This week: Notre Dame will host Fairmont State in a four-game series this Friday and Saturday, April 13 and 14, in Avon, Ohio at Sprenger Stadium. Both days' doubleheaders are scheduled to start at 1 and 3 p.m. The following Tuesday, April 17th, the Falcons will host Mercyhurst in a single game set to begin at 1 p.m.
Records: The Falcons are 9-22, 7-9 MEC after winning three of four games at West Liberty last week and falling to Mercyhurst on Tuesday. Fairmont State is 15-14, 9-7 MEC and have won five-straight conference games, most recently sweeping Wheeling Jesuit in a four-game road series. Mercyhurst is 20-5 this season with a 10-2 record in the PSAC.
Coaches Corner: Len Barker is in his seventh season as the head coach at Notre Dame. Barker is 139-172-1, 82-65 MEC at the helm of the Falcons' program. Phil Caruso is in his third season at the helm of the Fairmont State program and has a fairly even record of 65-67, 40-40 MEC. Joe Spano has been with Mercyhurst since the 2000 season and is currently in his 18th year with the Lakers. Spano has amassed a record of 577-349 in his years with the team.
Rankings: Mercyhurst is ranked No. 11 in the April 11 National College Baseball Writers' Association Poll. The Lakers moved down from No. 8 in the previous poll. Neither Fairmont State or Notre Dame received votes.
Series History: The Falcons are 10-6 against Fairmont State in a series dating back to 2014. Last season FSU won three of their four games against Notre Dame. NDC is 2-11 against Mercyhurst and has been playing the Lakers since 2011. Earlier in the week, Mercyhurst won 9-8 after giving up a 7-1 lead to the Falcons.
Noting the Falcons: In Notre Dame's first (of five) four-game series last week at West Liberty, the pitching staff had solid performances. In their three wins, the Falcons gave up just five earned runs while starting pitchers threw in 19 of the 21 innings. The lone relief pitcher in those three wins,
Devon Robb, earned the team's first win of the weekend after throwing in the sixth and seventh innings while allowing just one hit.
Josh Armbruster, who earned his second-straight win, and
Kenny Pierson, who has started the year 3-0, each went the distance and came out on top in their starts.
Chris Murphy, who was on the mound during the team's lone loss, also had a good day despite the outcome. Murphy allowed just four hits and one earned run in the 4-0 loss. The pitchers are once again going to need strong performances as Fairmont State has five batters hitting over .350.
Noting the Fighting Falcons: Fairmont State is a force on the offensive end. The Fighting Falcons rank second in the MEC in batting average (.305) and home runs (23) while ranking third in runs scored (199). FSU leads the conference in doubles with 55 and have recorded a total of 83 extra-base hits. While the team scores a lot of runs, they also give up plenty as one of just four teams in the Mountain East with an ERA above 7.00. Fairmont State's fielding also leaves something to be desired as its 54 errors is third most in the conference.
Noting the Lakers: Mercyhurst has been a powerhouse in the Atlantic Region in recent memory as they have not had a losing season since 2004. The Lakers win total over the past three seasons has been 40, 43 and 38, respectively. Currently, they are the top ranked team in the Atlantic Region by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. Mercyhurst has lost just two games since a three-game skid that ended March 10. The Lakers have also been a perfect 11-0 in road games this season and will play two road games at Slippery Rock over the weekend before visiting NDC. Part of what makes the team so strong is their pitching staff. Of the three pitchers who have appeared in the most innings, all three have ERAs below 3.0, including Chris Vallimont who is 5-1 with a 1.65 ERA this season.
