to return to College World Series

Can the Irish return to Omaha next season?

The bar has been set for Irish baseball and it’s high. In the two full seasons that [autotag]Link Jarrett[/autotag] has been at the helm, Notre Dame has made it to the Super Regionals last year and this year the College World Series. Although neither trip resulted in hardware being brought back to South Bend, the play has set a standard for the Irish. Here are three factors for the Notre Dame Baseball team to make a return to Omaha next season.

[listicle id=57619]

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Mike on Twitter: @MikeFChen

5 takeaways from Oklahoma’s 2-0 start in the College World Series

With their two wins, the Oklahoma Sooners moved over .500 all-time in the College World Series, beating Texas A&M and Notre Dame and are 1 win away from the CWS championship.

It’s been more than a decade since the Oklahoma Sooners graced the streets of Omaha for the College World Series. Playing as well as any team coming in, the Sooners have taken full advantage of their opportunity to make a run at the national title with wins over Texas A&M and Notre Dame.

The Sooner have gotten standout pitching performances, have put on power displays at the plate, and displayed a versatility that makes them difficult to get out for opposing pitchers.

Skip Johnson has this group of youngsters playing fantastic and the aggressive style of play has put Oklahoma one win away from reaching the College World Series championship series.

While they await the winner of the elimination game between the Fighting Irish and the Aggies, the Sooners get a much-deserved break. They’ll take on the winner on Wednesday in the semifinal matchup.

With a couple days till Oklahoma next takes the field, here are five takeaways from their 2-0 start to the College World Series.