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Wednesday, April 22, 2026
The Observer

Sports



The Observer

MLB Wild Card Weekend Preview

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They’re all in line, we’re ready for the start. A dozen teams are set to compete for a World Series title, bringing the 2022 MLB season to a dramatic close. It all begins this weekend with eight Wild Card teams playing as many as twelve games in three days. These best-of-three series will set the stage for the division series round, as the top two teams in each league await, enjoying a first-round bye. Here’s the tale of the tape for the postseason’s first four matchups.


The Observer

'A-O-K' again: The song and story that ended the Phillies' 11-year wait

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The first time the song blasted out of the speakers at Citizens Bank Park was in the bottom of the second inning on April 8, 2022. It had been 3,836 days since the last time the Philadelphia Phillies had played in the postseason. The world had changed countless times since. Every other team in the National League had made at least one postseason trip in the interim.


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Belles volleyball falls 3-0 against Hope

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Saint Mary’s volleyball lost three sets to none in a conference match-up on the road against No. 14 Hope College. Belles head coach Denise Van De Walle was straight-forward about the outcome of the contest.



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Irish face off against Wolfpack, look to stay in playoff contention

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Notre Dame women’s soccer hosts NC State this Thursday in their fifth conference game of the season. The sixteenth-ranked Irish take on the Wolfpack one week after a win against Boston College. Notre Dame dominated Boston College last week, winning three to nothing and leading the Eagles sixteen to seven in shots and six to two in corner kicks. Junior midfielder Eva Gaetino returned to play against BC after exiting early with a head injury in the game against Pitt.


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Irish are ‘hungry’ for 2022 season

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Notre Dame hockey takes to the ice to start their official season on Friday Oct. 7 against defending National Champion Denver at 9 p.m., and then Air Force at 8 p.m. the next day. The two games are part of the Ice Breaker Tournament, an invitational tournament that invites four of the country’s best to start the collegiate season.


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Irish look to continue win streak in Bloomington

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With selection day for the NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship only six weeks away, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish have their work cut out for them to prove to the committee they deserve to be one of the 48 teams selected. An October schedule loaded with competitive ACC match-ups should give the Irish the opportunity to do just that. Notre Dame will begin their gauntlet of a month tomorrow night in Bloomington against the Indiana University Hoosiers. 


The Observer

Week 5 college football takeaways

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The cost of firing a head coach in today’s college football landscape is higher than ever. Massive buyout payments that come with the early termination of a contract means that schools pay millions of dollars just to get their coaches to leave. After his exit in 2021, former LSU coach Ed Orgeron received a buyout of $17.1 million. In a recent interview, Orgeron acknowledged the massive paycheck he received, joking that his response to losing his job was to ask, “What time do you want me to leave and what door do you want me out of, brother?”


The Observer

College football top games week 6

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Sandwiched in between the two weeks of the Texas State fair in Dallas is the Red River Showdown between Texas and Oklahoma. The game is almost guaranteed to be a good one as regardless of the quality of the teams, only one game since 2014 has been decided by over ten points. Oklahoma has had a rough past two weeks, losing to both Kansas State and TCU after rising as high as sixth in the rankings. Head coach Brent Venables, who is seen as a defensive whisperer, needs to work some magic to get this Sooners defense back to the level Oklahoma fans expected. Texas also could welcome back quarterback Quinn Ewers, who hasn’t played since getting injured versus Alabama in the second week of the season. The Longhorns fell victim to an upset bid from Texas Tech two weeks later, but rebounded with an 18 point win over West Virginia to get to 3-2. Both fan bases are some of the most devoted in college football, and whichever head coach loses this game will get a lot of heat. Can Oklahoma stop their slide? Or, will Texas reassert themselves as a contender in the Big 12? 



The Observer

Gabe Perreault scores twice as NTDP tops Notre Dame men’s hockey team

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The No. 8/9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men’s ice hockey team dropped its lone preseason scrimmage to USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program (NTDP) under-18 team by a 5-3 score Sunday night. In a high-paced, back-and-forth contest, the NTDP capitalized twice on five power play opportunities to earn an edge against the Irish. 



The Observer

Irish volleyball drop two more ACC matches in return to Purcell

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After winning four of five to close their nonconference slate, Notre Dame volleyball's momentum has come to a grinding halt. Despite returning home for the first time in over a month, the Irish couldn't put together a win, dropping two more ACC matches. Notre Dame is now 0-4 in conference play. This weekend, No. 13 Georgia Tech dispatched the Irish, followed by Clemson. The latter was a five-set battle, marking the second five-set defeat for the Irish in conference play.


The Observer

Belles volleyball lose tenth straight, fall to North Park

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Woes continued for the Saint Mary's volleyball squad this weekend, as they faced another highly regarded opponent. North Park came to town after receiving votes in the most recent national polls, and they swept the Belles in three consecutive sets. Saint Mary's has now lost eleven straight sets dating back to Sept. 20. They fell to 3-10 and 0-2 in MIAA play.


The Observer

Dowd comes up big, Irish topple Eagles 2-1

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On Friday night, The Notre Dame men’s soccer team took down Boston College in Alumni Stadium. The now 5-3-1 Fighting Irish beat their conference rivals 2-1 after coming off a win against Kalamazoo. 



The Observer

Saints split soccer matchups with Saint Ambrose

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Last week when a dominant Calvin College team earned a 3-1 win against the Holy Cross men’s soccer team, head coach Omar Gallo was adamant that his squad would maintain the momentum they had built in conference play.