#14 UVA baseball travels to Notre Dame for ACC weekend series

VIRGINIA CAVALIERS (15-8, 3-6 ACC)
Probable Starting Rotation
Sat. (G1) – Jr. LHP Nathan Kirby (3-1, 1.16 ERA)
Sat. (G2) – So. RHP Connor Jones (4-1, 3.00 ERA)
Sun – Jr. LHP Brandon Waddell (1-1, 3.48 ERA)

NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH (16-7, 3-6 ACC)
Probable Starting Rotation
Sat. (G1) – Sr. RHP Scott Kerrigan (1-3, 3.52 ERA)
Sat. (G2) – Fr. RHP Brandon Bielak (2-1, 4.94 ERA)
Sun – Jr. RHP Nick McCarty (3-2, 2.48 ERA)

The No. 14 Virginia baseball team makes its first trip to Notre Dame this weekend for a three-game ACC series in Notre Dame, Ind. The schedule for the series was altered Thursday because of unseasonably cold temperatures which are forecast for Friday. After an off day Friday, the teams open the series at 1:05 p.m. Saturday with a doubleheader before concluding series with a game at 1:05 p.m. Sunday.

Live Video/Audio/Statistics
Links to the live UVa audio broadcast also can be accessed at VirginiaSports.com through a Cavaliers Live subscription. The first game Saturday will be broadcast online by ESPN3. Links to free live video, provided by Notre Dame’s WatchND, will be available for all the second game Saturday and the Sunday contest on VirginiaSports.com. Live statistics (GameTracker) also will be available. The video, audio and live stats also can be accessed through the Virginia Sports app, which is available through iTunes.

WINA 1070-AM and WINA.com will have the local radio broadcast in the Charlottesville area for all three games.

Virginia in the Latest National Rankings
NCBWA – 12
USA Today Coaches, Perfect Game – 14
D1Baseball – 18
Baseball America – 20
Collegiate Baseball – 25

Virginia-Notre Dame Series
Playing as ACC rivals for the first time, Virginia and Notre Dame have met just five times previously. UVa holds a 3-2 edge in the all-time series, which started in 1991. The teams last played in the 1996 NCAA Regional in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Notre Dame won 12-1 on May 23 before UVa bounced the Fighting Irish from the tournament with a 7-1 victory.

O’Connor Returns to South Bend
UVa head coach Brian O’Connor was an assistant on then-head coach Paul Mainieri’s staff at Notre Dame for nine seasons from 1994-2003; he was an assistant coach from 1994-2001 and associate head coach from 2001-03. During O’Connor’s nine years at Notre Dame, the Irish compiled an overall record of 399-160-1 (.713), won six conference championships and made six trips to the NCAA tournament, including a 2002 berth in the College World Series.

While at Notre Dame, O’Connor worked with the Fighting Irish pitchers and served as the program’s recruiting coordinator. He was named the 2001 National Assistant Coach of the Year by the ABCA and Baseball America and was 2003 AFLAC National Assistant Coach of the Year.

Noting Notre Dame
The Fighting Irish were swept last weekend by No. 8 Louisville in an ACC series at Notre Dame, but they rebounded for an 8-3 home win over Western Michigan on Wednesday. Batting .258 as a team, Notre Dame is led in hitting by Cavan Biggio (.345) and Ryan Lidge (.313). The Irish are 14th in the ACC in batting and fourth in ERA (3.18). Notre Dame is 2-3 at home this year.

Up Next
Virginia concludes its five-game road swing at 7 p.m. Tuesday (March 31) when it travels to Richmond to play VCU at The Diamond. The Cavaliers return home at 4 p.m. Wednesday to play VMI in a game that was rescheduled after a March 4 rainout.