The Notre Dame Fightin’ Irish are the ACC Atlantic Conference champions! This is the first time they have accomplished this since joining the ACC in 2014. The first full season under Head Coach Link Jarrett has been very successful. The season record to date is 26-10 overall and 22-10 in the ACC. A home record of 14-6 and 12-4 on the road. The Irish were a pre-season pick to finish last in the ACC (this is why pre-season polls are ridiculous). The big difference is Head Coach Link Jarrett. His ability to lead and coach this squad is the reason why all of this is happening.
How It Happened
The Irish did not put their destiny in anyone’s hands. The Irish won nine ACC series and a conference high 22 conference game wins with and still have one series to go. Next weekend the Irish will travel to Virginia Tech to wrap up the regular season. The Irish were able to claim stake to the Atlantic Conference Champion award after Florida State and Louisville both posted losses.
Coach Jarrett had an interesting approach to the season. Two noticeable things happened that were just a smart way to lead and coach a team. One, Coach Jarrett did not have a specific pitching rotation as most teams do, and two per media interviews he did not pay attention to the polls. Coach Jarrett, worked his rotation to fit who was most ready to go. Sometimes that approach didn’t work, but he knew enough early in a ballgame when a pitcher needed to come out. Not letting the wheels come off the bus and the team could not recover. On the second approach, per media interviews, Coach Jarrett didn’t pay any attention to the polls and how the Irish were moving up other than the information given to him by Matt Paras the SID for ND Baseball.
The one thing Coach Jarrett liked to see from his team was “the guys are mad about losing, and they don’t like the way it feels.” That is what every Head Coach strives for. It’s that personal motivation you see when you lose a ball game. That emotion is what makes this team tick. That is what champions are made of.
What’s Next For Irish Fightin’ Baseball
The Fightin’ Irish will travel to Blacksburg, VA for a three game series starting on Thursday May 20th at 6 PM EST. From there it will be the ACC Baseball Tournament, the hopefully a trip to the NCAA Baseball World Series. But there is much work to be done prior the ACC Baseball Tournament and NCAA Baseball World Series. One game at a time!
Cheers and Go Irish! ☘⚾🌩