NOTRE DAME, Indiana — University of Notre Dame baseball coach Mik Aoki has announced the slate for his ninth season with the Irish, starting with the 2019 season opener at Arizona State on Friday, Feb. 15.
The schedule includes 18 games with NCAA tournament teams from a year ago with 15 of those games coming at Frank Eck Stadium. In addition to the season-opening, three-game set at Arizona State, highlights include the return of the Alamo Irish Classic in San Antonio, Texas, an exhibition with the minor league South Bend Cubs and the 2019 Swing & Swine Classic against Charleston Southern and Ball State.
The home slate opens Friday March 22, with a three game homestand with ACC foe Florida State. The Irish will also host Virginia, North Carolina, NC State and Louisville at Frank Eck Stadium.
Non-Conference Weekends
at Arizona State | February 15-17
The Irish travel to Tempe, Arizona, for three games against the Sun Devils to open the 2019 campaign. This will be the first matchup between the two teams since the opening month of the 2002 season when the Irish played a two-game series in Tempe. The Sun Devils are the first Pac-12 opponent the Irish have faced since the 2014 opener of the USA Baseball-Irish Classic against UCLA. in 2018, the Irish won their opening series of the year after taking two-of-three from No. 9 LSU on the road.
Alamo Irish Classic | February 22-24
Notre Dame will be joined by Eastern Michigan and Incarnate Word for the annual Irish Alamo Classic at San Antonio’s Nelson Wolff Stadium. It marks the 21st season since 1995 the Irish will make their traditional trip to San Antonio.. The Irish are 6-3 all-time against Incarnate Word, 5-2 against Eastern Michigan and made it to the title game of the Alamo Irish Classic last season.
Swig and Swine Classic | March 1-3
The Irish continue their non-conference schedule with a weekend trip to Charleston, South Carolina, for the Swig and Swine Classic. Notre Dame will face off with Charleston Southern and foe Ball State in a weekend three-team format series played at Shipyard Park Friday and Nielsen Field on Saturday and Sunday. This will be the first meeting all-time between the Irish and Buccaneers while the Irish will face the Cardinals for the 32nd time. Notre Dame and Ball State haven’t squared off since the 2010 season when the Irish defeated the Cardinals 11-5 in a March mid-week matchup at Frank Eck Stadium.
Canisius | May 11-12
After the University’s final exam break, the Irish will host Canisius College for the first time in school history. The Griffins finished last season 35-22 and were the MAAC Tournament champions to earn a trip to the NCAA Tournament. Notre Dame is 9-2 all-time versus MAAC school’s with the last matchup coming against Monmouth in 2017 during the USA Baseball-Irish Classic.
ACC Home Series
Florida State | March 22-24
Florida State, an NCAA Tournament participant a season ago, will be the home-opener for the Irish in 2019 for the second time since Notre Dame joined the ACC. Florida State opened the home ACC slate for the Irish back in 2017. The Seminoles lead the all-time series 17-8, after winning two-of-three last season in Tallahassee.
Virginia | April 5-7
Notre Dame will play host to Virginia in the beginning of April to begin a long stretch of home ACC series. The Cavaliers will be the first of four ACC opponents to travel to Frank Eck Stadium over the next five weeks. Virginia owns an 8-5 advantage in the all-time series and the two teams will meet for the first time since 2017.
North Carolina | April 12-14
North Carolina will travel to Notre Dame in mid-April coming off a College World Series appearance last season. The Tar Heels finished sixth and defeated eventual national champion Oregon State in the their first game in Omaha. The Irish hold a 5-4 advantage over North Carolina and it will be the Tar Heels first trip to Frank Eck Stadium in four years. Back in 2015, the Irish swept the 20th-ranked Tar Heels in a three-game series.
NC State | April 26-28
The Irish and Wolfpack have traded series victories since Notre Dame joined in the ACC in 2014 and the trend continued last season with NC State winning two-of-three in Raleigh. In the last series at Frank Eck Stadium in 2017, the Irish won by scores of 4-1 and 2-1 before the Wolfpack took the series finale, 9-2. Notre Dame is 4-2 all-time against the Wolfpack at home.
Louisville | May 3-5
The ACC home schedule will conclude with a three-game series against the Louisville Cardinals, an NCAA Tournament participant from a year ago. Last season, the two teams closed ACC regular season play in the Commonwealth of Kentucky with the Cardinals winning all three games.
ACC Road Series
Wake Forest | March 8-10
Wake Forest will be the league opener for the Irish in 2019 when Notre Dame kicks off their spring break trip with a three-game set in Winston-Salem. The Irish came out on top last season when the two teams faced off at Frank Eck Stadium to open ACC home play. Notre Dame won the first two games of the series before dropping the finale to the Demon Deacons. The Irish clinched the series after a 7-6 extra inning win on Saturday courtesy of a walk-off walk from Daniel Jung.
Clemson | March 15-17
The Irish will make their third trip all-time to Clemson to finish off their spring break road trip. After joining the ACC for the 2014 season, the Irish won the series with the Tigers the first two seasons, with Clemson taking the series each of the last three years. Last season, the Irish defeated the sixth-ranked Tigers to open the series before dropping the final two games.
Georgia Tech | March 29-31
Notre Dame and Georgia Tech will meet for just the third time in ACC play, with the Irish making their first trip to Atlanta for a series since 2015. The teams last met at Frank Eck Stadium during the 2017 season and the Irish swept the three-game series with the Yellow Jackets. Notre Dame won the opening two games by a score of 4-3 before winning the final game 9-6 after a six-run third inning.
Pitt | April 19-21
The lone road series of April will have the Irish traveling to Pittsburgh to face off with their old BIG EAST and current ACC foe Pitt. The Irish lead the all-time series with Pitt, 45-22, after winning two-of-three to close the home slate at Frank Eck Stadium last season. With the series win, Notre Dame is 13-4 in its last 17 games against the Panthers.
Boston College | May 16-18
The Irish will finish the regular season with a three game series against Aoki’s former club in Boston College. Notre Dame holds a 32-15 advantage all-time against Boston College and won two-of-three against the Eagles last season. Niko Kavadas won the first game of the series for the Irish with a walk-off blast in the 10th. The Irish clinched the series with a 5-4 comeback win on Sunday after scoring twice in the eighth to regain the lead.
Midweek Match-Ups
Western Carolina | March 12
In the middle of their spring break road trip, the Irish will make their first ever trip to Cullowhee, North Carolina to face off with Western Carolina. The Catamounts will be just the fourth Southern Conference opponent the Irish have faced and the first since 2015.
Chicago State | March 26
The Irish host Chicago State for the 36th meeting between the schools, with Notre Dame having won 33 of those games. Last season, the Irish produced their highest run total of the season in an 18-4 win over the Cougars.
Central Michigan & South Bend Cubs | April 2-3
In their first of two double midweek sets, the Irish will host Central Michigan. The Irish hold a 21-12-1 record over Central Michigan and have won their last three games against the Chippewas. The following day, the Irish take the quick drive to downtown South Bend for an exhibition game with the Single-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs at Four Winds Field.
Michigan State & Western Michigan | April 9-10
The Irish will host two midweek games for the second consecutive week against two teams the Irish have faced over 100 times. The first opponent will be Michigan State which the Irish currently have a three-game winning streak against. Next up will be the 139th meeting with Western Michigan. Notre Dame holds a 71-66-1 series edge and also hold a three-game winning streak against the Broncos after a 14-4 home win last season.
Northwestern | April 16
Then Northwestern travels to Frank Eck Stadium for the first of two meetings between the Irish and Wildcats this season.
Valparaiso & UIC | April 23 & April 30
As the season begins to dwindle towards the final weeks, Notre Dame will host Valparaiso and UIC for their final two home midweek games. The Irish and Crusaders will meet for the 101st time, with Notre Dame having won 17 of the last 18 games after a 6-5 home win last year. In their final home midweek game of the season, the Irish will square off with UIC for the 42nd time. Notre Dame holds a 31-10 series advantage over the Flames.
at Northwestern | May 14
Notre Dame will play its final non conference game of the year on Tuesday, May 14, with a trip to Evanston, Illinois, to face Northwestern for the second time on the season.
