Preview: Stanford Baseball heads to South Bend to battle Notre Dame
This weekend, Stanford baseball is on the road, facing the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Stanford comes in at 22-19 overall and 10-11 in the ACC while Notre Dame comes in at 21-20 overall and 8-16 in the ACC. Game one will be on Friday at 1:30 PM PT. Game two will be on Saturday at 11:00 AM PT. Game three will be on Sunday at 10:00 AM PT. All three games air on ACCNX.
Last time out: Stanford defeated UC Davis 6-5 on Monday in a game that went into the 12th inning. JJ Moran hit the walk-off single to win the game.
RECAP: Stanford Baseball walks it off in extra innings against UC Davis
On Notre Dame: The Irish have had a rough season overall as their record indicates. In their most recent ACC series (April 24-26), they dropped two out of three games against Boston College at home. It was a very strange series in that Notre Dame won the first game via run rule 12-2 (7 innings), lost the next game via run rule 16-1 (8 innings), and then lost the final game 7-6. So, it was an oddly close series despite having a lot of blowouts. Florida State, whom Stanford swept, got a home sweep over Notre Dame, so when you look at those factors, Stanford should be feeling optimistic about their chances. I should mention, the Irish are coming in with a bit of momentum having won two games in a row at home over Central Michigan and Milwaukee.
The top contact hitter for the Irish is sophomore outfielder/infielder Bino Watters, who is batting .373 for nine home runs and 38 RBIs for a .621 slugging percentage and a .443 on base percentage. The top power hitter is junior catcher Mark Quatrani, who is batting .350 for 11 home runs and 46 RBIs to go along with a .631 slugging percentage and a .440 on base percentage. The two of them form a nice duo with their bats.
On the mound, the top pitcher for the Irish is junior righty Jack Radel, who has a 3.50 ERA and a 5-3 record in 11 appearances and 11 starts. He has pitched two complete games and has one shutout on the year. The Irish also have a familiar face in their bullpen in former Stanford righty Ty Uber, who is a member of their team as a graduate student after completing his Stanford degree. Uber has a 5.83 ERA and a 4-2 record in 12 appearances and nine starts. He’s been a solid arm for them this season.
As a team, the Irish have a .298 batting average for 300 runs, 279 RBIs, a .481 slugging percentage, and a .398 on base percentage. Their opponents have a .286 on base percentage for 258 runs, 242 RBIs, a .458 slugging percentage, and a .363 on base percentage. On the mound, the Irish have a 6.10 ERA while their opponents have a 7.16 ERA.
Keys to the series: For Stanford, the first thing they need to do is contain Watters and Quatrani. Those are the two engines that makes this Irish offense go. If they can slow those guys down and not allow them to have a big weekend, that would be huge.
Secondly, Stanford needs to play clean defensively. Their errors have been a thorn in their side all season long. If Stanford can play a clean series and prevent the Irish from getting free runs, that would go a long way towards winning the series.
Finally, Stanford needs to make sure they hit well when they get runners in scoring position. They do a good job of getting runners on base, but where they struggle at times is bringing them home. If guys like Teddy Tokheim, Rintaro Sasaki, and Jimmy Nati can hit well in those moments, Stanford should be fine.
Prediction: I got Stanford taking two out of three games. It’s hard to pick a sweep given it’s on the road. That said, given the six game winning streak they are on, the chance to sweep is definitely there. It’ll be interesting to see how the Cardinal do.
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