This Week: Notre Dame College hosts its first four-game series of the year this weekend against West Liberty. The Hilltoppers come to Avon to play on Saturday and Sunday, April 6 and 7, for two doubleheaders. Games on both days are scheduled to start at 1 and 3 p.m.

Next Week: The Falcons travel to Mercyhurst for a single nine-inning game on Tuesday, April 9. Game time is set at 2 p.m.

Records: The Falcons are 10-17 (4-8 MEC) after defeating Glenville State twice last week and falling in a doubleheader to West Virginia Wesleyan. West Liberty is 4-21 (3-9 MEC) after a four-game skid. Mercyhurst is 14-4 after splitting a doubleheader with California of Pennsylvania.

Coaches Corner: Len Barker is in his eighth season as the head coach at Notre Dame. Barker is 162-202-1, 97-82 MEC. Eric Burkle is in his seventh season with West Liberty. He is 157-167 overall in his time as the leader of the Hilltoppers. Joe Spano is in his 20th season at the helm of the successful Mercyhurst baseball team. Spano is 627-368 after leading his team to four-straight 35-win seasons. 

Rankings: Mercyhurst is the No. 8 team in the April 1 National College Baseball Writers' Association Poll. None of the other teams competing this week were ranked.

Series History: Notre Dame is a solid 15-9 against West Liberty after winning three of their four regular season games in 2018. The two conference foes also battled in the MEC Tournament in a high-scoring affair that the Falcons won 17-10. NDC has been less successful against Mercyhurst. In a series dating back to 2011, the Falcons are 2-12 against the Lakers.  

Noting the Falcons: Since joining the Mountain East Conference prior to the 2014 season, Notre Dame has done well in four-game series. In 33 series where four-straight games are scheduled against one conference opponent, the Falcons have only lost six while winning 15 and tying 12. During these games, NDC has a record of 75-52. Only once, in 2017 when the team was 10-10 in such games, did Notre Dame not have a winning record in these series. Over the past four season, the Falcons have only lost one series each year. Notre Dame has five such series coming up this season with West Liberty kicking things off on Saturday. Of those five teams, NDC has a better ERA and batting average than all but one (Shepherd). 

Noting the Hilltoppers: West Liberty's struggles this season are likely due to the lack of solid pitching. The Hilltoppers are last in the Mountain East Conference with a team ERA of 8.23. This comes despite a high strikeout rate. WLU averaged 7.0 strikeouts per game, a mark that is higher than all but two teams in the MEC. Parker Dyson is a big part of the strikeout success this season as the 2-4 pitcher has 51 Ks in 36.2 innings. Another area of hardship for West Liberty is allowing stolen bases. Only two teams in the conference have allowed 43 steals this season, with Wheeling Jesuit being the other, but the Hilltoppers have played two fewer games than the Cardinals.

Noting the Lakers: As one of the top teams in the region, Mercyhurst is a well-rounded team with solid pitching and offensive output. The Lakers are led by Matthew Minnick on the mound as the starting pitcher has allowed just two earned runs in 19 innings pitched. Minnick has struck out 43 batters in the process and is joined by fellow starters Tyler Garbee and Christian Young who have also waved over 30 batters each. Garbee and Young hold ERAs of 1.17 and 2.25 respectively. On the offensive end, four batters hold averaged above .325 and five have double-digit RBI numbers.