Notre Dame baseball has had a rollercoaster of a season. The team had a solid non-conference showing and got off to a hot start in Atlantic Coast Conference play, but entered a long slide in which they lost five straight ACC weekend series. They’re just escaping the slump now, but barring a miracle in the ACC tournament at the end of May, they’ll miss the NCAA tournament for the fourth year in a row.
For Irish fans who’ve been following the team since the preseason, the team’s likeliness to miss a regional is certainly a letdown. This year’s squad received the most preseason hype of any of head coach Shawn Stiffler’s teams he’s had in his four years here; the team was even mocked to earn a regional bid by D1Baseball.
That lofty projection was predicated on the Irish continuing to play solid baseball after finishing on a heater last year. It counted on junior righty Jack Radel leading the pitching staff after a stellar 2025 campaign, and depended on a new crop of transfers replacing pieces lost to the draft and transfer portal.
But what was always going to be key to the Irish’s success was whether a team composed of mostly underclassmen could compete in a new era of college baseball, which, as Stiffler described, “is not a young man’s sport anymore.”
This year’s team depended on production from younger faces from the very beginning. The lineup consistently sported seven underclassmen, often including three freshmen after junior catcher/outfielder Davis Johnson went down with an injury. On the mound, highly-touted recruit Caden Crowell was thrust into the Saturday starting role with zero college starts to his name. The sheer number of young faces are unprecedented in today’s college baseball landscape, especially in the major conferences.
As Stiffler noted, “we are the second-youngest Power Four team in the country.”
In a league — and sport in general — that continues to get older with the advent of NIL and transfer portal-dominated roster construction, this year’s campaign was a litmus test to see if a roster built around youth, development and growth could still be successful in the modern college baseball era.
Initially, it seemed like Notre Dame’s young squad had a chance to fulfill those lofty preseason expectations. They went 7-3 against early-season non-conference competition, notching a series win against Florida Atlantic, earning a resilient comeback victory against Indiana in Jacksonville, and sweeping aside Tennessee Tech, UIC and Alabama A&M.
The Irish stayed hot and jumped out to a 6-3 record to begin ACC play. After sweeping then No. 19 Clemson at home, the team even received a No. 23 national ranking and looked primed for the postseason. It was the team’s best start in conference play under Stiffler’s tenure.
After the Clemson series, however, the team faltered badly. They posted a 5-14 record over their next 19 games and dropped their next five ACC series. It is worth noting that all five ACC series were against ranked opponents, including two series on the road against then-top-10 foes North Carolina and Florida State.
During their midseason slump, Notre Dame’s reliance on inexperienced underclassmen was continually exposed, especially on the mound. While the offense was good enough to keep the Irish competitive in each series, the bullpen, of which a large portion are freshman, couldn’t find a way to close out games.
The Irish coughed up late leads against each of UNC, NC State and Boston College. Against FSU, Notre Dame lost a two-run decision after leading by two; against Virginia, the Irish were tied at four runs apiece before giving up a four-spot to the Cavaliers in the ninth inning.
The Irish recently escaped their skid with back-to-back midweek victories followed by a home sweep of Stanford. They look to be entering the ACC tournament with wind in their sails, seeking to play spoiler and make a late entry into postseason discussion.
Whether they make the postseason or not, there have been many notable successes for the Irish, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Junior catcher Mark Quatrani has been stellar, sporting a .374/.455/.644 slash line. Sophomore utility man Bino Watters has built on top of his solid freshman campaign by leading the team in hits this year. Other sophomores like shortstop Noah Coy, right fielder Jayce Lee and corner infielder Parker Brzustewicz took big strides forward as well.
On the mound, Radel has put together an outstanding campaign as the Irish’s Friday night starter. Entering the Oakland series, he’s 6-3 with a 3.41 ERA through twelve starts, with his best performance coming in a complete-game, four-hit shutout of Clemson. He projects to be a top-60 overall prospect in this year’s MLB draft.
Reflecting on the season after the series-opening win over BC, Coach Stiffler remarked, “there’s more for [this team] to still do, but at the same time I have to continue to be patient and coach and build. Our best years are still ahead of us for this group.”
Speaking on the growth of his freshman class, Stiffler was pleased. “They’ve been asked to take on quite a bit for us … they’re great kids,” he reflected. “I’m proud of all of them, they’re hanging in there … they’ve done a good job.”
While the record might not be what Irish fans wanted this season, Notre Dame baseball has set itself up for success next season. Irish fans should take solace in Coach Stiffler’s embrace of what makes Notre Dame special: the unparalleled opportunity for personal growth, on and off the field. That, at the end of the day, is Notre Dame’s winning formula, and it’s an approach that could have the Irish back in the postseason very soon.
