This week: Notre Dame travels to Walsh, Glenville State and West Virginia Wesleyan this week for three road doubleheaders. The games at Walsh will begin tomorrow, March 28, at 2 p.m. The two conference series on Friday, March 30, and Saturday, March 31, are scheduled for a 1 p.m. start.
Records: The Falcons are 3-18, 1-7 MEC after falling to UVa-Wise and splitting a series against Concord. Walsh is 11-9 after sweeping Ohio Valley and Cedarville last week. Glenville State is 7-14, 4-4 MEC after winning three of its last four games. Wesleyan is 5-15, 4-4 MEC after losing two games to Wheeling Jesuit and splitting with West Liberty last week.
Coaches Corner: Len Barker is in his seventh season as the head coach at Notre Dame. Barker is 133-168-1, 79-64 MEC at the helm of the Falcons' program. Tim Mead is in his 34th year at Walsh and is the programs all-time leader in victories with 721. James Mullins is in his fifth season with the Pioneers and holds a record of 26-44 over the past two years. Randy Tenney not only serves as the Athletic Director at West Virginia Wesleyan, but he has been coaching the Bobcat's baseball team for the past 27 seasons.
Rankings: None of the teams competing this weekend were ranked in the March 21 National College Baseball Writers' Association Poll.
Series History: The Falcons are 7-29 against Walsh all time after suffering two losses to the Cavaliers in Florida this season. NDC has fared better against Glenville State with an 11-1 record against the Pioneers. Notre Dame also holds a winning 6-5 record against Wesleyan.
Noting the Falcons: Notre Dame has seen many tough losses this season and most recently are 1-7 in conference play, despite holding leads in seven of their eight MEC competitions. The Falcons returned the favor in their last game against Concord, coming back from a 2-1 deficit to win 11-2 and become the first conference team to defeat the Mountain Lions. Pitcher
Kenny Pierson went the distance in his first start of the season and leads the team with an ERA of 2.60.
Noting the Cavaliers: Walsh is riding a four-game winning streak going into the week. Much of their success on the offensive end is due to Eric Conner who is hitting .405 this season with 32 hits on 79 at bats. Conner has scored 13 runs and batted in 15 others. About a third of his hits this season have been for extra bases. The Cavaliers boast a sophomore duo of Andrew Czech and Avery Janning who are each holding onto a batting average of .377. Combined, the two have recorded 52 hits, 32 runs, 33 RBIs and seven home runs.
Noting the Pioneers: Glenville State was strong at home in 2017 with a 14-7 record, but has struggled so far this season on their own field. The Pioneers will enter this week with a 2-8 record in Glenville, W.Va. GSC is 4-0 this year in games where they have recorded 10 or more hits, compared to being just 3-14 in games where they haven't reached that mark.
Noting the Bobcats: West Virginia Wesleyan has gone 3-1 in its home games this season, playing all four competitions against fellow Mountain East teams. The Bobcats have utilized the bunt often this season and are tied with Concord for the second-most sacrifice bunts in the MEC so far this year. Sitting at the top of that category, with 13, is Notre Dame. WVWC has done well on the mound this year as one of just four MEC teams to hold an ERA under six.
